Nowata makes Oklahoma’s top 10 on 2 lists
Nowata is ranked on 35 lists against the 134 Oklahoma towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 5.
Cooler summers than 97% of Oklahoma
Not better or worse, just Nowata’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Nowata does best on
Each list ranks every OK town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Nowata marked.
Nowata lands in the top half on 8 of 22 lists
Each dot is Nowata’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in OK, the right end is last. Areas where Nowata does best come first.
2 spots from the top 3 for trails
Lists where Nowata sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Nowata lands in every OK ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 McAlester · 32.2%
#111
Most trails#1 Perkins · 1.7 mi / sq mi
#5
Most walkable#1 Mangum · 179 / sq mi
#10 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Turley · 0.8 yrs
#14
Cheapest rent#1 Pawhuska · $554/mo
#25
Lowest property tax#1 Wewoka · $382/yr
#20
Rent easiest to afford#1 Jenks · 29.2%
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Longtown · 27.4%
#20
Most new homes#1 Newcastle · 19.4 per 1,000
#40
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Checotah · +94.9%
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Guymon · 41.2 per home
Health
Healthiest#1 Nichols Hills · 92 / 100
#114
Lowest obesity#1 Nichols Hills · 31%
#82
Fewest smokers#1 Nichols Hills · 8%
#105
Most active#1 Nichols Hills · 19%
#105
Fewest uninsured#1 Nichols Hills · 5%
#47
Lowest depression#1 Hinton · 19%
#84
Closest to a top hospital#1 Cushing · 0.3 mi
#84 Safety
Safest#1 Elgin · 1.4
#80 
People
Most educated#1 Nichols Hills · 72.6%
#109
Youngest#1 Stillwater · 23.9
#92
Oldest#1 Longtown · 59.8
#44
Most residents 65+#1 Longtown · 40.9%
#25
Most kids#1 Perkins · 38.9%
#81 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Altus · 11.1 min
#116 
The number on the right is Nowata’s spot. All of Oklahoma’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every OK list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.