Nowata County, Oklahoma Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Nowata 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.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 71% of counties in Oklahoma
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 89% of counties in Oklahoma
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Nowata County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 9,434 | 4,028,385 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 16.2 | 57.6 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.31% | 0.48% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.7 | 38.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 3,686 | 1,561,116 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Nowata County declined by 11.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 9,434 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Nowata County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.5% of residents. That is 3.0 points above Oklahoma as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,740 18.4% -4.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,725 18.3% -3.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,029 21.5% +3.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,909 20.2% +3.4 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 50.7% of the people living in Nowata County and men 49.3%.
- Women 50.7% Oklahoma 50.3%
- Men 49.3% Oklahoma 49.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Nowata County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Nowata County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Nowata County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $55,895 | $65,606 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.22% | 3.94% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Nowata County is about 15% lower than in Oklahoma.
Housing
| Metric | Nowata County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $71,481 | $133,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $811 | $1,014 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 73.5% | 65.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Nowata County is about 7.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $811 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Nowata County spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 190 hours, about 7.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Nowata County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.8 | 19.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.5 | 37.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 190 | 158 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,881 | $4,901 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.8% | 9.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,604 | 5,635 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 599 | 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 Nowata County is 23 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
Nowata County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Nowata County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.0% | 24.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.52 | 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
Nowata County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Nowata County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.3 | 76.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.5% | 20.3% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.9% | 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).
Nowata County, OK Compared With Nearby Counties
Nowata County, OK is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 9,434 residents against a local median of 53,323. Nowata County, OK's median home price, at $71,481, runs 57% below the $167,264 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 22.8 min against a local median of 15.4 min, 48% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 48% above the local median it puts Nowata County, OK at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $161,492 on median home price, so Nowata County, OK sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Nowata County, OK has the 3rd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nowata County, OK | 9,434 | $55,895 #4/4 | $71,481 #3/4 | 22.8 min #3/4 |
| Washington County, OK | 53,323 | $60,309 | $167,264 | 15.4 min |
| Montgomery County, KS | 30,940 | $56,995 | $31,389 | 13.7 min |
| Rogers County, OK | 98,605 | $80,572 | $192,881 | 23.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Nowata County, Oklahoma.
How many people live in Nowata County, Oklahoma?
About 9,434 people live in Nowata County, Oklahoma, in 3,686 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Nowata County, Oklahoma urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Nowata County, Oklahoma has 16 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 19% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Nowata County, Oklahoma?
The median home costs 1.3 times the median household income ($71,481 against $55,895), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $811 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Nowata County, Oklahoma have a college degree?
16.0% of adults in Nowata 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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