McAlester, OK

Census Place

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2024 Population

18,111

US Senator

James Lankford

Republican Party

US Senator

Markwayne Mullin

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

35.6

0.836% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

19.7%

11.2% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$51,930

8.09% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$151,600

10.3% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

7,052

1.37% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in McAlester, 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.

98.6% of the residents in McAlester, OK are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in McAlester, OK are Kiamichi Technology Center-McAlester (819 degrees awarded in 2023) and Premier Academy of Cosmetology (15 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in McAlester, OK was $151,600, and the homeownership rate was 58.5%.

Most people in McAlester, OK drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 16.3 minutes. The average car ownership in McAlester, OK was 2 cars per household.

United States Oklahoma Pittsburg County, OK McAlester, OK East Central Oklahoma Counties--McAlester, Seminole, Holdenville & Eufaula Cities PUMA, OK

Population & Diversity

McAlester, OK is home to a population of 18.1k people, from which 98.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.99% of McAlester, OK residents were born outside of the country (360 people).

In 2024, there were 4.84 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (11.6k people) in McAlester, OK than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.39k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 1.68k American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.6%

2024 Citizenship

98.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.6% of McAlester, OK residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in McAlester, OK was 98.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in McAlester, OK

White (Non-Hispanic)
11.6k ± 368
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
2.39k ± 317
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
1.68k ± 296

7.38%

Hispanic Population

1.34k people

7.38% of the people in McAlester, OK are hispanic (1.34k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in McAlester, 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
105,376 ± 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

1.99%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

360 people

2.25%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

407 people

As of 2024, 1.99% of McAlester, OK residents (360 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 McAlester, OK was 2.25%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
423 ± 170
Gulf War (2001-)
320 ± 113
Gulf War (1990s)
156 ± 76

McAlester, OK has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.32 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of McAlester, OK employs 7.05k people. In 2024, the largest industries in McAlester, OK were Public Administration (1,168 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,083 people), and Retail Trade (943 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($65,850), Public Administration ($60,540), and Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($48,352).

Employment

Occupations

7.05k

2024 Value

± 538

1.37%

1 Year growth

± 10.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in McAlester, OK grew at a rate of 1.37%, from 6.96k employees to 7.05k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in McAlester, OK, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (893 people), Sales & Related Occupations (678 people), and Management Occupations (563 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of McAlester, 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

7.05k

2024 Value

± 538

1.37%

1 Year growth

± 10.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in McAlester, OK grew at a rate of 1.37%, from 6.96k employees to 7.05k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in McAlester, OK, are Public Administration (1,168 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,083 people), and Retail Trade (943 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of McAlester, OK, though some of these residents may live in McAlester, OK and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$46,135

Median earning men ± $3,835

$34,357

Median earning women ± $4,301

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($85,000), Public Administration ($63,673), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($59,934).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($46,367), Public Administration ($46,250), and Information ($44,938).

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.

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 McAlester, 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 McAlester, OK awarded 834 degrees. The student population of McAlester, OK in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 329 male students and 286 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in McAlester, OK are White (455 and 54.6%), American Indian or Alaska Native (206 and 24.7%), Hispanic or Latino (65 and 7.79%), and Two or More Races (41 and 4.92%).

The largest universities in McAlester, OK by number of degrees awarded are Kiamichi Technology Center-McAlester (819 and 98.2%) and Premier Academy of Cosmetology (15 and 1.8%).

The most popular majors in McAlester, OK are Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant (123 and 14.7%), Welding Technology (114 and 13.7%), and Medical Assistant (110 and 13.2%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 615 students enrolled in McAlester, OK, 53.5% men and 46.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 344 records, of which 46.2% were women and 53.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training
87 degrees awarded
Welding Technology
81 degrees awarded
Medical Assistant
54 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in McAlester, OK was Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training with 87 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate from schools in McAlester, OK according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Kiamichi Technology Center-McAlester
819 degrees awarded
Premier Academy of Cosmetology
15 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Kiamichi Technology Center-McAlester with 819 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 397 men were awarded degrees from institutions in McAlester, OK, which is 0.908 times less than the 437 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 455 degrees mean that there were 2.21 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, American Indian or Alaska Native, with 206 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 McAlester, OK was $151,600 in 2024, which is 0.456 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $137,500 to $151,600, a 10.3% increase. The homeownership rate in McAlester, OK is 58.5%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in McAlester, OK have an average commute time of 16.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in McAlester, OK is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$151,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$10,083

$4,213

Median Property Taxes

±$433

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

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

Rent vs Own

58.5%

Homeownership

2024

65.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 58.5% of the housing units in McAlester, OK were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 58.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in McAlester, 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.

$51,930

Median Household Income

± $3,657

7.2k

Number of Households

± 526

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.2k households in McAlester, OK grew to $51,930 from the previous year's value of $48,044.

The following chart displays the households in McAlester, 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 McAlester, 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 (82.3%)
Carpooled (9.29%)
Worked At Home (6.38%)

In 2024, 82.3% of workers in McAlester, OK drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.29%) and those who worked at home (6.38%).

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

16.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in McAlester, OK have a shorter commute time (16.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.4% of the workforce in McAlester, OK have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

19.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in McAlester, OK (3.16k out of 16k 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 25 - 34, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Males < 5.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in McAlester, 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.

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.

Health

84.7% of the population of McAlester, OK has health coverage, with 38.4% on employee plans, 23.3% on Medicaid, 10.7% on Medicare, 10.1% on non-group plans, and 2.14% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Oklahoma see 1,694 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,694 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1561 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 231 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.7% were men and 51.3% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 27.6% under 18 years, 22.7% between 18 and 34 years, 33.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 16% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.7% were men and 51.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

15.3%

Uninsured

38.4%

Employer Coverage

23.3%

Medicaid

10.7%

Medicare

10.1%

Non-Group

2.14%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in McAlester, OK grew by 0.592% from 15.2% to 15.3%.

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

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