Oklahoma County, Oklahoma

History

The area that would someday be called Oklahoma County was originally inhabited by members of the indigenous nations of the Southern Plains, but by the 1830s the land would become part of the territory assigned to the Seminoles and Creeks after their removal from their ancestral lands in the Southeastern USA.

As a result of the Reconstruction era treaties signed between the US government and the Seminole and Creek nations in 1866, the land was taken from tribal jurisdiction but not assigned to other tribal governments, which in time led it to be called the Unassigned Lands. In 1889, the US federal government held a land run for the Unassigned lands, which led to the rapid settlement of the area.

By 1890, Oklahoma County was called "County Two" and was one of seven counties established by the Organic Act of 1890.

County business initially took place in a building at the intersection of California Avenue and Robinson Street until the construction of the first Oklahoma County Courthouse at 520 West Main Street in the 1900s. In 1937, the county government was moved to a building at 321 Park Avenue, which now serves only as the county courthouse.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 718 sqmi, of which 709 sqmi is land and 9.6 sqmi (1.3%) is water.

Transit

• Embark
• Oklahoma City Streetcar
• Flixbus
• Greyhound Lines
• Amtrak (Heartland Flyer) at Oklahoma City station

Major highways

Adjacent counties

• Logan County (north)
• Lincoln County (east)
• Pottawatomie County (southeast)
• Cleveland County (south)
• Canadian County (west)
• Kingfisher County (northwest)

National protected area

• Oklahoma City National Memorial

Demographics

| align-fn = center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010

2021 estimates

The Census Bureau estimated the county's population at 802,559 in 2022, while 2017–2021 American Community Survey estimates reported that 54.5% of residents were non-Hispanic white, 15.8% Black or African American, 4.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.8% multiracial, and 18.5% Hispanic or Latino of any race; 10.2% of residents were foreign-born during the same period. During 2017–2021 there were 313,822 households with an average of 2.48 people per household, the median value of an owner-occupied housing unit was $164,000, and the median gross rent was $929. The median household income was $58,239 with a per capita income of $34,129, and 16.3% of residents lived at or below the poverty line.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 796,292. Of the residents, 24.4% were under the age of 18 and 14.5% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 35.4 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.2 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 54.9% White, 15.1% Black or African American, 3.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.5% Asian, 10.0% from some other race, and 12.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 19.3% of the population.

There were 317,334 households in the county, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 30.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 352,544 housing units, of which 10.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 56.5% were owner-occupied and 43.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.7%.

2010 census

According to the 2010 U.S. census, there were 718,633 people, 277,615 households, and 172,572 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,013 PD/sqmi. There were 319,828 housing units at an average density of 416 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 64.6% White, 15.4% Black or African American, 3.5% Native American, 3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.1% from other races, and 5.3% from two or more races; 15.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Throughout its population, 12.4% were of German, 12.3% Mexican, 10.1% Irish, 7.9% English, and 7.7% American ancestries according to the 2010 census. 84.4% spoke English and 11.5% Spanish as their first language.

In 2010, there were 277,615 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.26.

In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $42,916, and the median income for a family was $54,721. The per capita income for the county was $25,723. About 11.70% of families and 15.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Since the second half of the 20th century, Oklahoma County has been quite conservative for an urban county. It swung from a 20-point victory for Harry Truman in 1948 to a 15-point victory for Dwight Eisenhower in 1952. It has gone Republican in all but one presidential election since then; it narrowly voted for Lyndon Johnson in 1964. This mirrors the growing Republican trend in Oklahoma since the end of World War II. It was one of the few areas in the South where Jimmy Carter didn't do well.

In 1982, Oklahoma County elected the first Black county commissioner in Oklahoma, Shirley Ann Bruce Darrell.

However, the Republican share of votes for president has decreased in every election since the 2004 election (with the exception of 2024). In the 2022 Oklahoma gubernatorial election, Democratic candidate Joy Hofmeister received her largest vote share of any county, with 55.0% of the vote and a modest improvement over the 2018 Democratic candidate, Drew Edmonson. Incumbent Republican Governor Mary Fallin was the last member of her party to win the county with 51.3% in 2014. Also, in the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma, Democrat Kendra Horn received 52.3% of the vote in Oklahoma County, which was the only county in the state to vote for a Democratic House candidate, thereby changing parties. Horn would carry the county again in her 2022 Senate run, becoming the first Democratic Senatorial candidate to carry the county since David Boren's 1990 landslide. In the 2020 United States Presidential election, Republican Donald Trump narrowly carried the county (1% margin), down from 10 points in 2016. It was also the best showing for a Democrat in the county since LBJ. In 2024, Trump won the county, but again by a narrow plurality. However, his margin of victory was slightly larger while receiving fewer votes than in 2020.

County commissioners

County offices

Oklahoma House of Representatives

Oklahoma Senate

Congressional

Party registration

Communities

Cities

• Bethany
• Choctaw
• Del City
• Edmond
• Harrah
• Midwest City
• Nichols Hills
• Nicoma Park
• Oklahoma City (county seat)
• Spencer
• The Village
• Warr Acres

Towns

• Arcadia
• Forest Park
• Jones
• Lake Aluma
• Luther
• Smith Village
• Valley Brook
• Woodlawn Park

Unincorporated communities

• Four Counties Corner (formerly Lockridge)
• Newalla
• Wheatland

Education

School districts include:

K-12:

• Bethany Public Schools
• Choctaw/Nicoma Park Schools
• Crooked Oak Public Schools
• Deer Creek Public Schools
• Edmond Public Schools
• Harrah Public Schools
• Jones Public Schools
• Luther Public Schools
• McLoud Public Schools
• Midwest City-Del City Schools
• Millwood Public Schools
• Moore Public Schools
• Mustang Public Schools
• Oklahoma City Public Schools
• Piedmont Public Schools
• Putnam City Public Schools
• Western Heights Public Schools

Elementary only:

• Crutcho Public School
• Oakdale Public School

References

References

1. "Oklahoma County, Oklahoma". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. (2005). "The American Counties: Origins of County Names, Dates of Creation, and Population Data, 1950-2000". Scarecrow Press.
4. [https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=UN001 "Unassigned lands"] ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture,'' Oklahoma Historical Society. Accessed August 10, 2021.
5. Wilson, Linda D. [http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=OK039 "Oklahoma County,"] ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 4, 2015.
6. [http://www.oklahomacounty.org/aboutus/historytxt.htm "A Brief History of Oklahoma County Government."] OklahomaCounty.org. Accessed September 17, 2009.
7. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
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12. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
13. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
14. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Oklahoma County, Oklahoma".
15. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
16. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
17. "American FactFinder - Results".
18. (April 2020)
19. "Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (OK) income map, earnings map, and wages data".
20. (May 12, 2025). "Darrell, Shirtley Ann Bruce (1936–2013)". [[Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture]].
21. Krehbiel, Randy. (November 1, 2022). "Suburban and Rural Voters Make Stitt a Winner - Again". [[Tulsa World]].
22. "Oklahoma Election Results". The New York Times.
23. "OK Election Results".
24. Leip, Dave. (2019). "Oklahoma Results for 1990".
25. (November 8, 2022). "Oklahoma Election Results". The New York Times.
26. "Current Registration Statistics by County".
27. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
28. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Oklahoma County, OK". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].