Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 9,171, settled in 1885. Public schools that outperform most of Oklahoma.
Poteau earns a D, 101st among Oklahoma's 131 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country. The median household income is $51K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, its schools rank ahead of 84% of Oklahoma towns. Poteau’s violent crime rate is 6 per 1,000 residents, where Oklahoma’s towns sit at 2.7 and U.S. towns at 1.6. Poteau is home to Carl Albert State College. Poteau reports more crime per resident than 88% of U.S. towns, including 55 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025.
Where Poteau beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Poteau Upper Es | 2–4 | 468 |
| Poteau Primary Es | PK–1 | 439 |
| Pansy Kidd MS | 5–6 | 288 |
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Carl Albert State College | 1,070 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Poteau is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,182 in 1900, 8,807 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1968 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Poteau, 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 Poteau.
39% of Poteau adults get no exercise outside work. Poteau beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 22% of Poteau adults smoke cigarettes.
| Poteau | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Poteau | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults without reliable transportation | 13.2% | 9.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 25.4% | 18.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.9% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Poteau school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Poteau HS, with 674 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poteau Upper EsLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–4 | Grades 2–4 | 468 | A |
| Poteau HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 674 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
4,678 jobs are based in Poteau, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Poteau’s working residents works in town. 4.4% of workers work from home in Poteau. Jobs based in Poteau grew to 4,678 in 2023, 234 more than in 2013.
| Poteau | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 34% | 22% | 8% |
| Work from home | 4.4% | 6.6% | 11% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Poteau’s property crime rate is 20.3 per 1,000 residents. Poteau reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 88% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Poteau has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Poteau is 93°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Poteau home is worth about $187,000, up 3.4% in a year, 15% below the Oklahoma typical home.
| Poteau | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $853 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Poteau.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Poteau
About 5 of every 100 Poteau residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Oklahoma.
Where Poteau’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Poteau on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Poteau.
City in Oklahoma, United States
Poteau ( POH-toh) is a city in and the county seat of LeFlore County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, Poteau had a population of 8,807.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Poteau.
| Town | OK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poteau | #101 | D | C+ | D | A− | D |
| Wister | — | — | B+ | C+ | C− | D |
| Shady Point | — | — | A+ | A− | C− | D |
Wister and Shady Point have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Poteau with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Poteau grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #101 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades D for health, D for safety and A− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($51,565 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
4 notable people were born here, including Rilla Askew and Argus Hamilton.
