Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Tonkawa gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $104K for a typical one, or 1.8 years of the Ponca City area’s $58K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 43rd of 131 graded towns in Oklahoma. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $59K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. Only 9 of Oklahoma’s 229 towns score higher on history. Tonkawa is home to Northern Oklahoma College. Only 9 of the 131 Oklahoma towns we compare have a lower January low than Tonkawa.
Where Tonkawa beats most towns.
Mahoney House and GarageEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Tonkawa is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 707 in 1900, 3,015 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1968 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tonkawa, 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 Tonkawa.
Tonkawa is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
At 1.8 years of the Ponca City area’s $58K median household income, the typical home (about $104K) costs less against local pay than in 85% of Oklahoma towns; that ratio is one input to that grade. Values fell 2.7% in the past year while the Oklahoma typical home rose 2.6%.
Among households in Tonkawa, 74% are owner-occupiers. Values fell 2.7% in the year to September 2026. The midpoint rent for Tonkawa comes to $800 a month.
| Tonkawa | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $800 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 62% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 42% | 44% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Two of its 3 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Its public schools are run by the Tonkawa school district. 3 public schools serve Tonkawa, with 791 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonkawa EsLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 402 | B |
| Tonkawa HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 195 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
Against the 8,589 U.S. towns with household incomes like Tonkawa’s, it is less healthy than 55%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. Within Oklahoma it is healthier than 69% of the 131 graded towns: much of Oklahoma scores lower on these measures.
Tonkawa: 40% of adults have obesity. Among adults here, 28% have been diagnosed with depression, above both the Oklahoma town median (26%) and the median of U.S. towns (23%). In Tonkawa, 30% of adults get no exercise outside work, and 76% had a checkup this year.
| Tonkawa | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 78% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 19% | 17% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 77 to 38 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Oklahoma, it does better than 52% of towns. The violent offense rate in Tonkawa is 2 per 1,000 residents. The town’s rate of thefts and burglaries stands at 10.7 per 1,000 residents, where Oklahoma’s towns sit at 14.1 and U.S. towns at 9.9.
| Tonkawa | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.7 per 1,000 residents | 14.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
July afternoons average 94.1°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 24.7°. The Blackwell 1ssw weather station, 8 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 199 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 87% of Oklahoma places with climate records.
For Tonkawa, the midsummer high is 94°F. About 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Tonkawa’s risk rating from FEMA is 65 of 100. 35% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 22%. Since 1986, Tonkawa has seen 9 flood insurance claims paid out.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Tonkawa, the midpoint age is 33.6 years. Adults 35 to 64 are 30% of residents (37% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 29% of residents (23% statewide). College graduates make up 21% of adults 25 and older, against 28% across Oklahoma.
| Tonkawa | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 33.6 years | 36.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 16% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 25% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 21% | 20% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
About 85 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.4 points). Across Oklahoma, 50.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 35.3, men 31.8.
| Tonkawa | OK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.4% | 12.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.6% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 14.9% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.7% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.6% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.9% | 11.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.7% | 9.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 6.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.5% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.2% | 30.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 19% | 22.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 12.4% | 18.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.9% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,000, single groups can be off by several points
Half of commuters travel less than 13 miles. Since 2013, Tonkawa has lost 179 jobs, to 849 in 2023. One in 5 of the town’s working residents works locally. Also worth knowing: its average commute comes in at 19 minutes.
| Tonkawa | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 22% | 8% |
| Work from home | 4.8% | 6.6% | 11% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Only 9 of the 113 Oklahoma towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Tonkawa. Count the trails in 2 parks and preserves and they come to 0.5 miles. The town’s concentration of trails stands at 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Tonkawa | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Blinn Park | 0.5 mi | 19 |
| 2. Ray See Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Tonkawa
About 11 of every 100 Tonkawa residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
4 places in Tonkawa on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Tonkawa.
City in Oklahoma, United States
Tonkawa is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States, along the Salt Fork Arkansas River. The population was 3,015 as of the 2020 United States census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tonkawa grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #43 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades C for health, C for safety and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within Oklahoma, it does better than 52% of towns.
4 notable people were born here, including Henry Bellmon and Bo Bowling.
