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Place dossier plate
SheetOK-TAHLEQUAH-OK · Tahlequah, OK 16,513 pop · income 17th pct · 13 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 Tahlequah
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Tahlequah on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
McAlester · lowest
48,044
McAlester · lowest
48,044 median HH income
22.8% of the leader · rank #1
Sunbury · near
48,509
Sunbury · near
48,509 median HH income
23.0% of the leader · rank #2
Tahlequah · this city
48,515
Tahlequah · this city
48,515 median HH income
23.1% of the leader · rank #3
Greenup · near
48,516
Greenup · near
48,516 median HH income
23.1% of the leader · rank #4
Hallandale Be… · near
48,518
Hallandale Be… · near
48,518 median HH income
23.1% of the leader · rank #5
North Adams · near
48,521
North Adams · near
48,521 median HH income
23.1% of the leader · rank #6
Fort Hunt · highest
210,471
Fort Hunt · highest
210,471 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 Tahlequah 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: 16,513.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Tahlequah - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Tahlequah lands in the 17th percentile for household income and the 23rd percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
17th
percentile, household income
37th
percentile, home value
14th
percentile, median rent
23rd
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: Tahlequah, OK
16,513 people live in Tahlequah, Oklahoma - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Tahlequah brings in $48,515 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 13.0%. Typical homes in Tahlequah are valued around $182,800, and the median resident age is 30.7 years. About 34.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 57.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 48 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 55% from five years earlier. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: FBI UCR figures show 2477.0 crimes per 100,000 residents, near the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 60.9°F with 51.0 inches of precipitation per year and 4.3 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in Oklahoma run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Oklahoma at 87.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). 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. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 55.5 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Tahlequah'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 schools and households to work and mobility to population change to comparison shortlist to climate and hazard context to housing and income to reported crime to within-city variation; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Tahlequah, city-specific coverage includes within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, annual population history, local building permits.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What does the education layer cover for Tahlequah?
The NCES join finds 10 public schools within the city match. 34.9% 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.
What does the journey to work look like in Tahlequah?
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 75.6%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Which cities make useful reference points for Tahlequah?
Within Oklahoma, the closest population matches are Ada (16,536 residents, $51,792 income); Chickasha (16,349 residents, $55,039 income); El Reno (17,919 residents, $54,459 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Grovetown, GA (16,516 residents); Fort Hunt, VA (16,519 residents); Radford, VA (16,505 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.
What can 13 Census tracts reveal inside Tahlequah?
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 13 Census tracts to this city.
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 Tahlequah 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 +1,046 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +6.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 48 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
+6.4%
2025 estimate
17,508
2020 estimate
16,462
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 60.9°F, with 51.0 inches of precipitation and 4.3 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.
Mean temperature
60.9°F
Annual precipitation
51.0 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
55.5
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
How far does income reach against housing in Tahlequah?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 13.0%, 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. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Household income
$48,515
Home value
$182,800
Value / income
3.8×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Tahlequah?
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 2477.0 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, near the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 9% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
2295.0
Violent rate
182.0
Total reported rate
2477.0
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
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 B-
34.9%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime C-
182 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate F
13.0%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$48,515
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Tahlequah profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 94/100 (A+) · 87.8 index
Bachelor's+ share: 66/100 (B-) · 34.9%
Violent crime: 50/100 (C-) · 182 /100k
Poverty rate: 28/100 (F) · 13.0%
Household income: 18/100 (F) · $48,515
Where Tahlequah sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Tahlequah'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 - Tahlequah highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Tahlequah, OK (this city): home $182,800, crime 2,477/100k
Grovetown, GA : home $226,000, crime 253/100k
Radford, VA : home $211,700, crime 1,115/100k
Morton, IL : home $238,900, crime 910/100k
Westchester, IL : home $297,400, crime 681/100k
Ada, OK : home $169,300, crime 2,396/100k
Chickasha, OK : home $113,200, crime 2,162/100k
El Reno, OK : home $157,000, crime 1,563/100k
McAlester, OK : home $137,500, crime 2,741/100k
Altus, OK : home $124,800, crime 1,735/100k
Glenpool, OK : home $191,400, crime 1,599/100k
How does Tahlequah compare to other US cities?
Where Tahlequah sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income17% higher than other cities
Home value37% pricier than other cities
Median rent14% pricier than other cities
Safety23% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Oklahoma alone, Tahlequah ranks #158 of 203 Oklahoma cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Tahlequah 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 Tahlequah near the bottom of Oklahoma's cities
Among the 671 Oklahoma cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Tahlequah ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Tahlequah only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#378 of 639
41st percentile in Oklahoma
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 671
0th percentile in Oklahoma
Median Home Value
#84 of 628
87th percentile in Oklahoma
Poverty Rate
#327 of 671
51st percentile in Oklahoma
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#53 of 671
92nd 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
17th percentile nationally for median household income · 23rd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Tahlequah's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Tahlequah'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 Tahlequah's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$182,800Among the most affordablemore affordable than 63% 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
Tahlequah's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.8×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#9,942 of 15,516
More affordable than 36% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,753 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.8×, Tahlequah sits in the moderate band:
national rank #9,942 of 15,516 and #1,753 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
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
$48,515Tahlequah, OK median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Tahlequah, 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 Tahlequah, OK.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)34.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)13.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)57.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
16,513
Median Income
$48,515
Median Home Value
$182,800
Median Age
30.7
Poverty Rate
13.0%
Labor force participation
57.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
34.9%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2477.0
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
182.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2295.0
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.
Climate
Avg Temperature
60.9°F
Annual Precipitation
51.0"
Annual Snowfall
4.3"
Schools
Total Schools
10
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Tahlequah's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
16,462 residents
2021
16,765 residents
2022
17,028 residents
2023
17,048 residents
2024
17,344 residents
2025
17,508 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
48
housing units authorized
Single-Family
32
detached homes
Multifamily
16
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
107
67
40
$10.9M
2020
125
79
46
$12.7M
2021
160
97
63
$15.9M
2022
22
22
0
$5.4M
2023
90
90
0
$15.3M
2024
48
32
16
$7.5M
Permit volume decreased 55% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
75.6%
Carpool
12.4%
Public Transit
0.1%
Walk
5.5%
Work from Home
4.3%
Other
2.1%
Based on 7,671 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 Tahlequah. 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 Tahlequah 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 Tahlequah sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Tahlequah 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, NOAA Climate Normals, 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.