County · Oklahoma
Delaware County, Oklahoma
Delaware County, Oklahoma has a quality-of-life score of 7 out of 100 (very low), ranking #2,913 of 3,143 US counties. Within Oklahoma it ranks #61 of 77 counties. It ranks best on distance to an airport (low), hospital quality rating (high) and effective property tax rate (low). It ranks worst on child care cost burden (high), some college (low) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #2,913 of 3,143 counties
- Oklahoma
- #61 of 77 in OK
- Population
- 41,910 (2025)
- Land area
- 738 mi²
- Density
- 56.8 /mi²
- FIPS code
- 40041
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 78 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.
- Safety15#2,637/3,096
- Economy11#2,786/3,143
- Housing35#2,035/3,140
- Health11#2,801/3,144
- Healthcare31#2,170/3,143
- Environment5#2,965/3,108
- Education32#2,127/3,144
- Infrastructure14#2,709/3,144
- Community12#2,754/3,144
- Leisure & amenities51#1,527/3,143
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Delaware County, Oklahoma ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Distance to an airport · low32 mi82/100Oklahoma 36 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau
- Hospital quality rating · high4.0
- Effective property tax rate · low0.51%
- Arts, entertainment and recreation · high4.8 /10k
- Pharmacies · high1.9 /10k
- Rent-burdened households · low44.5%
Weaknesses
- Child care cost burden · high42.1%4/100Oklahoma 36.2%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Some college · low42.6%
- Distance to an Amtrak station · high162 mi7/100Oklahoma 61 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau
- Adult smoking · high21.6%
- Frequent mental distress · high21.2%
- Average weekly wage · low$850
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Drought exposureWorsening
5% (2021) → 54% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+48 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- Broadband subscriptionsImproving
69.0% (2015-2019) → 85.9% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
- Flu vaccinationsWorsening
51.0% (2019) → 35.0% (2023)
−16 pts4 yearsUS 48.0% → 44.0%
- Traffic deathsWorsening
14.1 /100k (2015-2019) → 25.2 /100k (2020-2024)
+78%5 yearsUS 11.3 /100k → 12.3 /100k
- Child care cost burdenWorsening
27.9% (2020 & 2021) → 42.1% (2023 & 2024)
+14 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
- Firearm deathsImproving
51.3 /100k (2021) → 18.8 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−63%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
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.
Counties like Delaware County, Oklahoma five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Delaware County, 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
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.
Federal contract spending
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.
Public money & outcomes
Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.
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.
Cities and towns in Delaware County
Places whose residents live mostly in Delaware County, largest first.
Neighboring counties
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar counties
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Sequoyah County, OK4Alike on Child care cost, Household income, Mental distress
- Craig County, OK6Alike on Price level, Child care cost, Mental distress
- Mayes County, OK23Alike on Price level, Property crime, Inactivity
- McIntosh County, OK1Alike on Child care cost, Price level, Uninsured
- Nowata County, OK11Alike on Price level, Dental shortage, Inactivity
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
- National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
- Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-03
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
- 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
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08