Oklahoma State: Population, Rankings, and Facts

The state does not have a great population, though it’s not so scarce as the one of Alaska, for example. This happens because there are big rural areas with not so many people living there. Plus, the median income per home is relatively low in comparison to richer states nearby.

The metric is decent, especially considering there are not so many professional opportunities in the land. The Oklahoma tax commission is quite favorable for individuals and companies. For instance, the state sales tax is only 4.50%, while the property tax amounts to 0.87%, which are some of the average rates in the country.

The homes here are among the cheapest in the United States, only above Mississippi and West Virginia. This is in line, of course, with the average wage inhabitants receive. The most affordable cities to buy a house or apartment are Blackwell and Perry, while the most expensive include Edmond and Jenks.

Surprisingly, unemployment rates are among the lowest in the whole country. This was not the case a few years ago, but the coronavirus pandemic changed the situation. Such a thing happens because the crisis did not severely hit the countryside, and over one million persons live in the largest rural areas like Blackwell.

Unfortunately, OK is one of the poorest provinces in the country, even though most people are employed. The main reason for this is low wages, which do not allow the population to cover all their needs and maintain a family. Those at risk of falling below the poverty line include people with disabilities and those with Indian or black races.

Less than 25% of the population has been to university. The rest only hold a school degree. The reasons for this are multiple, the most relevant of them being the lack of reputable institutions. The only ones which are well-known with a history are the University of OK and the Christian University.

The number of uninsured people is quite high. 14% of the population living in the area don’t have any private insurance to cover their medical treatment. This has two consequences. First, people have to spend a lot of money on their own to pay for hospital bills. Second, the government has to invest a lot, too, in public hospitals.

The crime rate is one of the worst in the country and similar to the one of Arizona and Tennessee. There are more than 17,000 violent crime cases in total and over 431 per 100,000 inhabitants. The murder rate is also high, with 6 per 100,000 people. The most dangerous cities in the area include Shawnee, Tulsa, and Del City.

The air in the province is quite good. The number of violations is not so high because of the many open spaces and rural areas. But the same does not happen with drinking water. Instead, the number of violations is high, and the largest cities cannot drink directly from the tap. Luckily, the capital city is an exception, and water is safe to drink.

The state of roads and highways in this county is decent. Only 5% of them are not in good condition, and this happens because people use them daily to go from Tulsa to OKC and vice versa. Instead, the history of deficient bridges is high, with 11% of them being broken or worn out.