Altus, OK

Census Place

2024 Population

18,646

US Senator

James Lankford

Republican Party

US Senator

Alan Armstrong

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

33.7

0.597% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

17.4%

0.151% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$55,295

0.459% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Altus, OK is home to a population of 18.6k people, from which 96.1% are citizens.

As of 2024, 7.36% of Altus, OK residents were born outside of the country (1.37k people).

In 2024, there were 4.95 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.7k people) in Altus, OK than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.15k White (Hispanic) and 1.34k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.1%

2024 Citizenship

96.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.1% of Altus, OK residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Altus, OK was 96.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Altus, OK compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Altus, OK

White (Non-Hispanic)
10.7k ± 190
White (Hispanic)
2.15k ± 462
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.34k ± 213

27.8%

Hispanic Population

5.18k people

27.8% of the people in Altus, OK are hispanic (5.18k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Altus, OK as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Oklahoma.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
105,864 ± 7,883 people
Vietnam
13,987 ± 2,899 people
Guatemala
12,051 ± 2,691 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Oklahoma was Mexico, the natal country of 105,864 Oklahoma residents, followed by Vietnam with 13,987 and Guatemala with 12,051.

Foreign-Born Population

7.36%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.37k people

7.09%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.32k people

As of 2024, 7.36% of Altus, OK residents (1.37k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Altus, OK was 7.09%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Altus, OK compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
779 ± 198
Gulf War (1990s)
472 ± 139
Vietnam
380 ± 108

Altus, OK has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.65 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Altus, OK.

Economy

The economy of Altus, OK employs 7.87k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Altus, OK were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,159 people), Retail Trade (953 people), and Public Administration (901 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($88,750), Utilities ($83,854), and Wholesale Trade ($67,958).

Employment

Occupations

7.87k

2024 Value

± 631

0.153%

1 Year growth

± 11.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Altus, OK grew at a rate of 0.153%, from 7.86k employees to 7.87k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Altus, OK, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (734 people), Installation, Maintenance, & Repair Occupations (714 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (629 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Altus, OK.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Oklahoma.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Oklahoma (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

7.87k

2024 Value

± 631

0.153%

1 Year growth

± 11.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Altus, OK grew at a rate of 0.153%, from 7.86k employees to 7.87k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Altus, OK, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,159 people), Retail Trade (953 people), and Public Administration (901 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Altus, OK, though some of these residents may live in Altus, OK and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$43,732

Median earning men ± $2,513

$34,815

Median earning women ± $2,511

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($68,250), Public Administration ($66,042), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($54,600).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($55,363), Public Administration ($49,135), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($45,518).

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Oklahoma went to Donald J. Trump with 66.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (31.9%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.02%).

James Lankford and Alan Armstrong are the senators currently representing the state of Oklahoma. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Oklahoma is currently represented by 5 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Altus, OK. Showing the available data for Oklahoma.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (66.2%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (31.9%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (1.02%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Oklahoma went to Donald J. Trump with 66.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (31.9%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.02%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Oklahoma for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Oklahoma

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Oklahoma.

James Lankford

Senator from Oklahoma

Assumed office on January 3, 2015
Took office following the resignation of Tom Coburn.

Alan Armstrong

Senator from Oklahoma

Assumed office on March 24, 2026
Took office following the resignation of Markwayne Mullin as Secretary of Homeland Security.{{cite web |last1=Hoberock |first1=Barbara |title=Mullin resigns from US Senate |url=https://oklahomavoice.com/2026/03/23/mullin-resigns-from-us-senate-oklahoma-governor-to-appoint-his-replacement/ |website=Oklahoma Voice |access-date=24 March 2026}}.

James Lankford and Alan Armstrong are the senators currently representing Oklahoma.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Oklahoma over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

The student population of Altus, OK in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 594 male students and 900 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Altus, OK are White (212 and 52.2%), Hispanic or Latino (82 and 20.2%), Two or More Races (67 and 16.5%), and Black or African American (22 and 5.42%).

The largest universities in Altus, OK by number of degrees awarded are Western Oklahoma State College (237 and 57.4%) and Southwest Technology Center (176 and 42.6%).

The most popular majors in Altus, OK are Liberal Arts & Sciences (55 and 13.3%), Registered Nursing (52 and 12.6%), and Airframe Mechanics & Aircraft Maintenance Technology (35 and 8.47%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 1,494 students enrolled in Altus, OK, 39.8% men and 60.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 766 records, of which 62.5% were women and 37.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
55 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
52 degrees awarded
General Health & Physical Education
26 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Altus, OK was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 55 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Altus, OK according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Western Oklahoma State College
237 degrees awarded
Southwest Technology Center
176 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Western Oklahoma State College with 237 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 142 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Altus, OK, which is 0.524 times less than the 271 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 212 degrees mean that there were 2.59 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 82 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($3,136) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($2,254) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,600) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Altus, OK was $152,200 in 2024, which is 0.457 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $124,800 to $152,200, a 22% increase. The homeownership rate in Altus, OK is 53.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Altus, OK have an average commute time of 11.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Altus, OK is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$152,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$13,459

$3,912

Median Property Taxes

±$385

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Altus, OK the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Altus, OK compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

53.7%

Homeownership

2024

58.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 53.7% of the housing units in Altus, OK were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 55.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Altus, OK compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$55,295

Median Household Income

± $7,489

7.29k

Number of Households

± 558

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.29k households in Altus, OK declined from $55,295 from the previous year's value of $55,550.

The following chart displays the households in Altus, OK distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Altus, OK is from Oklahoma.

0.45

2024 Wage GINI in Oklahoma

0.452

2023 Wage GINI in Oklahoma

In 2024, the income inequality in Oklahoma was 0.45 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.454% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Oklahoma was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Oklahoma in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Oklahoma across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (81.3%)
Carpooled (9.41%)
Worked At Home (4.76%)

In 2024, 81.3% of workers in Altus, OK drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.41%) and those who worked at home (4.76%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

11.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Altus, OK have a shorter commute time (11.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.493% of the workforce in Altus, OK have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Altus, OK compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Altus, OK distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Altus, OK have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

17.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Altus, OK (3.08k out of 17.8k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Altus, OK is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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