Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,660, settled in 1881.
Pocola gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $182K, 3.5 years of the county’s $52K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 46th among Oklahoma's 131 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 90% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 79% of U.S. towns. Only 3 of Oklahoma’s 205 towns score lower on civic life. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 83% of U.S. towns. Only 2 of the 124 Oklahoma towns we compare have a lower property crime rate than Pocola.
Where Pocola beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Pocola | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.7% | 8% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Pocola is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,840 in 1970, 4,255 in 2020. The archive holds 5 maps from 1887 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pocola, 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 Pocola.
Pocola sends many workers across the state line to Van Buren, fares better on crime within Oklahoma than nationally and looks healthier within Oklahoma than nationally.
Within Oklahoma it is less healthy than 68% of the 131 graded towns: much of Oklahoma scores lower on these measures.
21% of Pocola adults smoke cigarettes, above both Oklahoma’s towns (18%) and U.S. towns (14%). 36% of adults get no exercise outside work in Pocola. Pocola beats the Oklahoma average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10.
| Pocola | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 34% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 40% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Pocola | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.1% | 76.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.7% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Pocola school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pocola EsLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 381 | C+ |
| Pocola HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 208 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
At 8.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 96% of Oklahoma’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
Pocola’s violent crime rate is 0.9 per 1,000 residents, below both the Oklahoma town median (2.7) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6).
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Pocola has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Pocola’s July high is 93°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Pocola home is worth about $182,000, up 3.9% in a year, 17% below the Oklahoma typical home. The median rent in Pocola is $826 a month.
| Pocola | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $826 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 62% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
58% of working residents cross a state line to work, Van Buren among the top destinations.
Most working residents leave Pocola for work: only 9% work in town. Since 2013, Pocola has added 124 jobs, to 1,362 in 2023. 17% of Pocola residents live below the poverty line.
| Pocola | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.9% | 22% | 8% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 18% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 2015, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pocola.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pocola. Close and well known come first.
7 mi Ancient siteSpiro Mounds
in town National forestOzark–St. Francis National Forest
9 mi National Historic SiteFort Smith National Historic Site107K visitors a year
39 mi State parkDevil's Den State Park
10 mi MuseumFort Smith Trolley Museum
10 mi MuseumW.H.H. Clayton HouseSpiro Mounds: Herb Roe Original uploader was Heironymous Rowe at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ozark–St. Francis National Forest: Paul A. Mistretta, USDA Forest Service, CC BY 3.0 us · Fort Smith National Historic Site: Photolitherland (talk) Chris Litherland, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Devil's Den State Park: jaystout, CC BY 2.0 · Fort Smith Trolley Museum: Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · W.H.H. Clayton House: Hakbak, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Pocola
About 4 of every 100 Pocola residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
Town in Oklahoma, United States
Pocola is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, Pocola had a population of 4,255. Pocola is a Choctaw word meaning "ten", the approximate distance in miles from Fort Smith, Arkansas.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Pocola.
| Town | OK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pocola | #46 | C+ | B+ | A− | B− | D |
| Arkoma | — | — | A | D | C+ | D− |
| Rock Island | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Arkoma has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Rock Island isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Pocola with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Pocola grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #46 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades D for health, A− for safety and B− 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 B+.
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