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COUNTY

Carter County

Oklahoma · 48,910 residents (2025 est.) · 822 sq mi
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The short version

Carter County is a county of 48,555 people in Oklahoma. 20% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $168,500. 3% of people here were born outside the United States. Density works out to 59 people per square mile. Renters pay $980 a month at the median.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.3
US median: 38.9
Less educated
20% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 65%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
48,555
+6%since 2000
from 45,621 in 2000
48,910 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
59 / sq mi
+2%since 2009
from 58 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
38.3
+1%since 2000
from 38.0 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
822 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
42K44K46K47K49K19902000201020202024Carter County
202449K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.6%(3,183)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.3%(3,071)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.8%(3,768)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.5%(3,158)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246%(2,911)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413%(6,308)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.7%(6,159)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.7%(5,673)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.4%(6,024)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.2%(4,976)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.1%(2,456)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.8%(868)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$60,723
+13%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $29,405 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$34,057
+120%since 2000
from $15,511 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
39.1%
+20.6 ptssince 2009
from 18.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
16.2%
−0.4 ptssince 2000
from 16.6% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.473
+6%since 2010
from 0.448 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information14.5%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade11.7%
US avg: 9.9%
Finance & insurance7.5%
US avg: 5.9%
Wholesale trade6.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Professional, scientific, technical6.1%
US avg: 5.1%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing6%
US avg: 1.6%
Manufacturing4.6%
US avg: 0.4%
Other services3.9%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration2.7%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing1.9%
US avg: 2.2%
Construction1.5%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services1.4%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food0.9%
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$168,500
+65%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $56,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$980
+29%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $416 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
66.8%
−4.4 ptssince 2000
from 71.2% in 2000
33.2% rent
Vacancy rate
11.9%
−2.5 ptssince 2009
from 14.5% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.50 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.48 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
16.8%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 16.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
39.0%
+5.6 ptssince 2009
from 33.4% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.8
+27%since 2009
from 2.2 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
54
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic76.8%(35,055)
Black7.5%(3,435)
Hispanic / Latino2.8%(1,269)
Asian0.6%(275)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic66.5%(32,267)
Black6.1%(2,946)
Hispanic / Latino8.6%(4,166)
Asian1.3%(608)
Other17.6%(8,568)
Diversity Score
65
+26%since 2009
from 51 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
19
−26%since 2020
from 26 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican6.9%(3,367)
Spaniard0.3%(150)
Puerto Rican0.2%(101)
Honduran0.2%(93)
Salvadoran0.2%(89)
Cuban0.2%(81)
Asian origin
Chinese0.4%(185)
Asian Indian0.3%(126)
Korean0.2%(73)
Vietnamese0.2%(73)
Burmese0.1%(35)
Cambodian0.1%(34)
Filipino0.1%(32)
Nepalese0%(23)
Taiwanese0%(17)
Thai0%(9)
Laotian0%(1)
Pacific Islander origin
Ancestry
German12.3%(5,973)
English11.9%(5,761)
Irish11.2%(5,443)
American5.1%(2,499)
Scottish1.9%(918)
French1.3%(643)
Italian1.1%(540)
Scotch-Irish0.8%(412)
Dutch0.7%(352)
Norwegian0.6%(290)
Welsh0.6%(280)
+ 30 more ancestry groups with data
West Indian0.4%(198)
Russian0.3%(161)
Polish0.3%(160)
Swiss0.2%(89)
Swedish0.2%(84)
Arab0.2%(77)
Portuguese0.2%(74)
Czech0.1%(72)
Greek0.1%(60)
Palestinian0.1%(55)
Nigerian0.1%(55)
Danish0.1%(47)
Haitian0.1%(45)
Canadian0.1%(35)
Jamaican0.1%(35)
Brazilian0.1%(33)
Ukrainian0.1%(30)
British0.1%(26)
Finnish0%(22)
Egyptian0%(20)
Iranian0%(17)
Austrian0%(14)
Slovak0%(10)
Belgian0%(3)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
19.9%
+4.8 ptssince 2000
from 15.1% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
88.0%
+11.0 ptssince 2000
from 77.0% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
6.7%
+1.9 ptssince 2000
from 4.8% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
20.8 min
+30%since 2000
from 16.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
77.5%
−1.8 ptssince 2009
from 79.4% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
13.5%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 12.2% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
5.0%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 4.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.6%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 2.3% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.8%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 6.3% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.8%
−1.2 ptssince 2011
from 5.0% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
59.9%
+1.0 ptssince 2011
from 58.9% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
67.8%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 68.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.7%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 12.4% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
32.2%
+5.8 ptssince 2009
from 26.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.8%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 48.1% in 2009
Female
51.2%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 51.9% in 2009
Foreign born
3.1%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 2.4% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
6.9%
−4.6 ptssince 2009
from 11.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
22.1%
+6.1 ptssince 2012
from 16.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
14.3%
−3.3 ptssince 2013
from 17.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
83.4%
+22.7 ptssince 2017
from 60.7% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
95.3%
+6.7 ptssince 2020
from 88.6% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
86.2%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 85.3% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
92.9%
−0.7 ptssince 2016
from 93.6% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
4.4%
−0.4 ptssince 2016
from 4.7% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married30.5%(5,676)
Married52.3%(9,731)
Widowed4.3%(805)
Divorced12.8%(2,384)
Women 15+
Never married23.7%(4,718)
Married48.4%(9,659)
Widowed11.2%(2,234)
Divorced16.7%(3,326)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
14.3%
−3.3 ptssince 2013
from 17.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
44.2%
−1.1 ptssince 2020
from 45.3% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
14.1%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 13.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 20.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
23.6%
+4.7 ptssince 2020
from 18.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 2.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
56.8%
−1.4 ptssince 2020
from 58.2% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
41.3%
+3.9 ptssince 2020
from 37.4% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)31.8%(801)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)22.4%(564)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era30.7%(774)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.1%(54)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II3.1%(79)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 2,518 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Carter County

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Pop 46,368
Fremont County
Pop 50,039
Greene County
Pop 47,411
Gila County
Pop 53,801
Places similar to Carter County
Head to head

Compare Carter County to nearby counties

CARTER COUNTY VS
Murray County
Income$66,322+9%
Home value$159,800−5%
Population13,805−72%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CARTER COUNTY VS
Love County
Income$66,580+10%
Home value$171,000+1%
Population10,780−78%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CARTER COUNTY VS
Garvin County
Income$58,556−4%
Home value$147,800−12%
Population26,377−46%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CARTER COUNTY VS
Jefferson County
Income$48,668−20%
Home value$82,500−51%
Population5,431−89%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Carter County, Oklahoma?

Carter County, Oklahoma has about 48,555 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Carter County, Oklahoma?

The typical household in Carter County, Oklahoma earns about $60,723 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Carter County, Oklahoma expensive?

In Carter County, Oklahoma, the median home is worth about $168,500, and the typical rent is about $980 a month.

How educated are people in Carter County, Oklahoma?

About 19.9% of adults age 25 and over in Carter County, Oklahoma hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Carter County, Oklahoma?

About 16.2% of people in Carter County, Oklahoma live below the federal poverty line.

Has Carter County, Oklahoma grown since 1990?

Yes, Carter County, Oklahoma has grown since 1990. The population has added about 5,636 residents, a change of about 13 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →