Pawnee County, Oklahoma Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Pawnee 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 average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Pawnee County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 15,795 | 4,028,385 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 26.5 | 57.6 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.50% | 0.48% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.8 | 38.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,108 | 1,561,116 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Pawnee County declined by 4.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 15,795 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Pawnee County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 20.9% of residents. That is 4.1 points above Oklahoma as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,056 19.3% -3.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,988 18.9% -2.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,289 20.8% +2.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,304 20.9% +4.1 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 49.4% of the people living in Pawnee County and men 50.6%.
- Women 49.4% Oklahoma 50.3%
- Men 50.6% Oklahoma 49.7%
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100% of everyone living in Pawnee County
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Economy
Pawnee County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Pawnee County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,874 | $65,606 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.13% | 3.94% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Pawnee County is about 10% lower than in Oklahoma.
Housing
| Metric | Pawnee County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $36,561 | $133,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $863 | $1,014 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.5% | 65.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Pawnee County is about 3.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $863 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Pawnee County spend about 54 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 225 hours, about 9.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Pawnee County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 27.0 | 19.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 54.0 | 37.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 225 | 158 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,973 | $4,901 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 4.3% | 9.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,850 | 5,635 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 480 | 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 Pawnee County is 27 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
Pawnee County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Pawnee County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.0% | 24.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.55 | 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
Pawnee County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Pawnee County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.4 | 76.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.3% | 20.3% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.1% | 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).
Pawnee County, OK Compared With Nearby Counties
Pawnee County, OK is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 15,795 residents against a local median of 59,407. Pawnee County, OK's median home price, at $36,561, runs 64% below the $102,088 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 27.0 min against a local median of 23.3 min, 16% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 16% above the local median it puts Pawnee County, OK at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $133,200 on median home price, so Pawnee County, OK sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Pawnee County, OK has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pawnee County, OK | 15,795 | $58,874 #4/5 | $36,561 #5/5 | 27.0 min #4/5 |
| Payne County, OK | 82,970 | $49,857 | $48,174 | 13.5 min |
| Osage County, OK | 45,997 | $64,347 | $71,880 | 22.6 min |
| Creek County, OK | 72,818 | $62,984 | $181,373 | 24.0 min |
| Lincoln County, OK | 34,218 | $62,551 | $132,296 | 28.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Pawnee County, Oklahoma.
How many people live in Pawnee County, Oklahoma?
About 15,795 people live in Pawnee County, Oklahoma, in 6,108 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
How densely populated is Pawnee County, Oklahoma?
Averaged over its land area, Pawnee County, Oklahoma has 27 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 31% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Pawnee County, Oklahoma?
The median home costs 0.6 times the median household income ($36,561 against $58,874), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $863 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Pawnee County, Oklahoma?
15.0% of adults in Pawnee County, Oklahoma hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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