The 10 Worst Small Towns In Oklahoma For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which teeny specks in OK are the pits.

Sam Sparkes, RoadSnacks
April 7, 2022 - 55,734 views
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Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst small places to live in Oklahoma.

Most Americans have never been to Oklahoma. However, as the people who live there know, Oklahoma is an awesome state.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Oklahoma has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Sooner State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.

After analyzing more than 170 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:

These are the worst small towns in Oklahoma for 2022:

  1. Wetumka
  2. Arkoma
  3. Wewoka
  4. Turley
  5. Antlers
  6. Okemah
  7. Atoka
  8. Checotah
  9. Stilwell
  10. Cherry Tree

So what is the worst small town to call home in Oklahoma for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Wetumka is the worst small town to live in Oklahoma.

Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since Oklahoma has its stuff figured out.

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 2022

1. Wetumka

Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 1,264
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 5)
Median Home Value: $64,000 (28th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 12.2% (11th worst)
More on Wetumka:  Data

2. Arkoma

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,841
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 8)
Median Home Value: $68,100 (34th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 12.9% (5th worst)
More on Arkoma:  Data

3. Wewoka

Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 3,271
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $43,600 (3rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 13.0% (4th worst)
More on Wewoka:  Data

4. Turley

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,817
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $47,400 (4th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 12.6% (6th worst)
More on Turley:  Data

5. Antlers

Antlers, OK

Source: Wikipedia User Photolitherland (talk) Ch | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 2,386
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $63,900 (26th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 9.7% (24th worst)
More on Antlers:  Data | Photos

6. Okemah

Okemah, OK

Source: Wikipedia User |
Overall SnackAbility

1
/10

Population: 3,275
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 4)
Median Home Value: $47,700 (6th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 11.4% (15th worst)
More on Okemah:  Data | Photos

7. Atoka

Atoka, OK

Source: Wikipedia User Larry D. Moore | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,946
Rank Last Year: 14 (Up 8)
Median Home Value: $80,800 (64th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.0% (4worst)
More on Atoka:  Data | Photos

8. Checotah

Checotah, OK

Source: Wikipedia User John Phelan | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 3,113
Rank Last Year: 23 (Up 15)
Median Home Value: $85,100 (84th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.2% (5worst)
More on Checotah:  Data | Photos

9. Stilwell

Stilwell, OK

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

2
/10

Population: 4,044
Rank Last Year: 17 (Up 8)
Median Home Value: $78,900 (54th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.9% (42nd worst)
More on Stilwell:  Data | Photos

10. Cherry Tree

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,058
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 3)
Median Home Value: $80,300 (62nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 4.3% (112th worst)
More on Cherry Tree:  Data

How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?

In order to rank the worst small towns to live in Oklahoma, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.

So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

How we determined the worst small towns to live in Oklahoma for 2022

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 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 a lot - 170 to be exact.

Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.

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.

If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Oklahoma, according to science:

  1. Verdigris (Pop. 4,515)
  2. Justice (Pop. 1,630)
  3. Nichols Hills (Pop. 3,910)

For more Oklahoma reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Oklahoma

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Wetumka 1,264 12.2% $64,000
2 Arkoma 1,841 12.9% $68,100
3 Wewoka 3,271 13.0% $43,600
4 Turley 2,817 12.6% $47,400
5 Antlers 2,386 9.7% $63,900
6 Okemah 3,275 11.4% $47,700
7 Atoka 2,946 8.0% $80,800
8 Checotah 3,113 7.2% $85,100
9 Stilwell 4,044 7.9% $78,900
10 Cherry Tree 1,058 4.3% $80,300
11 Warner 1,384 13.9% $77,300
12 Peggs 1,215 5.1% $110,700
13 Heavener 3,298 4.9% $54,300
14 Vian 1,350 12.0% $79,100
15 Langston 1,432 27.8% $50,600
16 Jay 2,545 6.6% $75,500
17 Carnegie 1,809 12.2% $56,000
18 Wister 1,054 7.9% $78,400
19 Waurika 2,030 6.3% $49,300
20 Kansas 1,112 7.9% $52,100
21 Westville 1,630 7.6% $77,900
22 Wilburton 2,572 9.8% $79,800
23 Pawhuska 3,456 9.8% $62,400
24 Commerce 2,384 6.7% $61,400
25 Beggs 1,377 12.5% $89,400
26 Konawa 1,139 4.2% $59,400
27 Boley 1,186 7.6% $83,300
28 Stigler 2,727 8.6% $90,200
29 Shady Point 1,128 11.5% $84,500
30 Frederick 3,604 3.8% $47,500
31 Locust Grove 1,540 8.6% $81,200
32 Hobart 3,460 3.9% $49,000
33 Talihina 1,020 7.2% $57,400
34 Spiro 2,323 7.1% $82,200
35 Weleetka 1,012 2.0% $42,600
36 Healdton 2,715 6.9% $54,100
37 Chelsea 2,158 11.3% $82,800
38 Coalgate 2,097 12.6% $76,400
39 Allen 1,024 11.2% $80,300
40 Broken Bow 4,093 1.8% $86,800
41 Stratford 1,468 6.9% $74,300
42 Brushy 1,000 12.4% $101,400
43 Hollis 1,666 8.6% $53,400
44 Tishomingo 3,166 9.0% $72,900
45 Hominy 3,428 5.6% $59,400
46 Oakland 1,032 8.2% $76,900
47 Nowata 3,673 5.7% $73,900
48 Drumright 2,868 6.4% $67,500
49 Park Hill 3,704 6.6% $105,300
50 Davis 2,853 9.3% $99,800
51 Sayre 4,480 6.9% $61,800
52 Lexington 2,244 4.9% $68,900
53 Fairfax 1,289 12.4% $36,800
54 Inola 2,073 8.3% $129,600
55 Mangum 2,743 9.0% $79,100
56 Comanche 1,896 9.3% $66,700
57 Kenwood 1,017 3.5% $103,400
58 Tyrone 1,049 1.3% $53,300
59 Grandfield 1,017 5.8% $50,200
60 Panama 1,401 3.0% $81,900
61 Pawnee 2,111 6.9% $81,400
62 Stroud 2,669 11.0% $90,700
63 Sperry 1,145 5.5% $73,600
64 West Siloam Springs 1,282 6.3% $145,800
65 Madill 3,978 2.6% $84,000
66 Copeland 1,725 9.3% $104,000
67 Rush Springs 1,101 6.6% $65,600
68 Maud 1,018 7.3% $48,900
69 Bushyhead 1,258 8.3% $103,500
70 Hartshorne 1,805 6.1% $73,300
71 Walters 2,701 4.1% $79,900
72 Prague 1,851 4.2% $67,300
73 Watonga 2,867 15.8% $87,800
74 Apache 1,313 6.9% $75,500
75 Haskell 2,088 7.1% $95,700
76 Perkins 2,964 5.8% $150,500
77 Bristow 4,226 4.4% $82,200
78 Colbert 1,230 4.1% $64,000
79 Pink 1,823 9.5% $103,900
80 Marietta 2,746 2.6% $90,500
81 Caddo 1,132 5.4% $81,400
82 Marlow 4,455 8.7% $106,200
83 Meeker 1,156 1.5% $88,900
84 Calera 3,082 6.0% $126,100
85 Laverne 1,423 0.3% $81,600
86 Mannsville 1,013 5.3% $83,400
87 Chandler 3,283 6.7% $92,100
88 Boise City 1,061 0.4% $49,200
89 Granite 1,753 3.0% $78,700
90 Woodall 1,004 4.5% $126,400
91 Tonkawa 3,000 5.8% $70,400
92 Muldrow 3,279 5.4% $84,000
93 Oakhurst 2,435 5.3% $102,900
94 Wynnewood 1,838 3.9% $69,100
95 Shattuck 1,407 2.2% $95,200
96 Eufaula 2,852 3.4% $157,400
97 Pocola 4,094 3.3% $86,600
98 Hennessey 2,996 5.1% $134,900
99 Burns Flat 1,974 5.9% $87,900
100 Goodwell 1,108 9.7% $96,500
Download The Entire Oklahoma Ranking Data

How Is The Area In ?

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