Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of Oklahoma.
Park Hill grades C− overall, 86th of 131 graded towns in Oklahoma, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 79% of Oklahoma towns on state tests and graduation. On the other side, the median household income is $47K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. 21% of the land in Park Hill is conserved, against 6.9% in Oklahoma’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. No town among the 131 in Oklahoma we compare has a lower share of residents 65 or older than Park Hill. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country.
Where Park Hill beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
3,909 counted in 2010 and 3,193 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Park Hill is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Murrell Home is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its founding year, 1838, comes before those of 97% of the Oklahoma towns we grade with a known year.
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1851 and 3 maps from 1898 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Park Hill is unincorporated, so Cherokee County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Park Hill.
Park Hill sends most of its workers to Tahlequah and beyond and has more 90° days than most of the country, though not than most of Oklahoma.
43% of Park Hill adults sleep under 7 hours, where Oklahoma’s towns sit at 38% and U.S. towns at 36%. 32% of Park Hill adults get no exercise outside work. Park Hill beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14.
| Park Hill | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 41% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 21% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 17% |
| What stands out | Park Hill | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults without reliable transportation | 13.8% | 9.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 14.2% | 10.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 25% | 18.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Sequoyah High School. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Sequoyah High School, with 318 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee Immersion Es-TahlequahLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 112 | D |
| Sequoyah High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 318 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
Park Hill’s median age is 26.8 years. Adults 18 to 34 are 39% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 27% of residents (37% statewide). 22% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Oklahoma.
| Park Hill | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 26.8 years | 36.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 27% | 25% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 20% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.9 points. Across Oklahoma, 50.2% of residents are women. Among residents 65 to 74, 76% are men (OK 47%).
| Park Hill | OK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.4% | 12.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.5% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.1% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 26.4% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.3% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.4% | 11.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.2% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 4.4% | 9.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.4% | 6.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.2% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.2% | 30.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.8% | 22.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.6% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.6% | 18.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.6% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,200, single groups can be off by several points
Park Hill has 270 jobs for its 1,274 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 485 in 2013 to 270.
Most working residents leave Park Hill for work: only 2% work in town. Jobs based in Park Hill fell to 270 in 2023, 215 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Tahlequah (30%), Tulsa (9%) and Muskogee (9%).
| Park Hill | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 22% | 8% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Murrell Home Park | 0.1 mi | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 72% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Tahlequah weather station, 7 miles away, records that about 52 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 92% of Oklahoma places with climate records. July afternoons average 91.9°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 83% of Oklahoma places with climate records; January nights average 27°.
Park Hill has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Park Hill is 92°F. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Park Hill | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 92°F | 93°F | 85°F |
| January low | 27°F | 28°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Park Hill home is worth about $201,000, up 8.4% in a year, 9% below the Oklahoma typical home.
| Park Hill | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $798 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 62% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Park Hill. Close and well known come first.
19 mi MuseumUSS Batfish
16 mi LandmarkFort Gibson
in town MuseumCherokee Heritage Center39 mi Theme parkDry Gulch, U.S.A.
25 mi MuseumFive Civilized Tribes Museum
23 mi MuseumThree Rivers Museum2K visitors a yearUSS Batfish: Blackwing.1, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Gibson: Fred Q. Casler, Photographer, Public domain · Cherokee Heritage Center: Uyvsdi, Public domain · Five Civilized Tribes Museum: Uyvsdi, Public domain · Three Rivers Museum: JudeHalley, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Park Hill
About 9 of every 100 Park Hill residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
Where Park Hill’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Park Hill on the National Register of Historic Places.
Unincorporated community in Oklahoma, US
Park Hill is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in southwestern Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, Park Hill had a population of 3,193. It lies near Tahlequah, east of the junction of U.S. Route 62 and State Highway 82. Founded in 1838, Park Hill became the home of many important Cherokee leaders, including John Ross after their removal from the southeastern U.S. It has been called "the center of Cherokee culture."
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Park Hill.
| Town | OK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Hill | #86 | C− | B | — | A− | D |
| Zeb | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Keys | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Etta | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Welling | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tahlequah | #68 | C | C+ | B− | A− | C− |
| Woodall | — | — | B+ | — | A | D |
Woodall has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Park Hill and Woodall report no FBI crime data of their own. Zeb, Keys, Etta and Welling aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Park Hill with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Park Hill grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #86 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades D for health and A− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.8 years of the area's median household income ($53,218 across the Tahlequah, OK area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
2 notable people were born here, including Mary Golda Ross and Alice Brown Davis.
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