Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ponca City grades D overall, ranked 108th of 131 in Oklahoma, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its crime rate is higher than 88% of U.S. towns, with 116 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. The median household income is $56K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: it has 6 miles of trail. 39% of working residents work locally in Ponca City, above both Oklahoma’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include E. W. Marland Mansion and Marland-Paris House. Only 4 of the 131 Oklahoma towns we compare have a lower January low than Ponca City.
Where Ponca City beats most towns.
E. W. Marland Mansion
E. W. Marland Mansion is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its 36 National Register listings are more than in 98% of Oklahoma towns with a listing.
Census counts: 2,528 in 1900, 24,424 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 3 maps from 1968 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Ponca City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ponca City, 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 Ponca City.
Ponca City looks healthier within Oklahoma than nationally and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Oklahoma; it also has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Reported crimes fell from 882 to 516 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Ponca City is 4.8 per 1,000 residents. Ponca City reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 88% report less. The property crime rate in Ponca City is 16.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Ponca City | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.8 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.5 per 1,000 residents | 14 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Ponca City school district. Three of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponca City West MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–7 | Grades 6–7 | 607 | C+ |
| Ponca City HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,498 | B− |
| Woodlands EsTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 258 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
Within Oklahoma it is less healthy than 60% of the 131 graded towns: much of Oklahoma scores lower on these measures.
Ponca City beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 43% of Ponca City adults have obesity.
| Ponca City | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 41% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 40% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 25% |
| What stands out | Ponca City | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.6% | 16.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.6% | 8% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.3% | 3.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
6.2 miles of trail in 19 parks and preserves. Standing Bear Park and Trails, at 180 acres with 2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Ponca City | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.9% | 6.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Standing Bear Park and Trails | 2 mi | 180 |
| 2. War Memorial Park | 1 mi | 26 |
| 3. Marland Mansion | 0.8 mi | 34 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Ponca City home is worth about $137,000, up 5.9% in a year, 38% below the Oklahoma typical home. Ponca City’s median rent is $850 a month.
| Ponca City | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 41% | 44% | 48% |
| Median rent | $850 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
The Blackwell 1ssw weather station, 13 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 199 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 85% of Oklahoma places with climate records. January nights average 24.3°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 90% of Oklahoma places with climate records; July afternoons average 93.4°.
Ponca City has chilly winters and hot summers. About 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 8,905 working residents takes 15.7 minutes, against 22.4 across Oklahoma.
About one in 3 of Ponca City’s working residents works in town. 3.4% of workers work from home in Ponca City. The top destinations are Oklahoma City (9%), Tulsa (3%) and Stillwater (3%).
| Ponca City | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 3.4% | 6.6% | 11% |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Oklahoma average. 21% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Oklahoma.
| Ponca City | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 26% | 25% | 22% |
| Median age | 37.1 years | 36.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 21% | 20% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1 point. Across Oklahoma, 50.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 37.9, men 36.2.
| Ponca City | OK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.5% | 12.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.2% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.6% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.6% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.6% | 11.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.8% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.1% | 9.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.7% | 6.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.5% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.1% | 30.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.9% | 22.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14% | 18.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.6% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
98 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 10 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 98 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ponca City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ponca City
About 4 of every 100 Ponca City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
9.9% of the town is conserved land, across 19 parks and preserves.
36 places in Ponca City on the National Register of Historic Places.
20 notable people were born in Ponca City.
City in Oklahoma, United States
Ponca City (Iowa-Oto: Chína Uhánⁿdhe) is a city in Kay County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The city was named after the Ponca tribe. Ponca City had a population of 24,424 in the 2020 census, down from 25,387 at the time of the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ponca City grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #108 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades D for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Safety 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+.
20 notable people were born here, including Don Nickles and Shelby Wilson.
