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Place dossier plate
SheetOK-RALSTON-OK · Ralston, OK 344 pop · income 36th pct
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 Ralston
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Ralston on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Mountain Park · lowest
27,083
Mountain Park · lowest
27,083 median HH income
25.4% of the leader · rank #1
Ralston · this city
60,625
Ralston · this city
60,625 median HH income
56.8% of the leader · rank #2
Seba Dalkai · near
60,625
Seba Dalkai · near
60,625 median HH income
56.8% of the leader · rank #3
Lead Hill · near
60,625
Lead Hill · near
60,625 median HH income
56.8% of the leader · rank #4
Magalia · near
60,625
Magalia · near
60,625 median HH income
56.8% of the leader · rank #5
Whitmore · near
60,625
Whitmore · near
60,625 median HH income
56.8% of the leader · rank #6
Medicine Park · highest
106,750
Medicine Park · highest
106,750 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
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Ralston on ACS population and median household income
. 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: 344.
Ralston ranks in the 36th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
36th
percentile, household income
0th
percentile, home value
14th
percentile, median rent
📝 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: Ralston, OK
Ralston is a small town in Oklahoma, home to 344 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Ralston households earn a median of $60,625 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 11.1%. Ralston's housing stock carries a median value of $40,400, and the median resident age is 38.5 years. 7.6% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 52.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 60.1°F with 37.4 inches of precipitation per year and 7.1 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in Oklahoma run below the national norm: the state registers 87.8 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $995 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $205 across Oklahoma, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 55.5 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Ralston'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 population change to comparison shortlist to climate and hazard context to housing and income to work and mobility; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Ralston, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, commute-mode shares.
No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, matched public-school count; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Population change
Is Ralston growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +9 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +3.4% change. No comparable local building-permit series is available here, so population change should not be read as a housing-supply measure. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Which cities make useful reference points for Ralston?
Within Oklahoma, the closest population matches are Medicine Park (344 residents, $106,750 income); Webbers Falls (343 residents, $78,750 income); Gans (342 residents, $53,203 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Munson, FL (344 residents); Avoca, IN (344 residents); Pointe a la Hache, LA (344 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.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 60.1°F, with 37.4 inches of precipitation and 7.1 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Oklahoma is 55.5 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
How far does income reach against housing in Ralston?
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 0.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 11.1%, 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.
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.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Ralston?
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 78.1%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
4.4%
Drive alone
78.1%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 137 workers age 16+.
Below median income · poverty 11.1% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
87.8 (US=100)
Very affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Oklahoma average
D
City profile score · Ralston, OK
43/100
4 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.
Household income F
$60,625
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
11.1%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
7.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
Ralston profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 94/100 (A+) · 87.8 index
Household income: 35/100 (F) · $60,625
Poverty rate: 35/100 (F) · 11.1%
Bachelor's+ share: 0/100 (F) · 7.6%
How does Ralston compare to other US cities?
Here's how Ralston stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income36% higher than other cities
Home value0% pricier than other cities
Median rent14% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Ralston 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 Ralston near the bottom of Oklahoma's cities
Among the 671 Oklahoma cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Ralston ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Ralston only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#199 of 639
69th percentile in Oklahoma
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 671
0th percentile in Oklahoma
Median Home Value
#612 of 628
3rd percentile in Oklahoma
Poverty Rate
#386 of 671
42nd percentile in Oklahoma
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#542 of 671
19th 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
36th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Ralston's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$40,400Among the most affordablemore affordable than 100% 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
Ralston's home-value-to-income ratio: 0.7×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#10 of 15,516
More affordable than 100% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#10 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 0.7×, Ralston sits in the affordable band:
national rank #10 of 15,516 and #10 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
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
$60,625Ralston, OK median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Ralston, 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 Ralston, OK.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)7.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)11.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)52.3%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
344
Median Income
$60,625
Median Home Value
$40,400
Median Age
38.5
Poverty Rate
11.1%
Labor force participation
52.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
7.6%
Climate
Avg Temperature
60.1°F
Annual Precipitation
37.4"
Annual Snowfall
7.1"
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Ralston's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
268 residents
2021
270 residents
2022
270 residents
2023
273 residents
2024
275 residents
2025
277 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
78.1%
Carpool
13.9%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
4.4%
Other
3.6%
Based on 137 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 Ralston. 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 Ralston 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 Ralston sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Ralston 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, NOAA Climate Normals, 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.