Carter County, OK

County

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2024 Population

48,555

US Senator

James Lankford

Republican Party

US Senator

Markwayne Mullin

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

16.2%

7.66% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$60,723

3.17% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$168,500

9.77% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

21,732

2.11% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Carter County, OK reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.3% of the residents in Carter County, OK are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Carter County, OK are Southern Oklahoma Technology Center (414 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Carter County, OK was $168,500, and the homeownership rate was 66.8%.

Most people in Carter County, OK drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Carter County, OK was 2 cars per household.

Carter County, OK borders Garvin County, OK, Jefferson County, OK, Johnston County, OK, Love County, OK, Marshall County, OK, Murray County, OK, and Stephens County, OK.

United States Oklahoma Ardmore, OK

Population & Diversity

Carter County, OK is home to a population of 48.6k people, from which 98.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 3.1% of Carter County, OK residents were born outside of the country (1.51k people).

In 2024, there were 7.04 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (32.3k people) in Carter County, OK than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.59k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 3.27k American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.3%

2024 Citizenship

98.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.3% of Carter County, OK residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Carter County, OK was 98.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Carter County, OK

White (Non-Hispanic)
32.3k ± 271
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
4.59k ± 321
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
3.27k ± 276

8.58%

Hispanic Population

4.17k people

8.58% of the people in Carter County, OK are hispanic (4.17k people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
105,376 ± 7,864 people
Vietnam
13,032 ± 2,798 people
Guatemala
11,790 ± 2,662 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Oklahoma was Mexico, the natal country of 105,376 Oklahoma residents, followed by Vietnam with 13,032 and Guatemala with 11,790.

Foreign-Born Population

3.1%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.51k people

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.45k people

As of 2024, 3.1% of Carter County, OK residents (1.51k 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 Carter County, OK was 3%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
801 ± 138
Vietnam
735 ± 127
Gulf War (1990s)
400 ± 100

Carter County, OK has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.09 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Carter County, OK employs 21.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Carter County, OK were Retail Trade (3,151 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,978 people), and Manufacturing (2,536 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($104,500), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($71,554), and Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($68,207).

Employment

Occupations

21.7k

2024 Value

± 825

2.11%

1 Year growth

± 5.33%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Carter County, OK grew at a rate of 2.11%, from 21.3k employees to 21.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Carter County, OK, are Sales & Related Occupations (2,321 people), Management Occupations (2,237 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,993 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Carter County, 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

21.7k

2024 Value

± 825

2.11%

1 Year growth

± 5.33%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Carter County, OK grew at a rate of 2.11%, from 21.3k employees to 21.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Carter County, OK, are Retail Trade (3,151 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,978 people), and Manufacturing (2,536 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Carter County, OK, though some of these residents may live in Carter County, OK and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$53,080

Median earning men ± $2,975

$34,797

Median earning women ± $1,362

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($68,571), Manufacturing ($67,813), and Wholesale Trade ($67,330).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($63,205), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($48,115), and Public Administration ($40,880).

Employment by Industry Sector

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

Y-Axis

2.57%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.72M people employed in Oklahoma. This represents a 2.57% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Oklahoma.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

132
Retail Trade
110
Health Care and Social Assistance
99
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$265k
Manufacturing
$247k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$132k
Transportation and Warehousing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

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 Markwayne Mullin 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 Carter County, 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.

Markwayne Mullin

Senator from Oklahoma

Assumed office on January 3, 2023
Took office following the resignation of Jim Inhofe.

James Lankford and Markwayne Mullin 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

In 2023, universities in Carter County, OK awarded 414 degrees. The student population of Carter County, OK in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 364 male students and 330 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Carter County, OK are White (204 and 49.3%), Two or More Races (70 and 16.9%), American Indian or Alaska Native (49 and 11.8%), and Hispanic or Latino (46 and 11.1%).

The largest universities in Carter County, OK by number of degrees awarded are Southern Oklahoma Technology Center (414 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Carter County, OK are Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant (63 and 15.2%), Medical Assistant (27 and 6.52%), and Automobile Mechanics Technology (26 and 6.28%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 694 students enrolled in Carter County, OK, 52.4% men and 47.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 307 records, of which 48.5% were women and 51.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant
63 degrees awarded
Medical Assistant
27 degrees awarded
Aesthetician & Skin Care Specialist
26 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in Carter County, OK was Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant with 63 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years from schools in Carter County, OK according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Southern Oklahoma Technology Center

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

414 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Southern Oklahoma Technology Center with 414 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 217 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Carter County, OK, which is 1.1 times more than the 197 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 204 degrees mean that there were 2.91 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Two or More Races, with 70 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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Carter County, OK was $168,500 in 2024, which is 0.506 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $153,500 to $168,500, a 9.77% increase. The homeownership rate in Carter County, OK is 66.8%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Carter County, OK have an average commute time of 20.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Carter County, OK is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 12.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Carter County, OK. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.29%.

Housing

Property

$168,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,228

$12,731

Median Property Taxes

±$614

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 Carter County, OK the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

66.8%

Homeownership

2024

64.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 66.8% of the housing units in Carter County, OK were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 67.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Carter County, 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.

$60,723

Median Household Income

± $1,563

19k

Number of Households

± 730

In 2024, the median household income of the 19k households in Carter County, OK grew to $60,723 from the previous year's value of $58,856.

The following chart displays the households in Carter County, 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 $60k - $75k range.

Wage Distribution

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

0.452

2023 Wage GINI in Oklahoma

0.456

2022 Wage GINI in Oklahoma

In 2023, the income inequality in Oklahoma was 0.452 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.809% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Oklahoma was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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 (77.5%)
Carpooled (13.5%)
Worked At Home (5.01%)

In 2024, 77.5% of workers in Carter County, OK drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (13.5%) and those who worked at home (5.01%).

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

20.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Carter County, OK have a shorter commute time (20.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.5% of the workforce in Carter County, OK have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 12.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Carter County, OK. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.29%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

16.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Carter County, OK (7.73k out of 47.6k 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 35 - 44, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 18 - 24.

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

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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 22.8% of the children was living in poverty in Carter County, OK. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.1%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 669 in Carter County, OK. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 298 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

85.7% of the population of Carter County, OK has health coverage, with 37.5% on employee plans, 19.7% on Medicaid, 14.2% on Medicare, 12.8% on non-group plans, and 1.47% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Carter County, OK see 1,725 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,725 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1386 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 209 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,725 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Carter County, OK

Primary care physicians in Carter County, OK see an average of 1,725 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,725 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Carter County, OK in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26.4% under 18 years, 20.2% between 18 and 34 years, 36.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 16.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.5% were men and 51.5% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

14.3%

Uninsured

37.5%

Employer Coverage

19.7%

Medicaid

14.2%

Medicare

12.8%

Non-Group

1.47%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Carter County, OK grew by 1.83% from 14% to 14.3%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Carter County, OK changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 66.5 in Carter County, OK.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Carter County, OK.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 40.7% in Carter County, OK.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Carter County, OK.