Census-designated place · Cherokee County, Oklahoma

Moodys, Oklahoma

Moodys is a census-designated place in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, part of the Tahlequah, OK metro area. It has 1,108 residents. Moodys, Oklahoma has a quality-of-life score of 14 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,527 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Oklahoma it ranks #128 of 237 cities and towns. It ranks best on effective property tax rate (low), unemployment rate (low) and job growth (high). It ranks worst on firearm deaths (high), grocery stores (low) and voter turnout (low).

14Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,527 of 15,651 cities and towns
Oklahoma: #128 of 237 in OK
Population: 1,108 (2020-2024)
Land area: 17 mi²
Density: 63.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 4049100

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety27#11,405/15,637
Economy25#11,735/15,631
Housing82#2,736/14,977
Health4#14,936/15,609
Healthcare30#10,974/15,650
Environment20#12,314/15,453
Education30#11,027/15,649
Infrastructure29#11,164/15,650
Community6#14,753/15,651
Leisure & amenities21#12,345/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Moodys, Oklahoma ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Cherokee 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

Effective property tax rate · low0.26%
98/100Oklahoma 0.79%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Unemployment rate · low0.9%
93/100Oklahoma 3.4%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Job growth · high2.3%
90/100Oklahoma 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataCherokee County value
Average commute time · low19.4 min
85/100Oklahoma 22.4 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Mental health providers · high484 /100k
84/100Oklahoma 439 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCherokee County value
Rent as share of income · low19.1%
76/100Oklahoma 28.4%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071High uncertainty

Weaknesses

Firearm deaths · high29.1 /100k
3/100Oklahoma 17.6 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCherokee County value
Grocery stores · low0.6 /10k
3/100Oklahoma 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCherokee County value
Voter turnout · low48.6%
3/100Oklahoma 53.8%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionCherokee County value
Food environment index · low6.0
4/100Oklahoma 5.3United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCherokee County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high145 mi
5/100Oklahoma 61 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCherokee County value
Suicide rate · high27.0 /100k
6/100Oklahoma 19.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCherokee County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,014 (2016-2020) → 1,108 (2020-2024)
+9.3%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
100.0% (2016-2020) → 43.3% (2020-2024)
−57 pts4 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.1% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
51.0% (2017-2021) → 19.1% (2020-2024)
−32 pts3 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Unemployment rateImproving
19.3% (2016-2020) → 0.9% (2020-2024)
−18 pts4 yearsCensus table B23025US 8.1% → 4.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
4.7× (2016-2020) → 8.1× (2020-2024)
+72%4 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Child poverty rateWorsening
17.2% (2016-2020) → 28.9% (2020-2024)
+12 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 15.7% → 15.5%

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.

There is not enough history to compare Moodys, Oklahoma over five years.

Cities and towns like Moodys, Oklahoma five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Moodys, 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.

No place that looked like Moodys, Oklahoma five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

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

1,108 residents (±237)

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

† 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

1,108 residents (±237)

Moodys, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

White42%†464
Black1.0%†11
Hispanic or Latino1.8%†20

Education

808 residents (±191)

Moodys, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

No high school diploma6.9%†56
High school or GED45%†360
Some college19%†154

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

576 households (±169)

Moodys, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Under $25k17%†98
$25k–50k34%†198
$50k–75k6.1%†35
$75k–100k29%†166
$100k–150k5.7%†33
$150k–200k6.6%†38
$200k or more1.4%†8

† 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

576 households (±169)

Moodys, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Own74%426
Rent26%†150

† 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

34 households (±22)

Moodys, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Under $75035%†12
$750–1,00041%†14
$1,000–1,50024%†8

Home values

426 homes (±116)

Moodys, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Under $150k21%†91
$150k–250k17%†74
$250k–400k11%†47

Age of homes

627 homes (±166)

Moodys, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

2010 or later12%†76
2000–200912%†76
1980–199919%†120

Size of homes

627 homes (±166)

Moodys, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Studio0.5%†3
1 bedroom1.0%†6
2 bedrooms35%†221

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

460 workers (±133)

Moodys, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Drive alone53%†245
Carpool7.8%†36
Public transit0.0%0
Walk33%†151
Bike0.0%0
Work from home5.7%†26
Other0.4%†2

† 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

434 workers (±127)

Moodys, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Under 15 min39%†170
15–29 min23%†100
30–44 min28%†122

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 Tahlequah, 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 Cherokee County, the county holding most of Moodys's residents.

Cherokee County has 767 employer establishments, 159 for every 10,000 residents (0.64× the US rate of 248; 0.67× Oklahoma's), with 8,864 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,247. The Census Bureau also counts 3,402 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 767; 3,402 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 159; US 248 · Oklahoma 237
Paid employees: 8,864
Average annual pay: $42,247; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	70	14.5	0.79×Fewer than typical	1,271	$21,552	15
Ambulatory health care services	66	13.7	0.66×Fewer than typical	589	$56,896	151
Specialty trade contractors	37	7.7	0.50×Fewer than typical	204	$40,216	347
Full-service restaurants	34	7.1	0.92×About typical	451	$17,381	8
Lessors of real estate	29	6	0.49×Fewer than typical	55	$36,764	209
Limited-service restaurants	29	6	0.75×Fewer than typical	719	$15,364	5
Religious organizations	29	6	1.09×About typical	123	$22,553	—
Offices of other health practitioners	23	4.8	0.79×Fewer than typical	112	$39,670	83
Gasoline stations	20	4.2	1.28×More than typical	163	$25,644	—
Legal services	20	4.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	74	$38,149	31
Construction of buildings	19	3.9	0.52×Fewer than typical	39	$29,051	214
General merchandise stores	17	3.5	2.00×More than typical	509	$28,053	22

Rank places for an industry Open Cherokee County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 48,121 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 $4,992 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Moodys, Oklahoma: $4.51 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $4,992
Per resident: $4.51; US $1,994
Sole-source: 46%; US 30%
Single offer: 54%; 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

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention$2,72054%
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission$2,27246%

Top recipients

NORTHEASTERN STATE UNIVERSITY$2,72054%
CHEROKEE NATION$2,27246%

Spending by fiscal year

847.3KFY2017
256.2KFY2018
920.8KFY2019
226.6KFY2020
814.8KFY2021
999.7KFY2022
475.5KFY2023
211.6K

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$2,72054%
Social advocacy organizations · 8133$2,27246%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 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 Moodys, Oklahoma, so they do not add up across cities.

Moodys, Oklahoma's figures are part of those of Cherokee County, OK ($74M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Cherokee 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.

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

House

Josh BrecheenR-OK-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 4.7%

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.

Cherokee County19100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Tahlequah, OK15

Other cities and towns in Cherokee 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
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/4049100

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Cities and towns like Moodys, Oklahoma five years ago that improved