Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,923, settled in 1872.
Pawhuska gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $104K, 1.5 years of the Tulsa metro’s $69K median household income. It grades C− overall, 82nd of 131 graded towns in Oklahoma. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 95% of the country, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 37% of working residents work locally in Pawhuska, above both Oklahoma’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (8%). Only 5 of Oklahoma’s 229 towns score higher on history. The biggest park or preserve is WahZhaZhe Heritage Park, at 50 acres.
Where Pawhuska beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
3,584 counted in 2010 and 2,984 in 2020; an estimated 2,923 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Pawhuska is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for cost of living (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D for health (better than 5%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,776 in 1910, a peak of 6,414 in 1920, 2,984 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1804 and 5 maps from 1909 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pawhuska, and how to reach them.
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 Pawhuska.
Pawhuska trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, fares better on crime within Oklahoma than nationally and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Oklahoma.
2.4 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Pawhuska’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Pawhuska | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. WahZhaZhe Heritage Park | 0.8 mi | 50 |
| 2. Ben Johnson Memorial Park | 0.4 mi | 6 |
| 3. Williams Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Pawhuska school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Camp EsLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 182 | – |
| Pawhuska HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 183 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
48% of Pawhuska adults have obesity. Pawhuska beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 46% of Pawhuska adults have high blood pressure.
| Pawhuska | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 41% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 40% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 12% |
| What stands out | Pawhuska | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 22% | 16.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.7% | 8% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.9% | 3.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes are within reach (about $104K for the typical one, A+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. At 1.5 years of the Tulsa metro’s $69K median household income, the typical home (about $104K) costs less against local pay than in 92% of Oklahoma towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living.
The median rent in Pawhuska is $554 a month. The typical Pawhuska home is worth about $104,000, up 3.4% in a year, 53% below the Oklahoma typical home.
| Pawhuska | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $554 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 62% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Among 131 Oklahoma towns, just 4 have a higher FEMA risk score than Pawhuska. Since 1985, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pawhuska.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 29.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 52% of Oklahoma’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Bartlesville F P Fld weather station, 18 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 192 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 78% of Oklahoma places with climate records. The Bartlesville F P Fld weather station, 18 miles away, records that about 71 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 82% of Oklahoma places with climate records.
Pawhuska has chilly winters and hot summers. Only 8 of the 131 Oklahoma towns we compare have a lower July high than Pawhuska.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here fell from 1,986 in 2013 to 1,548.
About one in 3 of Pawhuska’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Pawhuska has lost 438 jobs, to 1,548 in 2023. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in Pawhuska.
| Pawhuska | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 18% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
None within 15 miles of Pawhuska; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Pawhuska residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
6 places in Pawhuska on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Pawhuska.
City in Oklahoma, United States
Pawhuska ( paw-HUSK-ə; Osage: 𐓅𐓘𐓢𐓶𐓮𐓤𐓘, romanized: hpahúska, lit. 'White Hair'; Iowa-Oto: Paháhga) is a city in and the county seat of Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,984. It was named after the 19th-century Osage chief Paw-Hiu-Skah, which means 'White Hair' in English. The Osage tribal government, which opened offices in Pawhuska in 1872 when its reservation was established in Indian Territory, continues to be based in Pawhuska.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pawhuska grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #82 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades D for health, C for safety and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
17 notable people were born here, including Larry Sellers and Clarence L. Tinker.
