Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Woodward gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $132K for a typical one, or 2.1 years of the Woodward area’s $61K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 60th of 131 in Oklahoma. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $54K, and 17% of residents live below the poverty line, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 81% of the country. 46% of working residents work locally in Woodward, where Oklahoma’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 18 of Oklahoma’s 229 towns score higher on the outdoors. Woodward has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them L. L. Stein House and Woodward Federal Courthouse and Post Office.
Where Woodward beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Woodward is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,696 in 1910, 12,133 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Woodward, 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 Woodward.
Woodward fares better on crime within Oklahoma than nationally, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
Against the 7,255 U.S. towns with household incomes like Woodward’s, it is less healthy than 63%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Oklahoma it is healthier than 57% of the 131 graded towns: much of Oklahoma scores lower on these measures.
14% of Woodward adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Woodward beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 42% of Woodward adults have obesity.
| Woodward | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 8.1% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 41% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 34% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 14% |
| What stands out | Woodward | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 23.2% | 16.4% |
| More uninsured adults | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Woodward school district. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodward MS South CampusLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 369 | B− |
| Woodward HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 722 | C+ |
| Cedar Heights EsTop results in townGrades 1–4 | Grades 1–4 | 237 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
At 2.1 years of the Woodward area’s $61K median household income, the typical home (about $132K) costs less against local pay than in 78% of Oklahoma towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. At about $132K, home values are up 10% in five years, against a rise of 26% across Oklahoma.
The typical Woodward home is worth about $132,000, up 0.8% in a year, 40% below the Oklahoma typical home. The median rent in Woodward is $839 a month.
| Woodward | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $839 a month | $875 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 65% | 62% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 29.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 52% of Oklahoma’s graded towns.
Woodward’s violent crime rate is 3.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Woodward | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.1 per 1,000 residents | 14.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
0.1 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Rangeland and Pasture Research, at 533 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rangeland and Pasture Research | — | 533 |
| 2. Crystal Beach Park | — | 246 |
| 3. Western Hills Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
July afternoons average 94.6°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 22.1°.
Woodward has chilly winters and hot summers. Only 1 of the 131 Oklahoma towns we compare have a lower January low than Woodward. About 15 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Woodward | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 93°F | 85°F |
| January low | 22°F | 28°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here fell from 7,423 in 2013 to 5,737.
Since 2013, Woodward has lost 1,686 jobs, to 5,737 in 2023. The top destinations are Oklahoma City (8%), Enid (2%) and Weatherford (1%). Half commute less than 5 miles.
| Woodward | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Oklahoma average. Woodward has lost 4% of its people since 2020, down to 11,635 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 19% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Woodward.
| Woodward | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.2 years | 36.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 19% | 20% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 16% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 25% | 22% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.9 points. Across Oklahoma, 50.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 35.4, men 35.0.
| Woodward | OK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.3% | 12.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.8% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.4% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.8% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.6% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.3% | 11.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.4% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.3% | 9.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.2% | 6.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.4% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 43.8% | 30.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.7% | 22.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 1.4% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.9% | 18.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.8% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 32 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Woodward.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Woodward; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Woodward residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
4 places in Woodward on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Woodward.
City in Oklahoma, United States
Woodward is a city in and the county seat of Woodward County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the largest city in a nine-county area. The population was 12,133 at the time of the 2020 census. The area was historically occupied by the Kiowa, Comanche, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. European-American settlers established the town in 1887 after construction of the railroad to that point for shipping cattle to markets. The town was on the Great Western Cattle Trail. In the 19th century, it was one of the most important depots in the Oklahoma Territory for shipping cattle to the East. As an important cattle town, it had the rough frontier bawdiness of the time. The United States opened up much of t…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Woodward grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #60 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades C− for health, C for safety and B for schools. Jobs & income 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.
9 notable people were born here, including James Workman and Olin Earl Teague.
