Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Oklahoma?
According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in Oklahoma – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which Oklahoma cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.
After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Sooner State:
- Holdenville
- Tahlequah (Photos)
- Wagoner (Photos)
- Anadarko (Photos)
- Hugo (Photos)
- Okmulgee (Photos)
- Bristow
- Atoka
- Durant (Photos)
- Idabel (Photos)
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.
Oh, and by the way, Jenks is the happiest place in Oklahoma.
Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.
If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.
How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In Oklahoma
In order to rank the unhappiest places in Oklahoma, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.
So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of home owners
- Poverty rate
After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in Oklahoma with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 102 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).
Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In Oklahoma’.
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.
1. Holdenville
Population: 5,768
People Who Own Their Home: 51.61%
Married Adults: 38.51%
2. Tahlequah
Population: 16,190
People Who Own Their Home: 37.07%
Married Adults: 36.46%
3. Wagoner
Population: 8,499
People Who Own Their Home: 51.01%
Married Adults: 44.96%
4. Anadarko
Population: 6,786
People Who Own Their Home: 45.36%
Married Adults: 34.53%
5. Hugo
Population: 5,294
People Who Own Their Home: 39.15%
Married Adults: 33.34%
6. Okmulgee
Population: 12,398
People Who Own Their Home: 43.39%
Married Adults: 31.85%
7. Bristow
Population: 4,251
People Who Own Their Home: 45.33%
Married Adults: 44.89%
8. Atoka
Population: 3,093
People Who Own Their Home: 49.32%
Married Adults: 43.8%
9. Durant
Population: 16,507
People Who Own Their Home: 38.74%
Married Adults: 41.26%
10. Idabel
Population: 7,015
People Who Own Their Home: 39.81%
Married Adults: 37.28%
There You Have It
Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more Oklahoma reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Oklahoma
- These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In Oklahoma
- These Are The 10 Snobbiest Places In Oklahoma
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In Oklahoma
City | Rank |
---|---|
Holdenville | 1 |
Tahlequah | 2 |
Wagoner | 3 |
Anadarko | 4 |
Hugo | 5 |
Okmulgee | 6 |
Bristow | 7 |
Atoka | 8 |
Durant | 9 |
Idabel | 10 |
Commerce | 11 |
Eufaula | 12 |
Chandler | 13 |
Carnegie | 14 |
Lexington | 15 |
Guthrie | 16 |
Ada | 17 |
Seminole | 18 |
Henryetta | 19 |
Sallisaw | 20 |
Weatherford | 21 |
Cushing | 22 |
Vinita | 23 |
Poteau | 24 |
Shawnee | 25 |
Muskogee | 26 |
Tulsa | 27 |
Spencer | 28 |
Stillwater | 29 |
Blackwell | 30 |
Pauls Valley | 31 |
Hobart | 32 |
Cleveland | 33 |
Miami | 34 |
Frederick | 35 |
Lawton | 36 |
Calera | 37 |
Norman | 38 |
Tecumseh | 39 |
Broken Bow | 40 |
Sayre | 41 |
Claremore | 42 |
Marietta | 43 |
Hollis | 44 |
Oklahoma City | 45 |
Lindsay | 46 |
Pryor Creek | 47 |
Warr Acres | 48 |
El Reno | 49 |
Del City | 50 |
Sulphur | 51 |
Skiatook | 52 |
Mcloud | 53 |
Mcalester | 54 |
Bethany | 55 |
Fairview | 56 |
Chickasha | 57 |
Clinton | 58 |
Ardmore | 59 |
Sapulpa | 60 |
Catoosa | 61 |
Altus | 62 |
Midwest City | 63 |
Duncan | 64 |
Slaughterville | 65 |
Marlow | 66 |
Grove | 67 |
Purcell | 68 |
Collinsville | 69 |
Pocola | 70 |
Alva | 71 |
Ponca City | 72 |
Fort Gibson | 73 |
Coweta | 74 |
Davis | 75 |
Guymon | 76 |
Elk City | 77 |
Glenpool | 78 |
Perry | 79 |
Elgin | 80 |
The Village | 81 |
Blanchard | 82 |
Sand Springs | 83 |
Moore | 84 |
Harrah | 85 |
Woodward | 86 |
Lone Grove | 87 |
Noble | 88 |
Enid | 89 |
Tuttle | 90 |
Edmond | 91 |
Choctaw | 92 |
Owasso | 93 |
Bartlesville | 94 |
Mustang | 95 |
Bixby | 96 |
Broken Arrow | 97 |
Piedmont | 98 |
Newcastle | 99 |
Kingfisher | 100 |
Yukon | 101 |
Jenks | 102 |