Tulsa grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns, mostly because of safety and schools. Its police reported 3,417 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 97% of U.S. towns. Its public schools trail 94% of Oklahoma towns on state tests and graduation. What it does well: it has 160 miles of trail. 61% of working residents work locally in Tulsa, above both Oklahoma’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Boston Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church and Cain's Dancing Academy. Only 15 of Oklahoma’s 227 towns score higher on walkability.

StrongestA⁻History A⁻Outdoors A⁻WalkabilityWeakestD⁻Safety DSchools CHealth

What makes Tulsa stand out

Where Tulsa beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

Boston Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church

HistoryA⁻

Settled in 1828

99 places on the National Register

A history going back 198 years.

Biggest of 9

College	Students
Tulsa Community College	9,946
University of Tulsa	3,408
Oral Roberts University	3,256

Colleges in town

9 colleges

18,826 students on campus

Students are 6% of residents.

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Tulsa8.2

Oklahoma4.1

U.S.3.3

Worth knowing · SafetyD⁻

2 times the violent crime than OK

FBI data, 2025. Crimes reported to police.

Boston Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church · National Register of Historic Places

Tulsa’s story

198 years in pictures

Boston Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its founding year, 1828, comes before those of 98% of the Oklahoma towns we grade with a known year.

Census counts: 1,390 in 1900, 413,066 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1954 on.

99 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

1828Tulsa is settled

Explore the history →

How Tulsa grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Tulsa is from typical.

How grading works

SafetyD⁻Open →SchoolsDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 12.4 of 20; 8.3% of households have no car; 2.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitA⁻Open →HealthHillcrest Medical Center 3.2 miles awayCOpen →Jobs & income$60K median household income; 251,491 jobs based hereCOpen →Cost of livingC⁺Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC⁺Open →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

Outdoors9% conserved landA⁻Open →History40 notable people born hereA⁻Open →Civic lifeBOpen →

Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

Climate–Open →Housing market23 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 35.6–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Nearby attractions

BOK Center and 21 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Tulsa. Close and well known come first.

All 28 attractions →

in town Stadium & arenaBOK Center

in town Stadium & arenaSkelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium

in town MuseumThe Outsiders House Museum

in town MuseumPhilbrook Museum of Art in town Theme parkBell's Amusement Park

in town MuseumGilcrease Museum

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credits

BOK Center: Okiefromokla, Public domain · Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium: Chippothenut, CC BY 3.0 · The Outsiders House Museum: TheDoctorWho, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Philbrook Museum of Art: Dustin M. Ramsey, aka Kralizec! at English Wikipedia. Cropped by CPacker., Attribution · Gilcrease Museum: Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 3.0

Getting set up

Moving to Tulsa: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Tulsa, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →

PowerLake Region Electric Coop13.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterTulsa water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet6 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & dumpBy addressDay by addressTown site

SchoolsTulsa Public SchoolsWhich school depends on your addressNCES

Register to voteOnlineIn Oklahoma you can register online until 25 days before Election Day, in person until 25 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 25 days before).vote.gov

Who runs elections hereSecretary, Tulsa County Election BoardTulsa County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Oct 2026

ZIP codes74133, 74136, 74137, 7410574133 11% · 74136 7% · 74137 7% · 74105 6%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Tulsa.

Tulsa draws workers from Broken Arrow and beyond and looks healthier within Oklahoma than nationally, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Oklahoma rate.

OutdoorsA⁻

Tulsa has set aside 8.6% of its land for conservation

The biggest place to walk is Mohawk Park, 2,829 acres with 28 miles of trail. The trail density in Tulsa is 0.8 miles per square mile.

#8for trails in OK

	Tulsa	Oklahoma towns	U.S. towns
Miles of trail per square mile	0.8 miles per square mile	0.2	0.4
Conserved land	8.6%	6.9%	4.3%

8.6%

conserved · 11,045 of 128,481 acres

160 mi

of trails · 0.8 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Turkey Mountain Park	32.2 mi	635
2. Mohawk Park	28 mi	2,829
3. The Gathering Place	4.6 mi	104

Full pageTulsa’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map160 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk32.2 miles of trail · Turkey Mountain Park Conserved land8.6% conserved · 11,045 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Tulsa?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

SchoolsD

Tulsa’s grade for schools is a D

Its public schools are run by the Tulsa school district. Three of its 130 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.

6%of OK districts it outscoresDSchool Grade

School	Level	Students	Letter
Union 6Th-7Th Grade CTRLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–7	Grades 6–7	2,123	C⁺
Union HSLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12	Grades 10–12	3,569	B⁺
Southeast EsTop results in townGrades PK–4	Grades PK–4	817	A⁺

Full pageTulsa’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsTULSA Vs. the neighborsBehind its 9 graded neighbors Every school130 schools · Jenks East Es Questions“Are Tulsa’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation

SafetyD⁻

Tulsa’s grade for safety is a D−

Violent crime runs at 8.2 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Oklahoma rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Each of the 4 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Sand Springs (C−) to Jenks (B).

Tulsa’s violent crime rate is 8.2 per 1,000 residents. Among 124 Oklahoma towns, just 5 have a higher property crime rate than Tulsa. Tulsa reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less.

3%of U.S. towns report more crimeD⁻Safety Grade

	Tulsa	Oklahoma towns	U.S. towns
Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025)	8.2 per 1,000 residents	2.7	1.6
Property crimes per 1,000 (2025)	34.1 per 1,000 residents	14	9.9

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Tulsa8.2

Oklahoma4.1

U.S.3.3

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Tulsa34.1

Oklahoma18.4

U.S.15.5

3rd

percentile among U.S. towns we grade

2nd

percentile among OK towns

3,417

violent crimes reported in 2025

14,177

property crimes reported in 2025

Full pageTulsa’s safety reportOpen the page

Violent crime by type8.2 violent crimes per 1,000 Crime over the yearsDown since 2023 Vs. the neighborsBehind its 7 graded neighbors Questions“Is Tulsa, OK safe?”

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C

More than half of Tulsa’s working residents work in town

251,491 jobs are based in Tulsa, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.

19% of Tulsa residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Broken Arrow (6%), Oklahoma City (6%) and Bixby (2%).

61%work in town

	Tulsa	Oklahoma towns	U.S. towns
Average trip to work	19 minutes	22 minutes	25 minutes
Below the poverty line	19%	18%	9.6%
Work from home	12%	6.6%	11%
Median household income	$60,000	$55,000	$80,000

Where working residents work

In Tulsa61%

Broken Arrow6%

Oklahoma City6%

Bixby2%

Jenks2%

6 mi

median commute distance

251,491

jobs based in Tulsa

A job hub

jobs vs. working residents

A−

Walkability grade: more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns

Full pageTulsa’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here251,491 jobs based here · A job hub Where people work61% work in Tulsa Commute times19 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 6 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

HealthC

Health in Tulsa trails 74% of U.S. towns

Within Oklahoma it is healthier than 67% of the 131 graded towns: much of Oklahoma scores lower on these measures.

Tulsa beats the Oklahoma average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 13% of adults binge drink in Tulsa. Among 131 Oklahoma towns, just 10 have a higher share of adults who feel lonely than Tulsa.

26%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade

	Tulsa	Oklahoma towns	U.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	13%	14%	16%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)	36%	34%	33%
No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES)	14%	11%	8.1%
Food insecurity (CDC PLACES)	24%	21%	14%

32 measures vs. Oklahoma

2 better24 too close to call6 worse

What stands out	Tulsa	OK
Fewer adults with arthritis	25.1%	27.8%
Fewer adults who have had cancer	7.1%	7.8%
More adults facing a utility shut-off	13.6%	10.3%

Hillcrest Medical Center

3.2 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

67th

percentile among OK towns

Full pageTulsa’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore adults who get no exercise Hospitals & doctors nearby3.2 miles to an ER · Hillcrest Medical Center How adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than OK on 2 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Climate

Four seasons and hot summers in Tulsa

Tulsa has chilly winters and hot summers. July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 27° and about 9 inches of snow falls in a winter.

9″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter29–51°

Spring49–71°

Summer69–91°

Fall50–73°

Nov 4

typical first frost

Mar 31

typical last frost

+0.4°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageTulsa’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 93°, January lows 27°Rain & snow9″ of snow a winter · 42 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingBoth heating and cooling Then and now+0.4° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Who lives here

An age mix much like Oklahoma’s

No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Oklahoma average. 34% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 28% across Oklahoma.

35.6median age · OK 37

	Tulsa	Oklahoma towns	U.S. towns
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+	34%	20%	29%
Median age	35.6 years	36.3 years	40.5 years
Aged 65 or older	15%	16%	18%
Under 18	24%	25%	22%

TulsaOklahomaUnited States

OKU.S.

Ages · share of residents

15%

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma12%

High school25%

Some college21%

Associate’s8%

Bachelor’s21%

Graduate13%

Women and men · all residents

50.9% women, 49.1% men

About 96 men for every 100 women. Across Oklahoma, 50.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 36.6, men 34.5.

Ages and education in Tulsa
	Tulsa	OK	U.S.
Under 10	13.2%	12.8%	11.6%
10 to 17	10.8%	11.2%	10.3%
18 to 24	10%	9.8%	9.1%
25 to 34	15.1%	13.5%	13.7%
35 to 44	13.3%	13.2%	13.2%
45 to 54	11.1%	11.4%	12.2%
55 to 64	11%	11.9%	12.7%
65 to 74	9.1%	9.7%	10.2%
75 and older	6.2%	6.6%	7%
No diploma	12.4%	10.6%	10.4%
High school	24.9%	30.6%	26%
Some college	21%	22.1%	19.1%
Associate’s	8.1%	8.3%	8.8%
Bachelor’s	21.1%	18.5%	21.6%
Graduate	12.6%	9.9%	14.1%

Full pageTulsa by the numbersOpen the page

Ages35.6 median age · 15% are 65 or older Schooling34% have a four-year degree Homes52% own their home · Homeowners Income$60K a year · Median household income

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C⁺

Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Tulsa

2,197 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 82 properties have flooded more than once.

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 2,197 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Tulsa.

52risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingHeat wavesTornadoes

2,197

paid flood claims since 1978

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageTulsa’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesModerate risk Flood claims2,197 paid flood claims · Since 1978 Past disasters11 federal disasters · Paid out in Tulsa Get ready4.7 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

HousingCost of living grade C⁺

Homes in Tulsa are worth about $218K, by Zillow’s estimate

The typical Tulsa home is worth about $218,000, up 2.8% in a year, close to the Oklahoma typical home.

$218KZillow home value

	Tulsa	Oklahoma towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	52%	62%	73%
Median rent	$1,052 a month	$870 a month	$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Tulsa$218K

Oklahoma$221K

Market temperature

days on market

97.7%

sale-to-list price

+2.8%

value change, 1 year

442

homes sold in May

Full pageTulsa’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 2.8% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 3.6 years of income Rents$1,052 a month · Median rent Vs. the neighborsAhead of 3 of its 9 graded neighbors

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Tulsa

20pages on Tulsa

The big questions

SchoolsDBehind 94% of OK districts · 130 schools SafetyD⁻8.2 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthCBetter than OK on 2 of 32 CDC measures Cost of livingC⁺$218K typical home · up 2.8% in a year Work & commuteC$60K median household income · 251,491 jobs here Natural hazardsC⁺FEMA risk higher than 52% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

OutdoorsA⁻160 mi of trails · 9% conserved land PlacesAttractions28 nearby · BOK Center under 1 mi LibraryBNathan Hale Library CollegesOral Roberts University, in town

The story

HistoryA⁻Settled 1828 · 99 on the National Register Famous people40 born in Tulsa Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 99 residents Climate93° summer highs · 9″ of snow

Day to day

News6 recent stories about Tulsa WeatherHandbookZIP code 74101, 74102, 74103 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

9 within 15 miles of the center of Tulsa

Tulsa Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · TulsaIn town$3,792 in-state tuition Oklahoma State University Center for Health SciencesUniversity or college · Public · TulsaIn town Oral Roberts UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · TulsaIn town$35,470 tuition

About 6 of every 100 Tulsa residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Oklahoma.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

Get outside

160 miles of trails in Tulsa

8.6% of the town is conserved land, across 112 parks and preserves.

Map of trails and conserved land in Tulsa

ConservedTrails

Turkey Mountain Park32.2 mi of trails · 635 acres

Directions

Mohawk Park28 mi of trails · 2,829 acres

Directions

The Gathering Place4.6 mi of trails · 104 acres

Directions

Landmarks

99 places in Tulsa on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

Boston Avenue Methodist Episcopal ChurchNational Historic Landmark

Westhope

Tulsa Municipal BuildingBuilt 1917

Creek Council Tree Site

Famous people from Tulsa

40 notable people were born in Tulsa.

See all 40 →

Jennifer JonesAmerican actress · 1919–2009

Blake EdwardsAmerican film director, screenwriter and producer · 1922–2010

Martin GardnerAmerican mathematics and science writer · 1914–2010

Garth BrooksAmerican country music singer and songwriter · born 1962

Alfre WoodardAmerican actress · born 1952

Bill HaderAmerican comedian and actor · born 1978

About Tulsa

City in Oklahoma, United States

Tulsa ( TUL-sə) is the second-most-populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma and the 48th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa metropolitan area, a region with 1.06 million residents. The city serves as the county seat of Tulsa County, the most densely populated county in Oklahoma, with urban development extending into Osage, Rogers, and Wagoner counties. Tulsa was settled between 1828 and 1836 by the Lochapoka band of Creek Native Americans, and was formally incorporated in 1898. Most of Tulsa is still part of the territory of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Northwest Tulsa lies in the Osage.…

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Established: 1836
Area: 201 sq mi
Elevation: 732 ft
ZIP code: 74101, 74102, 74103
Area code: 539, 918

Tulsa’s neighbors

10 towns share a border with Tulsa.

Explore the map →

All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Turley (D−) is closest.

How the neighbors grade

Town	OK rank	Overall	Cost	Safety	Schools	Health
Tulsa	#130	D⁻	C⁺	D⁻	D	C
Fair Oaks	—	—	—	—	—	—
Turley	#129	D⁻	B⁺	—	D	D⁻
Broken Arrow	#31	B⁻	C	B⁻	B	B⁺
Jenks	#9	B⁺	C⁻	B	A	A⁻
Oakhurst	—	—	A	—	D	C⁻
Sapulpa	#53	C	B	C⁺	B	C
Sand Springs	#52	C	B	C⁻	B	C⁺

Oakhurst has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Turley and Oakhurst report no FBI crime data of their own. Fair Oaks isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Tulsa with a neighbor →

Questions about Tulsa

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Tulsa, OK a good place to live?

Tulsa grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns. It grades C for health, D− for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.

Is Tulsa, OK expensive?

That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($69,359 across the Tulsa, OK metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.

What is Tulsa, OK known for?

40 notable people were born here, including Jennifer Jones and Blake Edwards.

Post to Tulsa

Check your email

TulsaOK

Is Tulsa a good place to live?

What makes Tulsa stand out

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

198 years in pictures

How Tulsa grades

BOK Center and 21 more within 40 miles

Moving to Tulsa: who provides what

The data

Tulsa has set aside 8.6% of its land for conservation

Tulsa’s grade for schools is a D

Tulsa’s grade for safety is a D−

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Property crime per 1,000 residents

More than half of Tulsa’s working residents work in town

Where working residents work

Health in Tulsa trails 74% of U.S. towns

Four seasons and hot summers in Tulsa

Typical low → high °F

An age mix much like Oklahoma’s

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

Women and men · all residents

Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Tulsa

Homes in Tulsa are worth about $218K, by Zillow’s estimate

Typical home value

Everything we know about Tulsa

Colleges nearby

160 miles of trails in Tulsa

Landmarks

Famous people from Tulsa

About Tulsa

Tulsa’s neighbors

Questions about Tulsa