The unfortunate fact of the matter is that some places in the Sooner State have a larger percent of their population that never graduated from high school.
While the emphasis on going to college might be overblown, the fact is that not graduating from high school puts you at a significant disadvantage on average. Educational attainment might not be the best way to measure one person’s intelligence, but it does shine a light on the state.
We will use Saturday Night Science to determine what places in Oklahoma have the highest percentage of adults without a high school degree.
A recent study we published found that Oklahoma is the 39th smartest state in the United States, with an average IQ of 98.
But that doesn’t mean that a few cities in Oklahoma are a bit slower than others due to a lack of basic education.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Dumbest Places In Oklahoma
Don’t freak out.
Some places are just smarter than others, but that says nothing about the character of the people living there. It’s another data point a real estate agent would never tell you.
For this ranking, we only looked at cities with populations greater than 5,000, leaving us 70 cities in Oklahoma to rank. You can take a look at the data below.
For more Oklahoma reading, check out:
The 10 Dumbest Places In Oklahoma For 2024
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% Adult High School Dropout: 23.0%
% Highly Educated: 9.0%
More on Vinita: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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% Adult High School Dropout: 21.0%
% Highly Educated: 9.0%
More on Holdenville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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% Adult High School Dropout: 24.0%
% Highly Educated: 12.0%
More on Hugo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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% Adult High School Dropout: 19.0%
% Highly Educated: 11.0%
More on Seminole: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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% Adult High School Dropout: 20.0%
% Highly Educated: 14.0%
More on Pauls Valley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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% Adult High School Dropout: 20.0%
% Highly Educated: 14.0%
More on Henryetta: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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% Adult High School Dropout: 20.0%
% Highly Educated: 16.0%
More on Poteau: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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% Adult High School Dropout: 16.0%
% Highly Educated: 14.0%
More on Tecumseh: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
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% Adult High School Dropout: 18.0%
% Highly Educated: 16.0%
More on Sallisaw: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How we determined the dumbest cities in the Sooner State
We realize that formal education is only part of it when it comes to being intelligent, but on the other hand, knowing the difference between they’re, their, and there is always going to make you look pretty stupid.
So, we used Saturday Night Science to narrow down our criteria to focus on a city’s educational opportunities and what percentage of the population takes advantage of those opportunities.
In short, we came up with these criteria to determine the dumbest cities in Oklahoma:
- % of the city’s population with less than a high school education (Age 25+)
- % of city’s population with a college degree (Age 25+)
We got the data from the U.S. Census 2018-2022 American Community Survey.
Then, our algorithm generates a rank for each place in these categories. After crunching all the numbers, a ranking of the cities in Oklahoma from dumbest to brightest.
For this ranking, we used every Oklahoma city with at least 5,000 residents. We updated this article for 2024, and it’s our tenth time ranking the dumbest cities in Oklahoma.
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
If you’re measuring the locations in Oklahoma where there are a high number of dropouts and adults who never received a formal education, this is an accurate ranking.
The dumbest cities in Oklahoma are Sayre, Vinita, Holdenville, Hugo, Seminole, Pauls Valley, Henryetta, Poteau, Tecumseh, and Sallisaw.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the smartest places in Oklahoma, according to science:
- Edmond
- Bixby
- Norman
For more Oklahoma reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Oklahoma
- Cheapest Places To Live In Oklahoma
- Most Dangerous Cities In Oklahoma
- Richest Cities In Oklahoma
- Safest Places In Oklahoma
- Worst Places To Live In Oklahoma
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Oklahoma
Dumbest Cities In Oklahoma For 2024
| Rank | City | Population | % Adult High School Dropout | % Highly Educated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sayre, OK | 5,459 | 26.0% | 6.0% |
| 2 | Vinita, OK | 5,207 | 23.0% | 9.0% |
| 3 | Holdenville, OK | 5,900 | 21.0% | 9.0% |
| 4 | Hugo, OK | 5,178 | 24.0% | 12.0% |
| 5 | Seminole, OK | 7,144 | 19.0% | 11.0% |
| 6 | Pauls Valley, OK | 6,031 | 20.0% | 14.0% |
| 7 | Henryetta, OK | 5,639 | 20.0% | 14.0% |
| 8 | Poteau, OK | 8,852 | 20.0% | 16.0% |
| 9 | Tecumseh, OK | 6,326 | 16.0% | 14.0% |
| 10 | Sallisaw, OK | 8,524 | 18.0% | 16.0% |
| 11 | Purcell, OK | 6,632 | 23.0% | 19.0% |
| 12 | Guymon, OK | 12,743 | 29.0% | 20.0% |
| 13 | Okmulgee, OK | 11,366 | 14.0% | 13.0% |
| 14 | Blackwell, OK | 6,132 | 12.0% | 11.0% |
| 15 | Sulphur, OK | 5,025 | 15.0% | 18.0% |
| 16 | Idabel, OK | 6,994 | 15.0% | 18.0% |
| 17 | El Reno, OK | 17,474 | 15.0% | 18.0% |
| 18 | Miami, OK | 12,995 | 14.0% | 16.0% |
| 19 | Anadarko, OK | 5,723 | 12.0% | 11.0% |
| 20 | Mcalester, OK | 18,110 | 16.0% | 20.0% |
| 21 | Duncan, OK | 22,759 | 15.0% | 19.0% |
| 22 | Wagoner, OK | 7,813 | 14.0% | 19.0% |
| 23 | Muskogee, OK | 36,933 | 14.0% | 20.0% |
| 24 | Enid, OK | 50,961 | 15.0% | 22.0% |
| 25 | Woodward, OK | 12,067 | 13.0% | 19.0% |
| 26 | Ardmore, OK | 24,784 | 14.0% | 21.0% |
| 27 | Clinton, OK | 8,499 | 19.0% | 26.0% |
| 28 | Warr Acres, OK | 10,424 | 16.0% | 25.0% |
| 29 | Lone Grove, OK | 5,026 | 11.0% | 17.0% |
| 30 | Cushing, OK | 8,336 | 10.0% | 16.0% |
| 31 | Pryor Creek, OK | 9,480 | 9.0% | 15.0% |
| 32 | Catoosa, OK | 7,680 | 11.0% | 19.0% |
| 33 | Guthrie, OK | 10,872 | 13.0% | 22.0% |
| 34 | Altus, OK | 18,711 | 14.0% | 25.0% |
| 35 | Chickasha, OK | 16,231 | 11.0% | 20.0% |
| 36 | Lawton, OK | 91,023 | 11.0% | 22.0% |
| 37 | Durant, OK | 18,759 | 14.0% | 28.0% |
| 38 | Bethany, OK | 20,620 | 11.0% | 24.0% |
| 39 | Harrah, OK | 6,259 | 12.0% | 27.0% |
| 40 | Mustang, OK | 20,518 | 9.0% | 23.0% |
| 41 | Noble, OK | 7,168 | 12.0% | 28.0% |
| 42 | Sapulpa, OK | 22,030 | 8.0% | 21.0% |
| 43 | Shawnee, OK | 31,391 | 11.0% | 26.0% |
| 44 | Ada, OK | 16,537 | 12.0% | 29.0% |
| 45 | Claremore, OK | 19,724 | 8.0% | 22.0% |
| 46 | Sand Springs, OK | 19,925 | 9.0% | 25.0% |
| 47 | Tulsa, OK | 411,938 | 12.0% | 33.0% |
| 48 | Coweta, OK | 9,903 | 8.0% | 23.0% |
| 49 | Moore, OK | 62,685 | 9.0% | 26.0% |
| 50 | Collinsville, OK | 8,073 | 8.0% | 24.0% |
| 51 | Tahlequah, OK | 16,389 | 12.0% | 35.0% |
| 52 | Grove, OK | 7,012 | 9.0% | 28.0% |
| 53 | Glenpool, OK | 13,683 | 8.0% | 26.0% |
| 54 | Tuttle, OK | 7,533 | 9.0% | 32.0% |
| 55 | Verdigris, OK | 5,308 | 6.0% | 26.0% |
| 56 | Piedmont, OK | 7,629 | 10.0% | 40.0% |
| 57 | Bartlesville, OK | 37,314 | 9.0% | 32.0% |
| 58 | Choctaw, OK | 12,154 | 6.0% | 30.0% |
| 59 | Newcastle, OK | 11,508 | 6.0% | 31.0% |
| 60 | Yukon, OK | 24,198 | 6.0% | 31.0% |
| 61 | Alva, OK | 5,020 | 8.0% | 38.0% |
| 62 | Broken Arrow, OK | 114,237 | 6.0% | 34.0% |
| 63 | Jenks, OK | 25,872 | 7.0% | 47.0% |
| 64 | Weatherford, OK | 11,999 | 6.0% | 40.0% |
| 65 | Owasso, OK | 38,134 | 5.0% | 35.0% |
| 66 | Stillwater, OK | 48,644 | 7.0% | 50.0% |
| 67 | Blanchard, OK | 8,708 | 5.0% | 36.0% |
| 68 | Norman, OK | 127,701 | 6.0% | 46.0% |
| 69 | Bixby, OK | 28,731 | 4.0% | 46.0% |
| 70 | Edmond, OK | 94,503 | 4.0% | 55.0% |
As with any data, this can be spun many ways. Based on using only HS diploma and dropout rates for small towns – This is how I interpret the data: Theses towns have a much higher percentage of senior citizens that lived through several wars and rough times, hence the rates you see. That would suggest the young people not only have the opportunity of a modern education, but the wisdom from these folks passed down to them. The younger generations are not only as educated as people in larger cities, but gain much more common sense growing up! My spin.
I have drawn a conclusion based on reading on article of Nick James with Road Snacks. This is the most worthless thing I have ever read and when looking at Road Snacks other lists all of them are negative about great and wonderful communities across this country. So since your page says Made in Durham, NC, I conclude that Durham, NC is a great community with the exception of the people at Road Snacks.
I appreciate the two previous messages. My thought is to pray for these towns/cities. We don’t want NO child, nor NO adult left behind when it comes to receiving an education. Everyone should at least be given an opportunity. If one is self educated, then this is good also. But, one should start somewhere!
Please christians, lets pray that these cities/towns that are lagging behind get some sort of revival!! It can happen; all things are possible to those who believe!