Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Stilwell earns a D, 123rd of 131 graded towns in Oklahoma, mostly because of health and incomes. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. The median household income is $37K, and 34% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: a typical home costs about $166K, 3.4 years of the county’s $48K median household income. 34% of residents live below the poverty line in Stilwell, against 18% in Oklahoma’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. On safety, just 12 of Oklahoma’s 196 towns do worse. Stilwell has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Adair County Courthouse and KCS Railway Depot.
Where Stilwell beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Stilwell | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 40.1% | 18.5% |
Where Stilwell’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Stilwell is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 779 in 1900, 3,700 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1915 and 3 maps from 1898 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Stilwell, 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 Stilwell.
Stilwell draws workers from Cherry Tree and beyond and has hotter summers than most of the country, though not than most of Oklahoma; it also has poverty well above the Oklahoma rate.
37% of Stilwell adults say their health is fair or poor. Of the 131 Oklahoma towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Stilwell. 22% of Stilwell adults report frequent physical distress.
| Stilwell | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 23% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 18% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 17% |
| What stands out | Stilwell | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 40.1% | 18.5% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 20.8% | 9.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 21.4% | 10.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Stilwell school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Stilwell HS, with 641 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryetta Public SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 640 | C− |
| Stilwell HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 641 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
2,310 jobs are based in Stilwell, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Stilwell’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Stilwell has lost 420 jobs, to 2,310 in 2023. Among 131 Oklahoma towns, just 8 have a lower median household income than Stilwell.
| Stilwell | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 22% | 8% |
| Median household income | $37,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Stilwell’s violent crime rate is 6.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Stilwell | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 26.7 per 1,000 residents | 14 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Stilwell Park, at 56 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stilwell Park | — | 56 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Home values rose 48% in five years, to about $166K, against 26% across Oklahoma. The median property tax bill is $557, against $1,599 across Oklahoma, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
46% of households own their home in Stilwell. Typical home values rose 7% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Stilwell is $632 a month.
| Stilwell | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $632 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 90.5°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 97% of Oklahoma places with climate records; January nights average 26.8°.
Stilwell has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. No town among the 131 in Oklahoma we compare has a lower July high than Stilwell. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Stilwell | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 91°F | 93°F | 85°F |
| January low | 27°F | 28°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Stilwell; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Stilwell residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
2 places in Stilwell on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Stilwell.
City in Oklahoma, US
Stilwell / ᏍᏗᎳᏪᎵ is a city located in the sovereign territory of the Cherokee Nation. It is the county seat of Adair County, and is home to the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. The population was 3,700 as of the 2020 U.S. census, a decline of 6.7 percent from the 3,949 population recorded in 2010. The Oklahoma governor and legislature proclaimed Stilwell as the "Strawberry Capital of the World" in 1949, but the role of strawberries in the local economy has diminished since then. Today, residents of Stilwell are among the poorest and most impoverished in the United States. Stilwell also serves as a gateway to Lake Tenkiller and Adair Park, formerly called Adair State Pa…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Stilwell.
Fairfield, Marietta and Zion aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Stilwell with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Stilwell grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #123 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades D− for health, D 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−.
3 notable people were born here, including Atalie Unkalunt and Donald Vann.
