Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety8#14,434/15,637
Economy44#8,763/15,631
Housing88#1,821/14,977
Health6#14,646/15,609
Healthcare27#11,379/15,650
Environment11#13,768/15,453
Education19#12,684/15,649
Infrastructure23#11,978/15,650
Community15#13,287/15,651
Leisure & amenities12#13,705/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bethel Acres, Oklahoma ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Pottawatomie County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Preventable hospital stays · low1,866 /100k
88/100Oklahoma 3,055 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePottawatomie County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low124 min
85/100Oklahoma 122 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesPottawatomie County value
Job growth · high1.6%
85/100Oklahoma 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataPottawatomie County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.57%
82/100Oklahoma 0.79%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Unemployment rate · low2.3%
80/100Oklahoma 3.4%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Rent-burdened households · low59.0%
75/100Oklahoma 46.3%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070High uncertainty

Weaknesses

Mental health care shortage · high20.0
1/100Oklahoma 15.7United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationPottawatomie County value
Grocery stores · low0.5 /10k
2/100Oklahoma 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPottawatomie County value
Suicide rate · high32.5 /100k
2/100Oklahoma 19.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataPottawatomie County value
Firearm deaths · high25.7 /100k
5/100Oklahoma 17.6 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataPottawatomie County value
Voter turnout · low51.9%
6/100Oklahoma 53.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionPottawatomie County value
Life expectancy · low71.5 yrs
6/100Oklahoma 74.0 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePottawatomie County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
31.1% (2015-2019) → 59.0% (2020-2024)
+28 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
24.3% (2015-2019) → 32.0% (2020-2024)
+7.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
New homes permittedWorsening
5.3 /1k (2021) → 3.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−34%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.332 (2015-2019) → 0.437 (2020-2024)
+32%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
84.7% (2015-2019) → 91.0% (2020-2024)
+6.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.2× (2015-2019) → 2.8× (2020-2024)
+28%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Bethel Acres, Oklahoma improved on 0 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined2

Inequality+0.1050.332 → 0.437
Price / income+0.6×2.2× → 2.8×

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Bethel Acres, Oklahoma between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.9 min2015-2019	29.5 min2020-2024	+3.6 min	Within the margin of error	16%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.3%2015-2019	21.7%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Broadband subscriptions	84.7%2015-2019	91.0%2020-2024	+6.3 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Effective property tax rate	0.73%2015-2019	0.57%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	49%
High school diploma or higher	93.2%2015-2019	89.6%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	41%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3322015-2019	0.4372020-2024	+0.105	Declined	4%
Median household income	$73,0002015-2019	$75,9092020-2024	+4%	Within the margin of error	10%
Poverty rate	7.0%2015-2019	11.3%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Rent as share of income	24.3%2015-2019	32.0%2020-2024	+7.7 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.0%2015-2019	10.9%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	36%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Bethel Acres, Oklahoma five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bethel Acres, Oklahoma in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Bethel Acres, Oklahoma itself moved −20.2 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

3,165 residents (±31)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69
50–59
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 50–59 women (+3.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

3,165 residents (±31)

Bethel Acres, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

White79%2,510
Black1.7%†54
Hispanic or Latino6.3%†198

Education

2,181 residents (±138)

Bethel Acres, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

No high school diploma10%†227
High school or GED34%736
Some college23%493

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,180 households (±109)

Bethel Acres, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Under $25k16%†185
$25k–50k17%†206
$50k–75k16%187
$75k–100k14%†169
$100k–150k16%191
$150k–200k13%†157
$200k or more7.2%†85

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $150k–200k (+10.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,180 households (±109)

Bethel Acres, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Own89%1,056
Rent11%†124

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Rent (−5.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

81 households (±35)

Bethel Acres, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Under $75032%†26
$750–1,00017%†14
$1,000–1,50023%†19

Home values

1,056 homes (±116)

Bethel Acres, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Under $150k29%305
$150k–250k36%384
$250k–400k22%231

Age of homes

1,302 homes (±116)

Bethel Acres, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

2010 or later17%227
2000–200913%†164
1980–199928%371

Size of homes

1,302 homes (±116)

Bethel Acres, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Studio0.6%†8
1 bedroom2.5%†33
2 bedrooms16%209

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,387 workers (±125)

Bethel Acres, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Drive alone80%1,111
Carpool4.8%†66
Public transit0.0%0
Walk3.5%†49
Bike0.0%0
Work from home10%†144
Other1.2%†17

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+7.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,243 workers (±120)

Bethel Acres, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Under 15 min15%†185
15–29 min36%442
30–44 min23%284

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Shawnee, OK

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Pottawatomie County, the county holding most of Bethel Acres's residents.

Pottawatomie County has 1,253 employer establishments, 170 for every 10,000 residents (0.68× the US rate of 248; 0.72× Oklahoma's), with 16,706 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,625. The Census Bureau also counts 5,000 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,253; 5,000 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 170; US 248 · Oklahoma 237
Paid employees: 16,706
Average annual pay: $43,625; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Pottawatomie County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	113	15.3	0.83×About typical	2,493	$19,583	26
Ambulatory health care services	107	14.5	0.70×Fewer than typical	921	$60,544	167
Specialty trade contractors	74	10	0.65×Fewer than typical	427	$84,932	608
Religious organizations	63	8.5	1.54×More than typical	377	$16,329	—
Limited-service restaurants	55	7.4	0.93×About typical	1,406	$16,842	12
Lessors of real estate	45	6.1	0.49×Fewer than typical	110	$38,836	342
Building equipment contractors	43	5.8	0.97×About typical	178	$53,725	122
Full-service restaurants	41	5.6	0.72×Fewer than typical	992	$23,198	5
Insurance agencies and brokerages	39	5.3	1.20×About typical	128	$47,875	64
Offices of other health practitioners	32	4.3	0.71×Fewer than typical	210	$40,848	77
Gasoline stations	30	4.1	1.25×More than typical	224	$24,817	—
General merchandise stores	30	4.1	2.30×More than typical	763	$26,425	39

Rank places for an industry Open Pottawatomie County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 73,851 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $151.4K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Bethel Acres, Oklahoma: $47.84 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $151.4K; +51% vs FY2025
Per resident: $47.84; US $1,995
Sole-source: 96%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Navy$146.2K97%
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service$7,5725.0%

Top recipients

ARCHER TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL, INCORPORATED$146.2K97%
LOGIC AVIATION SERVICES LLC$7,5725.0%
LOMAN DRILLING INC.-$7200.0%
MGL ENTERPRISES LLC-$1,6360.0%

Spending by fiscal year

115KFY2017
325.8KFY2018
118KFY2019
1.1MFY2020
1.5MFY2021
25.9KFY2022
655.1KFY2023
147.3KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Hardware manufacturing · 3325$146.2K97%
Support activities for air transportation · 4881$7,5725.0%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Bethel Acres, Oklahoma, so they do not add up across cities.

Bethel Acres, Oklahoma's figures are part of those of Pottawatomie County, OK ($5.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 2.6% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Bethel Acres is mostly in Pottawatomie County.

See federal money in Pottawatomie County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Bethel Acres, Oklahoma is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Stephanie I. BiceR-OK-5 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.2%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Pottawatomie County19100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Shawnee, OK13

Other cities and towns in Pottawatomie County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4005800

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends