Most Americans have never been to small town Oklahoma. However, as the Oklahoman who live there know, small town Oklahoma is an awesome place to call home.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Oklahoma has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Sooner State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.
After analyzing more than 159 of Oklahoma’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Oklahoma where you’d never want to live:
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
So what is the worst small town to call home in Oklahoma for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Wetumka is the worst small town to live in Oklahoma.
While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Wetumka home. Everyone
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.
And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Oklahoma or the worst places to live in Oklahoma.
If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.
The 10 Worst Small Towns In Oklahoma For 2024
1. Wetumka
/10
Population: 1,498
Median Home Value: $48,186
Median Income: $29,231
Unemployment Rate: 5.6%
2. Heavener
/10
Population: 3,012
Median Home Value: $93,451
Median Income: $36,410
Unemployment Rate: 6.1%
3. Briggs
Population: 1,175
Median Home Value: $125,951
Median Income: $43,482
Unemployment Rate: 8.8%
4. Arkoma
/10
Population: 1,866
Median Home Value: $81,957
Median Income: $33,500
Unemployment Rate: 10.5%
5. Boley
/10
Population: 1,108
Median Home Value: $109,452
Median Income: $29,750
Unemployment Rate: 7.0%
6. Langston
/10
Population: 1,691
Median Home Value: $0
Median Income: $29,250
Unemployment Rate: 21.6%
7. Antlers
/10
Population: 2,361
Median Home Value: $114,694
Median Income: $27,798
Unemployment Rate: 12.8%
8. Wewoka
/10
Population: 3,124
Median Home Value: $58,323
Median Income: $34,120
Unemployment Rate: 10.2%
9. Turley
/10
Population: 2,917
Median Home Value: $70,813
Median Income: $40,906
Unemployment Rate: 11.1%
10. Checotah
/10
Population: 3,048
Median Home Value: $112,526
Median Income: $36,208
Unemployment Rate: 9.4%
Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Oklahoma is lousy or not?
To rank the worst small towns to live in Oklahoma, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.
We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.
Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (The lower, the worse)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
- Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
- Education (Number of high school dropouts)
- High Crime
We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 159 to be exact.
We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Oklahoma.
There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Oklahoma
If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Sooner State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
The worst small towns in Oklahoma are Wetumka, Heavener, Briggs, Arkoma, Boley, Langston, Antlers, Wewoka, Turley, and Checotah.
If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Oklahoma, according to science:
- Elgin (Pop. 3,498)
- Cashion (Pop. 1,319)
- Nichols Hills (Pop. 3,854)
For more Oklahoma reading, check out:
Worst Small Towns In Oklahoma
| Rank | Town | Population | Unemployment Rate | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wetumka | 1,498 | 5.6% | $48,186 | $29,231 |
| 2 | Heavener | 3,012 | 6.1% | $93,451 | $36,410 |
| 3 | Briggs | 1,175 | 8.8% | $125,951 | $43,482 |
| 4 | Arkoma | 1,866 | 10.5% | $81,957 | $33,500 |
| 5 | Boley | 1,108 | 7.0% | $109,452 | $29,750 |
| 6 | Langston | 1,691 | 21.6% | $0 | $29,250 |
| 7 | Antlers | 2,361 | 12.8% | $114,694 | $27,798 |
| 8 | Wewoka | 3,124 | 10.2% | $58,323 | $34,120 |
| 9 | Turley | 2,917 | 11.1% | $70,813 | $40,906 |
| 10 | Checotah | 3,048 | 9.4% | $112,526 | $36,208 |
| 11 | Hollis | 1,552 | 11.4% | $43,231 | $46,339 |
| 12 | Hobart | 3,386 | 7.3% | $57,720 | $29,117 |
| 13 | Waurika | 1,824 | 7.0% | $52,363 | $40,197 |
| 14 | Spiro | 2,095 | 10.4% | $87,739 | $33,295 |
| 15 | Stigler | 2,687 | 12.6% | $109,041 | $34,415 |
| 16 | Keys | 1,063 | 6.2% | $239,424 | $35,292 |
| 17 | Coalgate | 1,886 | 8.8% | $74,499 | $36,019 |
| 18 | Okeene | 1,044 | 9.7% | $101,887 | $53,021 |
| 19 | Jay | 2,900 | 10.3% | $203,881 | $36,625 |
| 20 | Konawa | 1,169 | 3.7% | $86,956 | $32,721 |
| 21 | Chelsea | 1,914 | 12.1% | $111,824 | $39,961 |
| 22 | Yale | 1,179 | 7.7% | $65,694 | $33,583 |
| 23 | Beggs | 1,126 | 7.5% | $149,526 | $43,958 |
| 24 | Stilwell | 3,732 | 7.7% | $133,097 | $31,516 |
| 25 | Shady Point | 1,075 | 8.7% | $127,941 | $40,500 |
| 26 | Westville | 1,672 | 10.9% | $167,736 | $32,600 |
| 27 | Atoka | 3,160 | 7.2% | $162,834 | $40,362 |
| 28 | Wilburton | 2,828 | 9.9% | $124,382 | $39,263 |
| 29 | Warner | 1,574 | 9.8% | $160,876 | $39,931 |
| 30 | Commerce | 2,302 | 4.0% | $57,371 | $35,221 |
| 31 | Fairfax | 1,172 | 15.0% | $62,386 | $38,889 |
| 32 | Vian | 1,371 | 11.5% | $174,206 | $36,597 |
| 33 | Carnegie | 1,585 | 8.1% | $64,052 | $40,469 |
| 34 | Hominy | 3,327 | 6.7% | $87,536 | $34,735 |
| 35 | Tishomingo | 3,110 | 8.1% | $128,264 | $32,063 |
| 36 | Lexington | 2,037 | 5.2% | $122,957 | $44,333 |
| 37 | Oakland | 1,163 | 11.7% | $120,147 | $58,021 |
| 38 | Mangum | 2,775 | 11.1% | $59,774 | $47,917 |
| 39 | Hartshorne | 1,754 | 5.9% | $93,059 | $36,154 |
| 40 | Eufaula | 2,776 | 2.5% | $187,749 | $38,774 |
| 41 | Watonga | 2,651 | 14.3% | $90,256 | $47,328 |
| 42 | Weleetka | 1,070 | 3.8% | $42,728 | $39,420 |
| 43 | Kenwood | 1,279 | 6.8% | $124,790 | $56,818 |
| 44 | Nowata | 3,543 | 7.0% | $102,185 | $41,210 |
| 45 | Madill | 3,929 | 5.8% | $156,843 | $48,785 |
| 46 | Comanche | 1,635 | 6.9% | $96,389 | $38,382 |
| 47 | Locust Grove | 1,424 | 6.3% | $173,387 | $41,313 |
| 48 | Okemah | 3,078 | 1.1% | $105,361 | $34,882 |
| 49 | Shattuck | 1,262 | 7.3% | $83,515 | $47,500 |
| 50 | Healdton | 2,361 | 3.2% | $94,744 | $45,721 |
| 51 | Frederick | 3,486 | 2.8% | $43,164 | $41,555 |
| 52 | Sperry | 1,088 | 5.4% | $105,037 | $41,875 |
| 53 | Park Hill | 3,587 | 3.7% | $179,242 | $44,420 |
| 54 | Davis | 2,821 | 6.5% | $153,801 | $51,346 |
| 55 | West Siloam Springs | 1,368 | 6.7% | $187,766 | $55,400 |
| 56 | Haskell | 1,824 | 7.4% | $170,521 | $35,119 |
| 57 | Rush Springs | 1,265 | 6.7% | $131,585 | $37,344 |
| 58 | Apache | 1,065 | 7.5% | $97,218 | $58,203 |
| 59 | Pawnee | 1,929 | 5.1% | $68,201 | $40,284 |
| 60 | Drumright | 2,285 | 3.2% | $101,636 | $40,776 |
| 61 | Panama | 1,278 | 3.5% | $92,358 | $44,397 |
| 62 | Gore | 1,129 | 14.1% | $164,772 | $63,750 |
| 63 | Burns Flat | 2,042 | 5.8% | $55,961 | $52,813 |
| 64 | Hennessey | 2,669 | 5.2% | $167,409 | $50,707 |
| 65 | Salina | 1,266 | 9.9% | $175,414 | $40,391 |
| 66 | Perkins | 3,218 | 10.9% | $193,790 | $47,296 |
| 67 | Stroud | 2,748 | 8.3% | $97,571 | $51,131 |
| 68 | Colbert | 1,336 | 5.3% | $191,676 | $53,600 |
| 69 | Marietta | 2,820 | 3.7% | $158,537 | $48,098 |
| 70 | Tonkawa | 3,027 | 6.9% | $92,194 | $55,299 |
| 71 | Bushyhead | 1,444 | 10.4% | $217,061 | $48,816 |
| 72 | Pink | 2,119 | 5.7% | $152,696 | $65,417 |
| 73 | Wynnewood | 1,767 | 4.5% | $133,532 | $39,327 |
| 74 | Krebs | 1,994 | 5.2% | $112,937 | $45,761 |
| 75 | Walters | 2,281 | 2.3% | $94,395 | $50,284 |
| 76 | Pawhuska | 3,009 | 2.7% | $92,355 | $45,833 |
| 77 | Stratford | 1,352 | 5.1% | $161,113 | $38,426 |
| 78 | Muldrow | 3,294 | 4.5% | $167,831 | $45,982 |
| 79 | Broken Bow | 4,222 | 0.0% | $297,774 | $44,107 |
| 80 | Boise City | 1,140 | 0.0% | $63,413 | $44,583 |
| 81 | Pocola | 4,297 | 2.7% | $155,575 | $45,417 |
| 82 | Dibble | 1,093 | 9.4% | $179,516 | $68,333 |
| 83 | Meeker | 1,292 | 2.7% | $184,424 | $39,808 |
| 84 | Bristow | 4,253 | 4.1% | $102,918 | $41,574 |
| 85 | Marlow | 4,417 | 4.8% | $109,934 | $50,755 |
| 86 | Wilson | 1,611 | 3.7% | $130,415 | $66,500 |
| 87 | Woodall | 1,186 | 4.3% | $197,484 | $55,603 |
| 88 | Copeland | 1,406 | 6.3% | $136,293 | $53,112 |
| 89 | Kingston | 1,726 | 4.2% | $219,702 | $46,923 |
| 90 | Thomas | 1,298 | 4.7% | $130,158 | $56,313 |
| 91 | Longtown | 2,807 | 4.4% | $182,769 | $49,728 |
| 92 | Oakhurst | 2,010 | 5.9% | $153,024 | $60,667 |
| 93 | Prague | 1,886 | 3.5% | $152,486 | $43,750 |
| 94 | Caddo | 1,045 | 5.2% | $183,571 | $46,563 |
| 95 | Maysville | 1,479 | 0.7% | $107,104 | $56,344 |
| 96 | Texanna | 2,293 | 3.4% | $213,212 | $53,004 |
| 97 | Dewey | 3,379 | 2.0% | $125,176 | $43,607 |
| 98 | Granite | 1,473 | 0.7% | $77,375 | $56,500 |
| 99 | Roland | 3,409 | 0.5% | $174,060 | $49,952 |
| 100 | Tyrone | 1,082 | 0.0% | $130,867 | $1,000 |
If you have not been there do not write about it from just facts.
You know I was born in Oklahoma. In fact the little town of Williams, Oklahoma. To me this is a great place. You know your neighbors and friends. This town when I left it was a great place. We had the only gas station their. We also had a little tiny shop inside of it. In our town we had 2 little stores. The one down the road had Ice Cream. The kind on the stick. The other store had the only Celar in town that I know of. In your ranking you would probably rank it very low. But I rather live in a small town. They are allways the best. My day on Sunday would use the bread truck to go around and pick people up for Sunday School. Then take them home when done. We had a 90 acre farm. But like most people my mom and dad decided california was the place to be. So they packed up and moved to California. We moved to another little place. The town called Lamont, Ca. We lived a half mile from their. A little community call Woods Addition. So life was good again. Wish I could move back their even now. Harold.
This article makes me sick. You put the whole population of each little community into one sorry category. You don’t have a clue about these places. Stupid judgemental person. Sorry I gave you space in my head.
This author picked ghost towns to criticize. He could have easily picked communities that actually had population growth to analyze. Instead he picked dying communities.
The author’s English skills are that of a high school dropout.
You missed a lot in Boswell, Oklahoma. Start with this news story.
You also missed Woods Guest Ranch, The new Barbecue Smoke House Restaurant, The Florist Shop, The Medical Care Center, Randy’s Hop-N-Shop with tire shop and 3 fueling islands with 9 gas pumps, Insurance Office, Pierce’s Store where you can buy groceries, auto parts, tools, saddles, hog feed, chicken feed, small appliances, power tools, fresh vegetables, gloves and hats. You missed the new Motel, the Liquor Store, Boswell Lumber and Hardware Store, The Thunderbird Diner, The Texoma National Bank, a Used Car dealership, Arnold Brother’s Lumber Company, Robinson Construction Company, The Public Library, The beautiful Boswell State Park where ball games are held, fireworks on the 4th of July, You also missed the Professional Rodeo Grounds on the north side of Highway 70 just east of town, you also missed 11 Churches in Boswell, and Ferguson’s Dairy south of town, and Nacho Mamma’s tavern on Highway 70, and the Senior Citizen’s Nutrition Center on Highway 70, you also missed the Medical Supply business on Highway 70, and you missed A.I.T. Headlight Restoration service for faded and dirty headlights.
Boswell might be a small town on the map and if you are speeding through our town in the dark of the night, you just might miss seeing some things or not know the name of a great kid like Blaine Brown you will find in the news link provided above.
You might not know that 9 out of 10 cars on the highway have dirty headlights.
You might also have made mention that Boswell is the home of the rodeo champions in roping of David Bacon and the Bacon families as well as the Belvin rodeo families.
We also have a full services funeral business in Boswell, and a beauty salon where women go to get their hair and nails done.
I don’t feel that Boswell belongs on this list of the 10 worst small towns. We also have a police department and a fire department with EMS first responders with smaller fire fighter trucks for rapid response.
I would sincerely hope that you will reconsider and remove Boswell from this list.
Sincerely,
Sam Morris (Retired Fiber Optics Engineer)
Boswell, Oklahoma
The photo of marble city is not accurate, not even close, but marble is a nice town. The worst thing about Moffett is Reilly Brooks.
I am from a small town in Oklahoma called Bowlegs. Great little place to grow up and great little place to call home. I know the guys who evaluated the small towns didn’t mean any harm. While living and writing songs in Nashville TN. I got to talk to a guy named Jeff Hanna, who happened To be founder of The Nitty Gritty dirt Band and also wrote a song on their Dirt Silver and Gold album called Bowlegs. We had a great conversation and his beautiful wife, Matraca Burg, who wrote Strawberry Wine, was as equally delightful. Look for me on you tube boys and girls. Oh yes and I currently play in the praise and worship band in Wewoka, OK at Faith Baptist Church. Wewoka is really not so bad these days. We’ve all settled down a lot. God bless and good luck kids.
Blanchard Oklahoma…I have lived here almost 50 years. The people who govern the city are not respectful to the citizenry, unless you are rich. As was pointed out last night at a variance meeting. The “lawyer” who sat on the panel was praising the lawyer from the oil company…”doing a good job”. He sounded to us like he was stumping for big oil. We begged the panel to deny the oil variance…they approved. Then when I told the lawyer he was supposed to help the citizens…they kicked this 70 year old woman out! All the people who came were effectively told to lump it! We are sleep deprived, the air is fouled and they are putting more wells across the street from us! Bottom line….DONT MOVE TO BLANCHARD, OKLAHOMA. You will be treated like dung.