Payne County, Oklahoma Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Payne 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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B
Health Around averageAmong the top 5 healthiest counties in Oklahoma
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 91% of counties in Oklahoma
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B
Education Around averageBest educated county in Oklahoma
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Payne County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 82,970 | 4,028,385 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 119.0 | 57.6 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.46% | 0.48% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 26.0 | 38.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 32,608 | 1,561,116 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Payne County grew by 5.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 82,970 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Payne County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 38.6% of residents. That is 16.1 points above Oklahoma as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 32,055 38.6% +16.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 14,937 18.0% -3.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 11,707 14.1% -4.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 10,537 12.7% -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 48.6% of the people living in Payne County and men 51.4%.
- Women 48.6% Oklahoma 50.3%
- Men 51.4% Oklahoma 49.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Payne County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Payne County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Payne County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,857 | $65,606 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.49% | 3.94% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Payne County is about 24% lower than in Oklahoma.
Housing
| Metric | Payne County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $48,174 | $133,462 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $917 | $1,014 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 51.0% | 65.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Payne County is about 4.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $917 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Payne County spend about 27 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 112 hours, about 4.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Payne County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 13.5 | 19.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 27.0 | 37.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 112 | 158 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,487 | $4,901 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.8% | 9.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,076 | 5,635 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 787 | 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 Payne County is 13 minutes, shorter 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
Payne County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Payne County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29.6% | 24.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.25 | 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
Payne County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Payne County | Oklahoma Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.0 | 76.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.4% | 20.3% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.1% | 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).
Payne County, OK Compared With Nearby Counties
Payne County, OK is the largest of the 4 counties compared here, 82,970 residents against a local median of 51,938. Where Payne County, OK breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 64% below the local median of $132,296 at $48,174.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 13.5 min against a local median of 28.0 min, 52% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Payne County, OK is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $133,279 on median home price, so Payne County, OK sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Payne County, OK has the 3rd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payne County, OK | 82,970 | $49,857 #4/4 | $48,174 #3/4 | 13.5 min #1/4 |
| Lincoln County, OK | 34,218 | $62,551 | $132,296 | 28.0 min |
| Logan County, OK | 51,938 | $82,723 | $48,095 | 28.5 min |
| Creek County, OK | 72,818 | $62,984 | $181,373 | 24.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Payne County, Oklahoma.
How many people live in Payne County, Oklahoma?
About 82,970 people live in Payne County, Oklahoma, in 32,608 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 26.0, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
Is Payne County, Oklahoma urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Payne County, Oklahoma has 119 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Payne County, Oklahoma?
The median home costs 1.0 times the median household income ($48,174 against $49,857), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $917 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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