Cotton County, Oklahoma Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cotton County, OK Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 87% of counties in Oklahoma
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cotton County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,485 | 4,028,385 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 8.6 | 57.6 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.24% | 0.48% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.5 | 38.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 2,040 | 1,561,116 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cotton County declined by 13.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 5,485 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cotton County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.3% of residents. That is 2.8 points above Oklahoma as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,102 20.1% -2.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,015 18.5% -3.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,170 21.3% +2.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,069 19.5% +2.7 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Oklahoma, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.6% of the people living in Cotton County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Oklahoma 50.3%
- Men 49.4% Oklahoma 49.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Cotton County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Cotton County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Cotton County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $57,415 | $65,606 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 2.25% | 3.94% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cotton County is about 12% lower than in Oklahoma.
Housing
| Metric | Cotton County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $115,789 | $133,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $772 | $1,014 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 80.3% | 65.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cotton County is about 12.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $772 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cotton County spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 253 hours, about 10.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cotton County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.4 | 19.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 60.8 | 37.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 253 | 158 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,857 | $4,901 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 3.5% | 9.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,671 | 5,635 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 410 | 941 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Oklahoma:
Cimarron County (4.8 min), Woods County (8.5 min), Harmon County (8.8 min).
Slowest:
Cotton County (30.4 min), Logan County (28.5 min), Lincoln County (28.0 min).
The average commute time in Cotton County is 30 minutes, longer than the 19 minutes in Oklahoma.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Cotton County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Cotton County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18.1% | 24.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.65 | 2.50 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Oklahoma:
Payne County (0.3), Cleveland County (0.3), Oklahoma County (0.3).
Lowest:
Adair County (0.2), Okfuskee County (0.2), Greer County (0.2).
Health
Cotton County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Cotton County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.2 | 76.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.7% | 20.3% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.2% | 22.6% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Oklahoma:
Cleveland County (0.8), Canadian County (0.8), Woods County (0.8).
Lowest:
Adair County (0.7), McIntosh County (0.7), Choctaw County (0.7).
Cotton County, OK Compared With Nearby Counties
Cotton County, OK is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 5,485 residents against a local median of 121,825. Cotton County, OK's commute, at 30.4 min, runs 86% above the 16.4 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves sit within 3.9 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Cotton County, OK, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Cotton County, OK has the 4th lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton County, OK | 5,485 | $57,415 #4/4 | $115,789 #3/4 | 30.4 min #4/4 |
| Comanche County, OK | 121,825 | $61,120 | $124,492 | 16.4 min |
| Wichita County, TX | 129,995 | $64,006 | $118,747 | 13.1 min |
| Stephens County, OK | 43,550 | $61,888 | $95,276 | 16.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cotton County, Oklahoma.
How many people live in Cotton County, Oklahoma?
About 5,485 people live in Cotton County, Oklahoma, in 2,040 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 40.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Cotton County, Oklahoma mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cotton County, Oklahoma has 9 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 10% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Cotton County, Oklahoma?
The median home costs 2.0 times the median household income ($115,789 against $57,415), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $772 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Cotton County, Oklahoma?
Unemployment in Cotton County, Oklahoma is only 3.5%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Cotton County, Oklahoma have a college degree?
18.1% of adults in Cotton County, Oklahoma hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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