Elk City, Oklahoma
Area Profile
11,361 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Elk City, in Beckham County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 13 sourcesEmployment conditions sit below most comparable cities measured: unemployment is 4.4% and the Opportunity signal places Elk City in the bottom 3%. The unemployment rate is published for Beckham County, OK, which contains Elk City, rather than for Elk City alone.
In the public schools here, 31% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 16.8 students for every teacher.
Residential permitting has slowed: 1 units authorized over the past twelve months, against 3 the year before.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment across Beckham County, OK, which contains Elk City, is 4.4% — higher than in all but 47% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment across Beckham County, OK, which contains Elk City, fell 6.6% over the past year, to 8,356 employed residents.
Median household income of $51,272 is lower than in 75% of measured US cities.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsBeckham County, OK’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $47,343 | 4th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftBeckham County, OK’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $54,088 | 13th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$4,5172024 ACS 5-Year | $51,272 | Bottom 25%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$2,6572024 ACS 5-Year | $26,917 | Bottom 26%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 21.9% | Bottom 19%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±2.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 15.1 min | Top 6%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 14.5% | Bottom 33%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 79.3% | 57th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentBeckham County, OK’s figureJuly 2026 | 8,356 | Bottom 1%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Beckham County, OK’s figureJuly 2026 | −6.0% | Bottom 2%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Beckham County, OK’s figureJuly 2026 | −6.6% | Bottom 1%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceBeckham County, OK’s figureJuly 2026 | 8,740 | 1st percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 73.9% | Bottom 36%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.4% | 78th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Beckham County, OK’s figureJuly 2026 | +1.2% | Bottom 2%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateBeckham County, OK’s figureJuly 2026 | 4.4% | Bottom 47%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.7% | 21st percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Median household income, successive ACS releases
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes city-level labor data only for places of 25,000 or more. This is the figure for Beckham County, OK, which contains this city.
31% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 35% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 16.8 students for every full-time teacher across 6 public schools, more than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk City ES | ELK CITY | 729 | 16.6 | 42% | 37% |
| Elk City HS | ELK CITY | 627 | 18.4 | 17% | 27% |
| Merritt ES | MERRITT | 621 | 18.3 | 44% | 44% |
| Elk City Ies | ELK CITY | 469 | 17.4 | 30% | 29% |
| Elk City MS | ELK CITY | 297 | 14.8 | 12% | 29% |
| Merritt HS | MERRITT | 165 | 11.8 | 25% | 45% |
58.1% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Oklahoma’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Oklahoma is up 39% over five years, and up 1.5% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,357 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.90% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,048, some 11% above the $943 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,048 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $41,900 a year, about 82% of the median household income here of $51,272.
The typical renter household here spends 31% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $943 a month.
A median home at $150,400 costs 2.5 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $60,907, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
The figures above are measured against Elk City’s median household income of $51,272, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Oklahoma’s figure2026 Q2 | +1.5% | 30th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Oklahoma’s figure2026 Q2 | +38.9% | 37th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Oklahoma’s figure2026 Q2 | +72.0% | 17th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.52024 ACS 5-Year | 2.5 | Top 50%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 64.3% | 27th percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±2492024 ACS 5-Year | 6,269 | 91st percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $799 | Top 8%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,257 | Top 5%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,048 | Top 11%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$492024 ACS 5-Year | $943 | Top 47%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$16,7612024 ACS 5-Year | $150,400 | 37th percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$1352024 ACS 5-Year | $1,357 | 37th percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$10,7522024 ACS 5-Year | $60,907 | Bottom 24%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.13%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.90% | 45th percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 30.5% | Bottom 39%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±172024 ACS 5-Year | 9 | 63rd percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.1% | 52nd percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 20.5% | 88th percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±2752024 ACS 5-Year | 1,293 | 96th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has fallen 1% since 2020, to 11,383 in 2024.
Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 11,383 residents in 2024, up 0.4% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before. That recent rise has not yet made up the 1% decline since 2020.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 1 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.
Federal tax returns show that people moving in from elsewhere in the US and people moving out roughly balanced across Beckham County, which contains Elk City, in the most recent year. Households that moved in reported an average income of $47,343, below the $54,088 of households that moved out.
At 0.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Washita County, OK 115 people · 11% of arrivals
- Custer County, OK 105 people · 10% of arrivals
- Roger Mills County, OK 77 people · 7.5% of arrivals
- Oklahoma County, OK 44 people · 4.3% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Oklahoma County, OK 110 people · 11% of departures
- Washita County, OK 107 people · 10% of departures
- Custer County, OK 92 people · 9.0% of departures
- Canadian County, OK 75 people · 7.3% of departures
- Roger Mills County, OK 64 people · 6.2% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Beckham County, OK. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 94°F and January a low of 28°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 23.9 inches.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 23.9" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 28°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 94°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 5 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 45°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are tornado, inland flooding and drought, with tornado alone responsible for 27% of it. Inland flooding is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.
Low or minimal exposure: heat wave, landslide, earthquake, lightning, inland flooding, hurricane, avalanche, tsunami, volcanic activity, coastal flooding.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.
Elk City's police department reported 150 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 978.
Beckham County records 0.0 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at about 16.5 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at about 18.6 per 100,000 residents in Beckham County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Offenses are reported to the FBI by Elk City’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Elk City (Beckham County) rather than Elk City itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Cost of living
- Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
- Air quality
- The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 87.2% | Bottom 39%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 13 mi | Top 37%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 2 | Bottom 8%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 10.6% | Bottom 35%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infinity One Oklahoma Spaceport | CSM | 13 mi | 13,503 ft |
| Lawton-Fort Sill Rgnl | LAW | 81 mi | 8,599 ft |
| OKC Will Rogers Intl | OKC | 103 mi | 9,802 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
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Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Safety | Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency | 2025 calendar year |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
ZIP codes in Elk City
1 ZIP areaEvery ZIP area in Elk City with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Elk City closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.
| ZIP | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Area Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 73644 | 14,043 | $53,180 | $155,100 | — |