Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Shawnee grades D overall, 117th of 131 graded towns in Oklahoma, mostly because of safety and health. It reports more crime per resident than 89% of U.S. towns, including 153 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Residents are less healthy than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. One bright spot: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 66% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include St. Gregory's Abbey and College and Shawnee Friends Mission. 29% of working residents work locally in Shawnee, where Oklahoma’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 8%. Shawnee is home to Oklahoma Baptist University.
Where Shawnee beats most towns.
Shawnee Friends Mission| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Oklahoma Baptist University | 1,420 |
Census counts: 3,462 in 1900, 31,377 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 3 maps from 1909 on.
15 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Shawnee is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shawnee, 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 Shawnee.
Shawnee trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Oklahoma City and other neighbors.
Reported crimes fell from 1,117 to 867 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Shawnee’s violent crime rate is 4.7 per 1,000 residents. Shawnee reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 89% report less. Shawnee’s property crime rate is 22.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Shawnee | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 22.1 per 1,000 residents | 14 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Shawnee school district. Three of its 14 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee MSLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 693 | D |
| Shawnee HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,045 | B+ |
| Grove Public SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 539 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
15 miles of trail in 32 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is OBU Varsity Athletic Grounds, at 22 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. OBU Varsity Athletic Grounds | 0.5 mi | 22 |
| 2. Boy Scout Park | 0.3 mi | 10 |
| 3. Woodland Park | 0.3 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 7,678 U.S. towns with household incomes like Shawnee’s, it is less healthy than 64%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Oklahoma it is healthier than 58% of the 131 graded towns: much of Oklahoma scores lower on these measures.
13% of adults binge drink in Shawnee. Shawnee beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 20% of adults report frequent mental distress in Shawnee.
| Shawnee | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 25% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 34% | 33% |
| What stands out | Shawnee | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults without reliable transportation | 10.9% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Shawnee has chilly winters and hot summers. The July high in Shawnee is 93°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes are within reach (about $179K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 24 miles.
The typical Shawnee home is worth about $179,000, up 2.4% in a year, 19% below the Oklahoma typical home. 58% of Shawnee households own their home.
| Shawnee | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $936 a month | $870 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 44% | 44% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Shawnee has about as many jobs (13,384) as working residents, but only 3,388 people both live and work here.
About one in 3 of Shawnee’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Oklahoma City (22%), Norman (3%) and Tulsa (3%).
| Shawnee | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $56,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7% | 6.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 74 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Shawnee.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Oklahoma average. Shawnee has grown 3.9% since 2020, to 32,474 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Oklahoma.
| Shawnee | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 34.6 years | 36.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 24% | 25% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 20% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 16% | 18% |
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.3 points). Across Oklahoma, 50.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 34.9, men 33.9.
| Shawnee | OK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.3% | 12.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.8% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.9% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.5% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.8% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.8% | 11.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.1% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.5% | 9.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.3% | 6.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.9% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.5% | 30.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.9% | 22.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.1% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.5% | 18.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.1% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of Shawnee
About 9 of every 100 Shawnee residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
15 places in Shawnee on the National Register of Historic Places.
34 notable people were born in Shawnee.
City in Oklahoma, United States
Shawnee is a city in and the county seat of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 31,377 at the 2020 United States census. Shawnee is approximately 35 miles (56km) east of Oklahoma City. It is the principle city of the Shawnee Micropolitan Statistical Area, which forms part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area. The city was incorporated on October 18, 1894.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Shawnee.
| Town | OK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee | #117 | D | B | D | C | C− |
| Bethel Acres | #17 | B | B+ | — | A | C− |
Bethel Acres reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Shawnee with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Shawnee grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #117 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades C− for health, D for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 2.9 years of the area's median household income ($61,398 across the Shawnee, 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.
34 notable people were born here, including Brad Pitt and Gordon Cooper.
