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The 20 Worst Places to Live in Oklahoma

Clinton, OK

The State of Oklahoma has a lot to offer families, couples and singles who plan to move there to start a new life. In many of the towns and cities, the cost of living is low and it's easy to find affordable housing.

This isn't the case for every place in Oklahoma however. After consulting several authoritative sites, we've discovered that there are some areas that you might want to avoid because of high crime rates, poverty, unfair wages, and a few other reasons.

To help you avoid these areas we've put together a current list of the 20 worst places to live in Oklahoma with a few reasons why they made this less than favorable category.

Purcell, OK

20. Purcell, OK

Purcell is a small town in the southern part of Oklahoma that just made it to our 20 worst places to live. Road Snacks lists it in the 10th position but we've come across some that are worse. They provide us with theshocking rate of unemployment at 6.6 percent making among the highest in the state. The median home value is $149,700 in a town where the population is only 6,401 residents.

Homes are priced in this area in accordance with demand. There isn't a big demand for housing in the area. This tells us that people aren't anxious to move into Purcell. The poverty rate is 15.3 percent of the residents and the chances of being robbed are 1 in 28.8, adding a high crime rate to the list of negatives.

Shawnee, OK

19. Shawnee, OK

Shawnee, according to Road Snacks is a medium sized city with a population of 31,235 residents. The unemployment rate is 6.7 percent and the home value is even worse than Purcell, at a mere $109,600 for the median figure.

Shawnee has a high crime rate to go with that soaring unemployment rate. Residents who spend much time in this city have a 1 in 20.6 chance of having a property crime committed against them. It it suspected that the high theft rate is directly related to the high unemployment numbers. There isn't a lot to do in this town so you'll have to travel to a larger place for entertainment or recreational activities. These factors combine to make it one of the worst places in the state to live.

Seminole, OK

18. Seminole, OK

Seminole is a small town with a population of just 7,219 residents. It has made our worst places to live list because of its unemployment rate of 9.7 percent, which means that close to 1 in 10 residents are unemployed.

It's the fifth highest in the state. On top of that, the median home value is a pitiful $61,900 and that's the second worst in all of Oklahoma. The only reason that it's not higher on our list is because the town is 30th highest in the crime rate.

The odds of being a crime victim are lower at 1 in 34.9. This doesn't compensate for the average household income of $37,120 per year though. It's not too bad if you're into outdoor recreation but there isn't much entertainment available. You have to drive to a larger city for that.

Paul's Valley, OK

17. Paul's Valley, OK

Paul's Valley is a small town with a population of 6,139 residents. The unemployment rate isn't too bad at 3.5 percent, but the median home value at $88,000 isn't good at all. Residents earn an average of $40,897 for the household annually. Many of the locals are living at or below the poverty line. The crime rate for Paul's Valley is the fourth highest in the state. This makes living in the town a dangerous proposition.

Henryetta, OK

16. Henryetta, OK

Henryetta is a tiny town with a population of 5,633 residents. What makes this town one of the worst possible choices is that the unemployment rate is the 4th worst in Oklahoma at a whopping 10.5 percent.

The median home value is running neck and neck as the 4th worst at $64,000. It's hard for people in this area to make a decent living with 23 percent below the poverty line and the annual household income of $32,589.The only redeeming quality of this small town is that the crime rate is low.

Sallisaw, OK

15. Sallisaw, OK

Sallisaw is another small town that has a population of 8,571 residents. The median home value is $104,600 and the unemployment rate is 7.7 percent. Although these are not the worst statistics, the huge economic problems and high crime rate make it an undesirable place to live. Reports of stolen cell phones, sunglasses and laptops keep local law enforcement busy. It's one of the most dangerous places to liv in the state of Oklahoma, and there isn't much to do for fun and entertainment.

Poteau, OK

14. Poteau, OK

Poteau is a small city with a population of 8,843 residents. It's not far from the Arkansas state line, but it's truly out in the middle of nowhere. The median home value is $108,500 with an unemployment rate of just 4.1 percent, and these are not the things that make it one of the worst places to live.

Road Snacks gave it some huge dings for livability because it's so far ou of the way that you have to die for miles just to get to a larger city with entertainment or good shopping venues. The income levels are way below the state average so people who are living here can't afford to make many long trips into the city.

Oklahoma City, OK

13. Oklahoma City, OK

Only in Your State cites Oklahoma City, which is the largest city in Okahoma as one of the most dangerous places to live. Although the violent crime rate is not as high as in some other places, residents must deal with the high rates of property crime.

It's not good to work hard to earn a living, only to have someone break into your car or house and steal it all while you're at work. We must point out that so far, Oklahoma City has the greatest number of entertainment and recreational opportunities though.

Ardmore, OK

12. Ardmore, OK

Ardmore has made some great progress in recent years. The crime rate has improved, but it's still the 9th most dangerous city in the state. there are nearly 25,000 residents living within the city limits in this moderate sized city.

The odds of becoming the victim of a violent crime in any given year are 1 in 156, which is high.What's even worse, is that you stand a 1 in 22.9 chance of becoming a property crime victim. Although the city has improved from being number one in recent years, this is still not acceptable.

Idabel, OK

11. Idabel, OK

Idabel is not a large city, but you'd think that it was by looking at the FBI's statistics on crime. This town as been on the radar of tracking agencies since 2017, when the crime rates began to rise.

Within the past three years, the town has shown a steady growth in the rate of property crimes and it is currently listed as the 8th most dangerous city to live in the entire state. This isn't good press and it's ample reason to include Idabel in our list of the worst places to live in Oklahoma for 2021.

Muskogee, OK

10. Muskogee, OK

Muskogee Oklahoa is named after the county that it is situated within. The city has earned a diabolical reputation for being one of the most dangerous cities in the state. Even though there have been some good improvements in the most recent years, Muskogee has only risen a few points in the right direction.

The high violent crime rate took a big drop of 87 percent between 2017 and 2018, but this still leaves it as the 7th most dangerous city in Oklahoma. We fear that Muskogee still has a long way to go before it will be safe to live there.

Catoosa, OK

9. Catoosa, OK

Catoosa falls in line behind Muskogee, with even worse statistics. The odds of residents becoming victims of property crimes are high in this city. Even though the statistics show that there has been a downward trend in violent crime of 10 percent over the past three years, it's still ranked as the sixth most dangerous city in Oklahoma to live. This doesn't sound like the kind of place you'd want to start a family, or move your kids to.

Del City, OK

8. Del City, OK

From all appearances, Del City is a neat and clean little town, but looks can be deceiving. Del City is just a couple of miles to the east of the larger metropolis of Oklahoma City.

Being this close to a large and thriving area gives you some great options for dining, shopping, and entertainment, but it also brings the negative aspects of big city living. Even though violent crime and property crime rates have been on the decline over the last 12 months, Del City is still ranked as the fifth most dangerous place to live in the state of Oklahoma.

Anadarko, OK

7. Anadarko, OK

Anadarko has made it to the seventh spot in our list of the worst plaes to live in Oklahoma. This city is ranked as the fourth most dangerous city in the state. The FBI released a frightening statistic about the city.

The town has gone from teh 19th most dangerous place to number s4 within a single year. When we learned that property and violent crimes have almost tripled in the last 12 months, it was shocking and to be frank, frightening. This is a place you definitely don't want to move to, but it might also be wise not to even go there for a visit.

McAlester, OK

6. McAlester, OK

McAlester is a moderately small city with a population base of nearly 18,000 residents. Whle the city is pleasant enough from a casual glance, residents have a lot to deal with just to stay safe.

The FBI crime reports show that the people living in this city have a 1 in 17.5 chance of becoming the victimof arson or theft. Criminals are not only stealing from the innocent hard working residents, they're also destroying their property at an alarming rate. It's the third most dangerous city to live in the state due to the overall crime rate.

Chickasha, OK

5. Chickasha, OK

Zippia offers a word of warning for ladies who are single and looking for a new place to start the rest of your life. They begin their list of the worst cities for single women with Chickasha.

Single women who live in Chickasha make an average of $0.62 for every dollar that a male in a comparable job earns. There are only 29.8 percent of the management workforce in the city that are female. The poverty rate for single women is 22.6 percent with a 10.9 percent rate of single women that are uninsured.

El Reno, OK

4. El Reno, OK

El Reno is another place that single women may want to avoid. The number of single women who are uninsured in s a whopping 16.1 percent. This means any medical attention you receive must be paid out of your pocket.

It's harder yet when the poverty rate for single women is 18.2 percent. Ladies earn $0.66 to the dollar that a man in the same job makes. There are only 28.6 percent of women in the management workforce in this area. What does that tell you?

Warr Acres, OK

3. Warr Acres, OK

Warr Acres is another place that single gals should avoid. The statistic are getting even more grim for single women who are trying to make a living in this town. Although there is a management workforce that is 51.5 percent women, it isn't doing them much good.

Women make $0.53 for every dollar that a man earns. There are 22.8 percent of single women in the town living at or below the poverty line and 18.5 percent of them are uninsured.

Wagoner, OK

2. Wagoner, OK

Women make about $0.75 for every dollar that a man earns in this city. Althoug there are towns that are a lot worse, it's still not good. Only 21.2 percent of the management workforce in Wagoner is female. Single women live in poverty at a rate of 24.5 percent and the number of those without health insurance is at 14 percent.

Clinton, OK

1. Clinton, OK

Clinton, Oklahoma is the worst place in the state to live if you are a single woman. It's disturbing to see that women make jut $0.45 for every dollar that a male in the same job earns.

The number of women in the management workforce in Clinton is low at 27 percent. Two more grim statistics include the 18.9 percent of single women who live in poverty and the 20 percent who have no health insurance.

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Liz Flynn

Written by Liz Flynn

Liz Flynn has worked as a full-time writer since 2010 after leaving a career in education. She finds almost all topics she writes about interesting, but her favorite subjects are travel and food. Liz loves the process of researching information, learning new things, and putting into words what others who share her interests might like to read. Although she spends most of her time writing, she also enjoys spending time with her husband and four children, watching films, cooking, dining out, reading, motorsports, gaming, and walking along the beach next to her house with her dog.

Read more posts by Liz Flynn

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