Side-by-side metrics and state or size-class ranks use the same Census and FBI fields shown on this profile. Results stay in the URL so you can bookmark or share them.
Place dossier plate
SheetOK-PONCA-CITY-OK · Ponca City, OK 24,377 pop · income 28th pct · 11 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Ponca City
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Ponca City on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Kankakee · lowest
45,119
Kankakee · lowest
45,119 median HH income
43.0% of the leader · rank #1
Ingalls Park · near
55,268
Ingalls Park · near
55,268 median HH income
52.7% of the leader · rank #2
Sylvan Beach · near
55,268
Sylvan Beach · near
55,268 median HH income
52.7% of the leader · rank #3
Wilmington · near
55,269
Wilmington · near
55,269 median HH income
52.7% of the leader · rank #4
Ponca City · this city
55,270
Ponca City · this city
55,270 median HH income
52.7% of the leader · rank #5
California Ci… · near
55,271
California Ci… · near
55,271 median HH income
52.7% of the leader · rank #6
Jenks · highest
104,970
Jenks · highest
104,970 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Ponca City on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 24,377.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Ponca City - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Ponca City places in the 28th percentile for household income and the 15th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
28th
percentile, household income
20th
percentile, home value
14th
percentile, median rent
15th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Ponca City, OK
24,377 people live in Ponca City, Oklahoma - a small city by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Ponca City brings in $55,270 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 12.4%. Ponca City's housing stock carries a median value of $127,500, and the median resident age is 37.2 years. About 20.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 56.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 2 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Stable), up 0% from five years earlier. Ponca City's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 3080.0 incidents per 100,000 residents, above the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Oklahoma run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Oklahoma scores 87.8 (Well Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $995 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Oklahoma run around $205, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Commute times here average 15.3 minutes, with 78.3% driving alone and 3.4% working from home, per Census ACS commuting data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 55.5 out of 100 (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Ponca City's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from reported crime to within-city variation to housing and income to population change to comparison shortlist to schools and households to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Ponca City, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Ponca City?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 3080.0 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 35% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
What can 11 Census tracts reveal inside Ponca City?
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 11 Census tracts to this city.
How far does income reach against housing in Ponca City?
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.3 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 12.4%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
Which cities make useful reference points for Ponca City?
Within Oklahoma, the closest population matches are Ardmore (24,757 residents, $52,954 income); Yukon (24,802 residents, $76,408 income); Duncan (22,872 residents, $57,020 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Kankakee, IL (24,384 residents); Oak Ridge, FL (24,395 residents); Oak Harbor, WA (24,396 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Population change
Is Ponca City growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -128 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -0.5% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 2 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-0.5%
2025 estimate
24,225
2020 estimate
24,353
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What does the education layer cover for Ponca City?
The NCES join finds 13 public schools within the city match. 20.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
13
Bachelor's degree+
20.0%
Poverty estimate
12.4%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What does the journey to work look like in Ponca City?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 78.3%. The reported mean trip to work is 15.3 minutes.
Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
3.4%
Drive alone
78.3%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 10,429 workers age 16+.
Below median income · poverty 12.4% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
87.8 (US=100)
Very affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Oklahoma average
F
City profile score · Ponca City, OK
39/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A+
87.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share F
20.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
12.4%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$55,270
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
577 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Ponca City profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 94/100 (A+) · 87.8 index
Bachelor's+ share: 34/100 (F) · 20.0%
Poverty rate: 30/100 (F) · 12.4%
Household income: 28/100 (F) · $55,270
Violent crime: 11/100 (F) · 577 /100k
Where Ponca City sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Ponca City's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Ponca City highlighted among 10 peers.Read the chart values
Ponca City, OK (this city): home $127,500, crime 3,080/100k
Oak Harbor, WA : home $421,700, crime 991/100k
Clinton, IA : home $115,400, crime 3,086/100k
Benbrook, TX : home $278,200, crime 2,091/100k
Ardmore, OK : home $158,800, crime 4,247/100k
Yukon, OK : home $185,800, crime 1,355/100k
Duncan, OK : home $125,800, crime 2,425/100k
Sapulpa, OK : home $158,300, crime 1,578/100k
Jenks, OK : home $285,600, crime 1,304/100k
Del City, OK : home $112,800, crime 3,674/100k
How does Ponca City compare to other US cities?
Here's how Ponca City stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income28% higher than other cities
Home value20% pricier than other cities
Median rent14% pricier than other cities
Safety15% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Oklahoma, Ponca City ranks #173 of 203 Oklahoma cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Ponca City against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Oklahoma only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Oklahoma-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Ponca City near the bottom of Oklahoma's cities
Among the 671 Oklahoma cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Ponca City ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Ponca City only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#272 of 639
57th percentile in Oklahoma
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 671
0th percentile in Oklahoma
Median Home Value
#217 of 628
65th percentile in Oklahoma
Poverty Rate
#348 of 671
48th percentile in Oklahoma
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#199 of 671
70th percentile in Oklahoma
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Oklahoma only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
28th percentile nationally for median household income · 15th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Ponca City's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Ponca City's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Ponca City's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$127,500Among the most affordablemore affordable than 80% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Ponca City's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.3×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#2,986 of 15,516
More affordable than 81% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#210 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 2.3×, Ponca City sits in the affordable band:
national rank #2,986 of 15,516 and #210 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$55,270Ponca City, OK median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Ponca City, OK median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Ponca City, OK.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)20.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)12.4%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)56.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
24,377
Median Income
$55,270
Median Home Value
$127,500
Median Age
37.2
Poverty Rate
12.4%
Labor force participation
56.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
20.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
3080.0
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
576.5
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2503.5
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
13
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Ponca City's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
24,353 residents
2021
24,417 residents
2022
24,394 residents
2023
24,374 residents
2024
24,339 residents
2025
24,225 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Stable
Total Permits (2024)
2
housing units authorized
Single-Family
2
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
2
2
0
$0.5M
2020
9
9
0
$3.1M
2021
3
3
0
$1.0M
2022
6
6
0
$1.5M
2023
75
75
0
$9.6M
2024
2
2
0
$1.7M
Permit volume increased 0% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
15.3 minutes
Drive Alone
78.3%
Carpool
13.9%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.7%
Work from Home
3.4%
Other
2.7%
Based on 10,429 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Oklahoma statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $205
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Oklahoma at $205 (electricity about $115 , water and sewer about $40 ).
These are Oklahoma statewide averages, not a meter reading for Ponca City. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Oklahoma's BEA cost-of-living index is 87.8 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Ponca City is $995/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Oklahoma statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 55.5 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Oklahoma statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Ponca City sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Ponca City compares to similar-size Oklahoma cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.