Yale main 1909, 2014
Yale’s story
131 years in pictures
Census counts: 685 in 1910, a peak of 2,601 in 1920, 1,059 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 2014 and 3 maps from 1929 on.
- 1895Yale is settled
YaleOK
A town of 1,054, settled in 1895.
Photo: TulGuy · CC BY 4.0
Population
1,054
2025 Census estimate · +0.2% since 2020
Typical home
$105K
+0.9% in a year
Household income
$43K
median
Median age
36.9
years
Jobs based here
209
A commuter town
Is Yale a good place to live?
Yale’s best subject grade is an A for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for incomes. 28% of residents live below the poverty line in Yale, above both Oklahoma’s towns (18%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Residents are less healthy than 90% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The biggest park or preserve is Jim Thorpe Park, at 32 acres. Yale has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Yale stand out
Where Yale beats most towns.
Typical home value
Yale$105K
Oklahoma$221K
Cost of livingA
2.1 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 89% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
WalkabilityB+
More walkable than 71% of U.S. towns
5.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
A shrinking town
Yale has shrunk 14% since 2010
1,227 counted in 2010 and 1,059 in 2020; an estimated 1,054 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Yale grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Yale is from typical.
Jobs & income$43K median household incomeD−Open →HealthHillcrest Hospital Cushing 9.9 miles awayDOpen →Cost of livingAOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →SafetyC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.1 of 20; 5.9% of households have no carB+Open →SchoolsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trailsCOpen →History2 notable people born hereC+Open →Civic life5.1 library visits per resident; 3.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 36.9; 13% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Yale: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Yale, and how to reach them.
PowerCity of YaleEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterYale water system3 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Yale’s trash rules yet
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.govWho runs elections hereSecretary, Payne County Election BoardPayne County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Feb 2018
ZIP code7408574085 100%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 Yale.
HealthD
For health, Yale earns a D
21% of adults smoke cigarettes in Yale, above both the Oklahoma town median (18%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 35% of Yale adults get no exercise outside work.
10%healthier than U.S. townsDHealth Grade
| Yale | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 34% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 21% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Oklahoma
0 better22 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | Yale | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 26.4% | 16.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.6% | 8% |
| More smokers | 21.4% | 16.3% |
Hillcrest Hospital Cushing
9.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsB−
Public schools in Yale fall behind 52% of Oklahoma districts
Its public schools are run by the Yale school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
48%of OK districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yale EsLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 167 | B+ |
| Yale HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 127 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A
The typical home in Yale is valued at about $105K
The typical Yale home is worth about $105,000, up 0.9% in a year, 52% below the Oklahoma typical home. Yale’s median rent is $788 a month.
$105KZillow home value
| Yale | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 52% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $788 a month | $873 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Yale$105K
Oklahoma$221K
+0.9%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SafetyC−
More crime per resident in Yale than in 80% of U.S. towns
The violent crime rate in Yale is 3.7 per 1,000 residents.
20%of U.S. towns report more crimeC−Safety Grade
| Yale | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13 per 1,000 residents | 14 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Yale3.7
Oklahoma4.1
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Yale13
Oklahoma18.4
U.S.15.5
20th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
4
violent crimes reported in 2025
14
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Yale
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 79% of U.S. communities.
79risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
9
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Yale’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Yale for work: only 10% work in town. Jobs based in Yale fell to 209 in 2023, 63 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Stillwater (17%), Oklahoma City (8%) and Tulsa (8%).
10%work in town
| Yale | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $43,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 22% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Yale10%
Stillwater17%
Oklahoma City8%
Tulsa8%
Cushing4%
23 mi
median commute distance
209
jobs based in Yale
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Yale has four seasons and hot summers
Yale has chilly winters and hot summers. July afternoons reach 93°, January nights drop to 26° and about 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
6″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter28–51°
Spring48–71°
Summer69–91°
Fall49–73°
Nov 5
typical first frost
Apr 1
typical last frost
+0.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 584 acres
0.3 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jim Thorpe Park | — | 32 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Yale
20pages on Yale
The big questions
SchoolsB−Behind 52% of OK districts · 3 schoolsSafetyC−3.7 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthDBetter than OK on 0 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingA$105K typical home · up 0.9% in a yearWork & commuteD−$43K median household income · 209 jobs hereNatural hazardsDFEMA risk higher than 79% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Yale; the nearest are
Oklahoma State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Stillwater20.6 mi$10,234 in-state tuitionTulsa Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Tulsa40 mi$3,792 in-state tuition
About 7 of every 100 Yale residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Oklahoma.
Small town
1,054 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
About Yale
City in Oklahoma, United States
Yale is a city in Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,059 at the 2020 census, a decline of 13.6 percent from the figure of 1,227 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1895
- Area
- 0.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 804 ft
- ZIP code
- 74085
- Area code
- 918
Questions about Yale
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Yale, OK expensive?
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.
What is Yale, OK known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Chet Baker and Grace Thorpe.