Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety16#772/924
Economy6#865/925
Housing47#490/925
Health6#866/925
Healthcare25#693/923
Environment9#834/917
Education21#730/925
Infrastructure31#640/925
Community19#752/925
Leisure & amenities6#869/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where McAlester, OK micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Mental health providers · high850 /100k
98/100Oklahoma 439 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Effective property tax rate · low0.52%
83/100Oklahoma 0.79%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Public EV charging ports · high8.3 /10k
79/100Oklahoma 3.8 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
Severe housing problems · low11.8%
75/100Oklahoma 13.5%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Public libraries · high0.9 /10k
70/100Oklahoma 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Home price to income ratio · low2.8×
68/100Oklahoma 3.1×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

Weaknesses

Life expectancy · low70.8 yrs
4/100Oklahoma 74.0 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Premature death · high14,400 /100k
6/100Oklahoma 10,827 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Access to exercise opportunities · low48.8%
6/100Oklahoma 70.7%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Homicide rate · high11.2 /100k
7/100Oklahoma 6.4 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high18.5%
7/100Oklahoma 14.4%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.9 /10k
7/100Oklahoma 3.7 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
19% (2021) → 55% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+36 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Public librariesImproving
0.5 /10k (2019) → 0.9 /10k (2024)
+101%5 yearsUS 0.5 /10k → 0.5 /10k
Homicide rateWorsening
6.2 /100k (2021) → 11.2 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+81%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.3% (2015-2019) → 87.5% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
1.7 /1k (2021) → 0.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−54%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child care cost burdenWorsening
29.1% (2020 & 2021) → 39.3% (2023 & 2024)
+10 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%

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, McAlester, OK micropolitan area improved on 14 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 9 moved within the margin of error and 2 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved14

Libraries+101%0.5 /10k → 0.9 /10k
Pharmacies+18%1.4 /10k → 1.6 /10k
Traffic deaths−33%28.1 /100k → 18.8 /100k
Broadband+12 points75.3% → 87.5%
Bachelor's++4.1 points16.1% → 20.2%

Declined6

Overdose deaths+30%12.6 /100k → 16.4 /100k
Restaurants−14%8.9 /10k → 7.6 /10k
Grocery stores−19%1.1 /10k → 0.9 /10k
Gyms−33%0.7 /10k → 0.5 /10k
Homicides+12%10.0 /100k → 11.2 /100k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of McAlester, OK micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	1.8 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	+1.1%	Little change	31%
Average commute time	21.0 min2015-2019	21.3 min2020-2024	+0.3 min	Within the margin of error	54%
Average weekly wage	$8702020	$1,0002025	+15%	Improved	3%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.1%2015-2019	20.2%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Improved	79%
Broadband subscriptions	75.3%2015-2019	87.5%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	79%
Child poverty rate	21.6%2015-2019	23.6%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Distance to an airport	87 mi2020	87 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	12.6 /100k2020	16.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+30%	Declined	14%
Effective property tax rate	0.52%2015-2019	0.52%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Firearm deaths	22.8 /100k2020	19.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−13%	Improved	72%
Grocery stores	1.1 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	−19%	Declined	11%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.7 /10k2020	0.5 /10k2025	−33%	Declined	10%
High school diploma or higher	87.0%2015-2019	87.7%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	37%
Homicide rate	10.0 /100k2020	11.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+12%	Declined	14%
Income adjusted for local prices	$46,2402019	$55,7102024	+20%	Improved	1%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4582015-2019	0.4602020-2024	+0.002	Within the margin of error	47%
Median household income	$46,7842015-2019	$55,3102020-2024	+18%	Improved	9%
New business applications	8.2 /1k2020	10.2 /1k2025	+24%	Improved	20%
Pharmacies	1.4 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+18%	Improved	93%
Poverty rate	16.8%2015-2019	17.7%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Property crime rate	2,589 /100k2020	1,461 /100k2025	−44%	Improved	73%
Public libraries	0.5 /10k2019	0.9 /10k2024	+101%	Improved	100%
Rent as share of income	27.9%2015-2019	29.9%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Rent-burdened households	45.8%2015-2019	49.7%2020-2024	+3.8 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Restaurants and bars	8.9 /10k2020	7.6 /10k2025	−14%	Declined	6%
Suicide rate	25.2 /100k2020	22.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−9.1%	Improved	77%
Traffic deaths	28.1 /100k2015-2019	18.8 /100k2020-2024	−33%	Improved	96%
Unemployment rate	7.3%2020	4.3%2025	−3 points	Improved	51%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	19.9%2015-2019	18.5%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Violent crime rate	366 /100k2020	287 /100k2025	−22%	Improved	61%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like McAlester, OK micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of McAlester, OK micropolitan area 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, McAlester, OK micropolitan area itself moved −3.7 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

43,561 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

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

Household income

17,851 households (±240)

McAlester, OK micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k22%4,008
$25k–50k23%4,158
$50k–75k18%3,273

Homes

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

Owners and renters

17,851 households (±240)

McAlester, OK micropolitan area
United States share

Own71%12,752
Rent29%5,099

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

16,957 workers (±453)

McAlester, OK micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone83%14,007
Carpool8.0%1,363
Public transit0.2%†35

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 no occupation wages for McAlester, OK micropolitan area.

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.

McAlester, OK has 933 employer establishments, 215 for every 10,000 residents (0.86× the US rate of 248), with 10,409 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,741. The Census Bureau also counts 3,022 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 933; 3,022 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 215; US 248
Paid employees: 10,409
Average annual pay: $44,741; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	82	18.9	0.91×About typical	822	$58,945	104
Restaurants and other eating places	74	17	0.93×About typical	1,202	$18,468	23
Religious organizations	37	8.5	1.53×More than typical	160	$20,381	—
Specialty trade contractors	37	8.5	0.55×Fewer than typical	277	$50,599	272
Full-service restaurants	36	8.3	1.08×About typical	453	$19,576	10
Lessors of real estate	34	7.8	0.64×Fewer than typical	64	$33,969	215
Limited-service restaurants	31	7.1	0.89×About typical	691	$16,324	9
Legal services	29	6.7	1.24×About typical	88	$50,034	21
Gasoline stations	25	5.8	1.77×More than typical	259	$23,355	—
Truck transportation	24	5.5	1.09×About typical	222	$81,797	99
Building equipment contractors	23	5.3	0.88×About typical	125	$48,032	45
Offices of other health practitioners	23	5.3	0.87×About typical	145	$51,372	51

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 43,465 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $58.7M on contracts performed in McAlester, OK micropolitan area: $1,355 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $58.7M; −60% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,355; US $1,994
Sole-source: 59%; US 30%
Single offer: 4.7%; 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 Army$56.7M97%
Defense Logistics Agency$1.6M2.8%
Department of the Air Force$248.8K0.4%
Federal Acquisition Service$35.3K0.1%
Defense Information Systems Agency$26K0.0%
Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement$19K0.0%
Drug Enforcement Administration$4,0610.0%
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$6030.0%

Top recipients

KRE JV, LLC$31.3M53%
SPECIALIZED MATERIALS AND CHEMICALS, LLC$5.7M9.6%
EZEKIEL BAHAR$2.3M3.9%
TOYAL AMERICA INC$2.1M3.6%
JJ'S CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION LLC$2.1M3.5%

Spending by fiscal year

59MFY2017
33.2MFY2018
35.7MFY2019
20.5MFY2020
36.2MFY2021
28.4MFY2022
32.2MFY2023
45.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$31.3M53%
Basic chemical manufacturing · 3251$7.9M14%
Cement and concrete product manufacturing · 3273$2.1M3.6%
Alumina and aluminum production and processing · 3313$2.1M3.6%
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing · 3241$2M3.5%
Paint, coating, and adhesive manufacturing · 3255$1.8M

Largest awards

CONSTRUCTION OF AN AMMUNITION DEMOLITION FACILITY AT MCALESTER ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT, PITTSBURG CO., OKLAHOMA.$97.8M
KRE JV, LLC· Pittsburg County, OK· Construction & real property· Sep 17, 2025 – May 29, 2026· W912BV25CA007
AMMONIUM PERCHLORATE CHEMICAL INGREDIENT REQUIREMENT FOR MCALESTER ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT. 2025 THRU 2028 ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF INGREDIENT NEEDED.$5.7M
SPECIALIZED MATERIALS AND CHEMICALS, LLC· Pittsburg County, OK· Other equipment & supplies· Oct 20, 2025 – Oct 20, 2025· W519TC26FA005
BASE YEAR 2020 JANITORIAL CONTRACT$4.3M
UNICA ENTERPRISES LLC· Pittsburg County, OK· Facilities & utilities· Oct 28, 2020 – Oct 22, 2025· W52P1J21P3004

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $313M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for McAlester, OK micropolitan area: $7,226 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $313M; −3.8% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,226; US $12,955
Loan face value: $12.6M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.2%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$159.8M51%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$52.4M17%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$34M11%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$20.9M6.7%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$11.9M3.8%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$10.9M3.5%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$3.7M1.2%
14.195 · Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA)$2.2M0.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$13.4M4.3%
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
CARING HANDS HEALTHCARE CENTERS, INC.$2.1M0.7%
MCALESTER, OK
MCALESTER HOUSING AUTHORITY$2M0.6%
MCALESTER, OK
PARK PLACE APARTMENT$1M0.3%
MCALESTER, OK
HARTSHORNE SCHOOL DISTRICT$791.4K

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$225.6M72%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$57.8M18%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$13.4M4.3%
Department of Transportation
Department of Education$3.1M1.0%
Health Resources and Services Administration$2.6M

Assistance by fiscal year

290MFY2021
274.3MFY2022
302.8MFY2023
292MFY2024
325.4MFY2025
313MFY2026

County aggregates

91%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in McAlester, OK

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Pittsburg CountyCentral county1143,320

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

McAlesterPrincipal city18,111

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Oklahoma

Areas based in Oklahoma, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M32540

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved14

Declined6

Metro and micro areas like McAlester, OK micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in McAlester, OK

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Oklahoma

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved14

Declined6

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought