Scores by category

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

Safety21#12,425/15,637
Economy35#10,171/15,631
Housing99#80/14,977
Health6#14,663/15,609
Healthcare16#13,188/15,650
Environment15#13,142/15,453
Education37#9,919/15,649
Infrastructure14#13,446/15,650
Community30#10,921/15,651
Leisure & amenities15#13,325/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Pharmacies · high3.6 /10k
99/100Oklahoma 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMurray County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.8×
95/100Oklahoma 3.1×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Rent as share of income · low22.0%
94/100Oklahoma 28.4%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Rent-burdened households · low32.0%
91/100Oklahoma 46.3%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Time spent in the emergency room · low113 min
91/100Oklahoma 122 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMurray County value
Average commute time · low18.4 min
90/100Oklahoma 22.4 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Weaknesses

Broadband subscriptions · low75.3%
1/100Oklahoma 88.9%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Oklahoma 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMurray County value
Mammography screening · low33.0%
4/100Oklahoma 44.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMurray County value
Grocery stores · low0.7 /10k
5/100Oklahoma 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMurray County value
Life expectancy · low72.5 yrs
9/100Oklahoma 74.0 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMurray County value
Drug overdose deaths · high28.7 /100k
11/100Oklahoma 19.8 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateMurray County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
48.0% (2015-2019) → 32.0% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
29.8% (2015-2019) → 17.3% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
64.3% (2015-2019) → 75.3% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$44,000 (2015-2019) → $66,957 (2020-2024)
+52%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Home price to income ratioImproving
2.6× (2015-2019) → 1.8× (2020-2024)
−30%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
20.4% (2015-2019) → 14.9% (2020-2024)
−5.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

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, Sulphur, Oklahoma improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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.

Improved3

Price / income−0.8×2.6× → 1.8×
Household income+52%$44,000 → $66,957
Broadband+11 points64.3% → 75.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Sulphur, Oklahoma between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.0 min2015-2019	18.3 min2020-2024	+0.4 min	Within the margin of error	43%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.3%2015-2019	20.0%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Broadband subscriptions	64.3%2015-2019	75.3%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	64%
Child poverty rate	29.8%2015-2019	17.3%2020-2024	−12 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Effective property tax rate	0.53%2015-2019	0.48%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	25%
High school diploma or higher	82.4%2015-2019	81.8%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	1.8×2020-2024	−0.8×	Improved	96%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4942015-2019	0.4652020-2024	−0.029	Within the margin of error	73%
Median household income	$44,0002015-2019	$66,9572020-2024	+52%	Improved	86%
Poverty rate	20.9%2015-2019	15.5%2020-2024	−5.4 points	Within the margin of error	82%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	26.3%2015-2019	22.0%2020-2024	−4.3 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Rent-burdened households	48.0%2015-2019	32.0%2020-2024	−16 points	Within the margin of error	90%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	20.4%2015-2019	14.9%2020-2024	−5.5 points	Within the margin of error	88%

“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 Sulphur, Oklahoma five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Sulphur, 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, Sulphur, Oklahoma itself moved +11 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

4,874 residents (±20)

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: Under 10 men (−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

4,874 residents (±20)

Sulphur, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

White65%3,192
Black1.0%†50
Hispanic or Latino14%686
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native9.9%†482
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races9.5%†464

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−7.1 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

3,269 residents (±225)

Sulphur, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

No high school diploma18%594
High school or GED35%1,128
Some college24%778
Associate degree3.5%†116
Bachelor's degree15%478
Graduate degree5.4%†175

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

1,676 households (±154)

Sulphur, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Under $25k23%†378
$25k–50k16%†274
$50k–75k20%†328
$75k–100k17%†277
$100k–150k18%†308
$150k–200k3.8%†64
$200k or more2.8%†47

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−13.1 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

1,676 households (±154)

Sulphur, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Own66%1,114
Rent34%562

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

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

Rent paid

525 households (±92)

Sulphur, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Under $75024%†126
$750–1,00031%†163
$1,000–1,50041%†215

Home values

1,114 homes (±162)

Sulphur, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Under $150k60%669
$150k–250k22%†249
$250k–400k12%†131

Age of homes

2,222 homes (±146)

Sulphur, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

2010 or later3.7%†83
2000–200910%†224
1980–199923%522

Size of homes

2,222 homes (±146)

Sulphur, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Studio5.6%†125
1 bedroom5.4%†121
2 bedrooms31%689

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

2,047 workers (±191)

Sulphur, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Drive alone83%1,702
Carpool8.1%†165
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.6%†32
Bike1.2%†24
Work from home3.4%†69
Other2.7%†55

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−9.6 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

1,978 workers (±202)

Sulphur, Oklahoma
Oklahoma share

Under 15 min51%1,016
15–29 min27%539
30–44 min7.4%†147

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

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 Murray County, the county holding most of Sulphur's residents.

Murray County has 291 employer establishments, 211 for every 10,000 residents (0.85× the US rate of 248; 0.89× Oklahoma's), with 3,532 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,756. The Census Bureau also counts 952 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 291; 952 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 211; US 248 · Oklahoma 237
Paid employees: 3,532
Average annual pay: $44,756; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	27	19.6	1.07×About typical	396	$17,429	3
Ambulatory health care services	25	18.2	0.87×About typical	164	$47,268	34
Specialty trade contractors	21	15.2	0.99×About typical	267	$50,970	76
Limited-service restaurants	14	10.2	1.27×More than typical	216	$14,759	—
Religious organizations	14	10.2	1.83×More than typical	68	$17,691	—
Offices of other health practitioners	12	8.7	1.43×More than typical	65	$42,323	17
Automotive repair and maintenance	11	8	1.59×More than typical	16	$43,563	19
Full-service restaurants	10	7.3	0.95×About typical	147	$19,769	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	10	7.3	1.65×More than typical	12	$52,333	13
Building equipment contractors	9	6.5	1.09×Too few to compare	60	$52,183	8
Gasoline stations	9	6.5	2.02×Too few to compare	108	$40,407	—
Banks and credit unions	8	5.8	1.80×Too few to compare	55	$46,982	—

Rank places for an industry Open Murray County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 13,771 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 $1.3M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Sulphur, Oklahoma: $262 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.3M; +742% vs FY2025
Per resident: $262; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 7.8%; 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

Federal Highway Administration$659.2K52%
National Park Service$519.6K41%
Bureau of Land Management$98.4K7.7%

Top recipients

INTERMOUNTAIN SLURRY SEAL, INC.$660.1K52%
DIVERSIFIED CONSTRUCTION OF OKLAHOMA, INC.$420.9K33%
JACOBS RANCH L.L.C.$98.4K7.7%
OTAK, INC.$80.6K6.3%
FED POINT SOLUTIONS INC$7,1820.6%

Spending by fiscal year

53.1KFY2017
101.9KFY2018
37.2KFY2019
59KFY2020
131KFY2021
63.8KFY2022
522KFY2023
110.2K

Top industries (NAICS)

Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$659.2K52%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$420.9K33%
Support activities for animal production · 1152$98.4K7.7%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$81.7K6.4%
Sawmills and wood preservation · 3211$7,1820.6%
Support activities for forestry · 1153$6,548

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 Sulphur, Oklahoma, so they do not add up across cities.

Sulphur, Oklahoma's figures are part of those of Murray County, OK ($29.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 4.3% of that total.

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

See federal money in Murray 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.

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

House

Tom ColeR-OK-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 96%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.

Murray County23100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Murray 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/4071350

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends