Oklahoma population and Native American demographics

What percent of Oklahoma is Native American?

The answer depends on how race is counted, and in Oklahoma the gap between the two counts is unusually wide. In the 2025 American Community Survey, 17.0% of residents (±0.2 percentage points) reported American Indian or Alaska Native as their race, either alone or together with another race. Only Alaska has a higher share (22.2%). The national figure is 3.2%, and Oklahoma's share is higher than every bordering state (Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas)⁹.

Alaska22.2% ±0.5

Oklahoma17.0% ±0.2

New Mexico12.8% ±0.4

South Dakota11.4% ±0.4

Montana9.2% ±0.2

North Dakota7.4% ±0.5

Arizona6.5% ±0.2

Wyoming5.9% ±0.6

Oregon5.1% ±0.2

Washington4.5% ±0.2

United States3.2% ±0.0

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B02010. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2025.

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State	American Indian and Alaska Native (alone or in combination)	MOE
Alaska	22.2%	±0.5
Oklahoma	17.0%	±0.2
New Mexico	12.8%	±0.4
South Dakota	11.4%	±0.4
Montana	9.2%	±0.2
North Dakota	7.4%	±0.5
Arizona	6.5%	±0.2
Wyoming	5.9%	±0.6
Oregon	5.1%	±0.2
Washington	4.5%	±0.2
United States	3.2%	±0.0

Counting only people who gave American Indian or Alaska Native as their single race, the Census Bureau's population estimates put the share at 9.4% on July 1, 2025, 3rd highest behind Alaska and New Mexico, and up from 9.0% in 2020¹⁰. Excluding Hispanic residents as well, the survey share is 7.4%, 6.8 percentage points above the US figure (0.6%)².

In absolute numbers Oklahoma comes first. The 2020 Census counted 306,874 people who reported American Indian as their only race, largest of any state and 14.2% of the national total, ahead of Arizona (278,333). Including everyone who reported American Indian with another race, the 2020 count was 581,823¹¹.

Cherokee, Choctaw, Muscogee and dozens more

The 2020 Census asked people to write in their tribe or group. The largest response in Oklahoma was Cherokee: 203,803 people reported it, alone or with another group or race. Choctaw followed with 76,070, then The Muscogee (Creek) Nation with 53,220 and The Chickasaw Nation with 37,313¹¹.

The table keeps the Census Bureau's categories as published. A general answer such as "Cherokee" is counted apart from a specific tribe such as "Cherokee Nation" (34,335 people), so the two rows describe different responses, not one group split in two. A person can also report several groups, so the rows overlap and cannot be added up. The gap between the "alone" and "alone or in any combination" columns is large for the biggest groups: of the 203,803 people who reported Cherokee, 90,773¹¹ reported no other group or race.

Readers often ask what share of Oklahoma is reservation land. For its tribal statistics in the state, the Census Bureau uses Oklahoma tribal statistical areas, which it delineates "in consultation with federally recognized American Indian tribes that had a former reservation in Oklahoma" (Census Bureau geography glossary). This site does not publish land-area shares for those areas.

Population: a new high of 4.1 million

The July 1, 2025 estimate of 4,123,288 is the highest on record for Oklahoma. It is 1.21% of the US population, larger than Arkansas, Kansas and New Mexico; smaller than Colorado, Missouri and Texas. Since the April 2020 estimates base the state has added 163,934 people, a growth rate of 4.14%, 14th highest among the states and 1.0 percentage points above the US figure (3.10%)¹.

The path to that number was uneven. The first census for the area of the present state, in 1890, counted 258,657 people; by 1910 the count was 1,657,155. It peaked at 2,396,040 in 1930, fell to 2,233,351 by 1950, and did not pass the 1930 level again until the 1970 count of 2,559,229¹². Each census since has counted more people than the last. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses Oklahoma grew 5.5%, 1.9 percentage points below the US figure (7.4%)⁶. The 2020 count kept the state at 5¹³ seats in the House of Representatives.

Source: Census Bureau, Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals by Race, 1790 to 1990; Census Bureau, 2020 Census apportionment results and historical resident population 1910-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Census counts every ten years (April 1); estimates for July 1 after 2020.

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Year	Oklahoma
1890	258,657
1900	790,391
1910	1,657,155
1920	2,028,283
1930	2,396,040
1940	2,336,434
1950	2,233,351
1960	2,328,284
1970	2,559,229
1980	3,025,290
1990	3,145,585
2000	3,450,654
2010	3,751,351
2020	3,959,353
2021	3,992,760
2022	4,025,327
2023	4,062,716
2024	4,097,758
2025	4,123,288

Growth since 2020 comes mostly from other states

Between April 2020 and June 2025, 107,244 more people moved to Oklahoma from other states than left for them, 10th highest in the country. Net arrivals from abroad added 51,694. Births and deaths almost cancelled out: over the same five years births exceeded deaths by only 3,973¹.

The year-by-year table shows two phases. In the years to June 2021 and June 2022, Oklahoma recorded more deaths than births (−3,252 and −3,243). Births have exceeded deaths since then, by 2,559 in the year to June 2025. Net domestic migration was largest early in the period (26,921 in the year to June 2021) and was 14,492 in the latest year, still 11th highest. Of the 25,530 people added in that year, 57% of the gain came from domestic migration, 33% from abroad and 10%¹ from natural increase.

Both birth and death rates are high. Oklahoma had 11.8 per 1,000 residents births and 11.2 per 1,000 residents deaths in the year to June 2025: the birth rate was tied for 7th highest among the states and the death rate 7th highest. The difference, 0.6 per 1,000 residents, is 59% below the US figure (1.5 per 1,000 residents)¹.

The Census Bureau's survey of movers points the same way. In 2024, 106,621 people moved to Oklahoma from another state and 72,744 moved out, a net gain of 33,877 (±10,850); allowing for sampling error, that ranks between 4th and 12th¹⁴. Most residents are still locals: 59.4% were born in the state, 3.0 percentage points above the US figure (56.4%)¹⁵.

Moved to Oklahoma from

Texas28,074 ±3,746

California11,605 ±2,566

Colorado6,328 ±1,701

Florida6,268 ±2,094

Arkansas5,998 ±1,642

Kansas4,459 ±996

Missouri4,054 ±1,228

Illinois3,218 ±1,974

Left Oklahoma for

Texas18,579 ±3,583

Kansas5,414 ±2,204

Colorado5,402 ±3,244

Missouri3,750 ±1,165

Florida3,466 ±2,011

Arkansas3,227 ±1,098

California2,694 ±1,455

New Mexico2,058 ±1,034

Source: Census Bureau, State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024. People aged 1 and over who lived in another state a year earlier (and the reverse). Survey estimates: whiskers show the 90% margin of error.

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State	Moved in from	Moved out to
Texas	28,074 ±3,746	18,579 ±3,583
California	11,605 ±2,566	2,694 ±1,455
Colorado	6,328 ±1,701	5,402 ±3,244
Florida	6,268 ±2,094	3,466 ±2,011
Arkansas	5,998 ±1,642	3,227 ±1,098
Kansas	4,459 ±996	5,414 ±2,204
Missouri	4,054 ±1,228	3,750 ±1,165
Illinois	3,218 ±1,974	–
New Mexico	–	2,058 ±1,034

Multiracial Oklahomans

Oklahoma's racial makeup looks different depending on whether people who report more than one race are counted once or in each group. The population estimates put the share reporting two or more races at 10.6% in July 2025, tied for 2nd highest in the nation and higher than every bordering state (Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas)¹⁰.

Single group (adds to 100%)Alone or in combination with other races

White, not Hispanic57.9% 77.0%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)14.0%

Two or more races, not Hispanic11.3%

American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic7.4% 17.0%

Black, not Hispanic6.4% 10.1%

Asian, not Hispanic2.5% 3.7%

Some other race, not Hispanic0.3%

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic0.2% 0.5%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B03002; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B02009. The dark bars are mutually exclusive and add to 100%. The light bars count everyone who reported the race, alone or with another race and of any ethnicity, so they overlap and add to more than 100%.

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Group	Share (single group)	MOE	Alone or in combination
White, not Hispanic	57.9%	±0.1	77.0%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	14.0%		–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	11.3%	±0.3	–
American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic	7.4%	±0.2	17.0%
Black, not Hispanic	6.4%	±0.2	10.1%
Asian, not Hispanic	2.5%	±0.1	3.7%
Some other race, not Hispanic	0.3%	±0.1	–
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic	0.2%		0.5%

American Indian is part of many of these answers. The most common two-race combination is white and American Indian: 282,785 people (±8,763) in 2025, 6.9% of the population against 1.3%¹⁷ nationally. Over 2020–2024 Oklahoma had the highest share of any state for this combination, and also the highest share for Black and American Indian (0.51%¹⁸).

In the 2025 survey, 57.9% of residents were non-Hispanic white, 2.9 percentage points above the US figure (55.0%). Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 14.0%, up from 13.5% in 2024; Mexican origin is the largest group (9.7%¹⁹ of the population over 2020–2024). The non-Hispanic Black share was 6.4%, 5.3 percentage points below the US figure (11.7%), and the non-Hispanic Asian share 2.5%².

The survey's one-year changes were unusually large in 2025: the non-Hispanic multiracial share rose from 9.4% to 11.3%, while the non-Hispanic white share went down from 61.1% in 2024². The population estimates, which follow a different method, show a slower shift over five years: the non-Hispanic white share was down from 61.5% in 2020¹⁰. Treat a single year of survey change in these categories with caution.

OklahomaUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2005-2019 and 2021-2025. ACS 1-year estimates; no standard 1-year release for 2020. Shaded band: 90% margin of error.

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Year	Oklahoma	United States
2005	5.0% ±0.2	1.4% ±0.0
2006	5.4% ±0.3	1.5% ±0.0
2007	5.5% ±0.3	1.6% ±0.0
2008	6.0% ±0.3	1.7% ±0.0
2009	6.3% ±0.2	1.8% ±0.0
2010	6.9% ±0.2	2.0% ±0.0
2011	7.1% ±0.2	2.1% ±0.0
2012	6.7% ±0.2	2.1% ±0.0
2013	6.6% ±0.2	2.2% ±0.0
2014	6.8% ±0.2	2.2% ±0.0
2015	7.1% ±0.2	2.3% ±0.0
2016	6.9% ±0.2	2.4% ±0.0
2017	6.8% ±0.2	2.4% ±0.0
2018	6.9% ±0.2	2.5% ±0.0
2019	6.8% ±0.2	2.5% ±0.0
2021	9.3% ±0.3	4.3% ±0.0
2022	9.1% ±0.3	4.3% ±0.0
2023	9.3% ±0.3	4.4% ±0.0
2024	9.4% ±0.3	4.6% ±0.0
2025	11.3% ±0.3	5.0% ±0.0

Rural, spread out and car-dependent

Oklahoma has 60.1 people per square mile, 38% below the US figure (96.7 people per square mile), and ranks 17th least densely populated²¹. At the 2020 Census 35.4% of residents lived in rural areas, 15.4 percentage points above the US figure (20.0%) and higher than Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas; lower than Arkansas²². This site covers states only; city and county figures are outside its scope.

The pattern shows in how people get to work and where they live. Just 0.2% of workers take public transportation, tied for lowest in the country, while 77.7%²³ drive alone. The average one-way commute is 23.1 minutes, 4.3 minutes below the US figure (27.4 minutes)²⁴. Mobile homes make up 7.7% of housing units, 2.4 percentage points above the US figure (5.3%), and 72.5%²⁵ are single-family houses.

Young, with many children

The median Oklahoman is 37.8 years old (±0.2 years), 1.7 years below the US figure (39.5 years), making Oklahoma the 6th youngest state. Children under 18 are 23.2% of the population, 7th highest. On median age, Oklahoma is older than Texas; younger than Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and New Mexico³. Residents 65 and older are 18.0%, up from 16.5% in 2020¹⁰.

Births come earlier in life than nationally. The 2024 birth rate for women aged 25 to 29 was 114.1 per 1,000 women aged 25 to 29, 27% above the US figure (89.5 per 1,000 women aged 25 to 29), while the rate for women aged 30 to 34 was 9% below the US figure (93.7 per 1,000 women aged 30 to 34). The teen birth rate, 19.6 per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19, is the 6th highest²⁶ in the nation. Grandparents often raise children here: 42.4% of grandparents who live with their grandchildren are responsible for them, 12.4 percentage points above the US figure (30.0%)²⁷.

Low incomes, lower prices

The median household income was $68,441 in 2025 (±$911), $16,339 (19%) below the US figure ($84,780) and 7th lowest⁴ among the states. Among its neighbors, only Arkansas is lower. Few households are at the top: 8.3% had income of $200,000 or more, 5th lowest²⁸.

Prices change the picture. The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Oklahoma's overall price level at 87.8 for 2024 (US = 100), tied for 3rd least expensive, and housing costs at 62.8, 38% below the US figure (100.6). Personal income per person was $66,055 in 2025, 11th lowest³⁰. Adjusted for local prices, the 2024 figure was $58,692, only $503 (1%) below the US figure ($59,195)²⁹.

Arkansas 86.9California 110.7

Source: BEA, SARPP Regional Price Parities by state. Each dot is a state. Period: 2024.

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State	Price level (US = 100)
California	110.7
Hawaii	110.0
District of Columbia	109.9
New Jersey	108.8
New York	107.9
Washington	107.0
Massachusetts	105.8
Maryland	105.0
New Hampshire	104.2
Connecticut	103.6
Florida	103.4
Oregon	103.4
Colorado	103.1
Alaska	102.4
Rhode Island	102.3
Virginia	101.1
Arizona	100.7
Nevada	100.0
Illinois	100.0
Delaware	99.8
Utah	98.9
Minnesota	98.6
Vermont	98.0
Pennsylvania	97.6
Texas	97.1
Maine	97.1
Georgia	96.3
Michigan	96.2
Idaho	95.5
Montana	94.6
North Carolina	94.3
Wisconsin	94.1
South Carolina	93.7
Indiana	93.3
Ohio	92.8
Wyoming	92.7
New Mexico	92.2
Tennessee	91.9
Missouri	90.8
Kentucky	90.2
Nebraska	90.1
Kansas	90.1
West Virginia	89.5
North Dakota	89.0
Alabama	88.8
South Dakota	88.6
Louisiana	88.2
Oklahoma	87.8
Iowa	87.8
Mississippi	87.0
Arkansas	86.9

Homes cost much less than nationally: the median value of an owner-occupied home was $234,000, $137,100 (37%) below the US figure ($371,100)³¹, and the median gross rent $1,107³². Rent takes a large part of income for fewer renters than nationally: 45.7% are cost-burdened, 6.1 percentage points below the US figure (51.8%)³³.

Poverty is above the national rate. The official rate was 14.4% (±0.5 percentage points), 2.6 percentage points above the US figure (11.8%), and not statistically different from 14.9% in 2024; for children it was 18.5%⁵. The Supplemental Poverty Measure, which counts benefits and taxes and adjusts for housing costs, gives a different result: 11.1% on average over 2023 to 2025, 1.9 percentage points below the US figure (13.0%)³⁴. Food assistance reaches many people: 16.8% of residents received SNAP benefits in fiscal year 2025, 5th highest³⁵, according to the Department of Agriculture.

Evangelical churches lead, and non-denominational ones are second

Oklahoma's congregations counted 61.2% of residents in the 2020 U.S. Religion Census, the 4th highest share and higher than every bordering state (Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas). Evangelical Protestant churches dominate, with 41.9% of the population, the 2nd highest share after Alabama. The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest body (19.6%), and non-denominational churches, at 13.0%, have the 2nd highest³⁶ share of any state.

Christian congregations counted 60.4% of Oklahomans; Catholic parishes 6.9%³⁶. These counts measure who is on congregation lists, not what residents believe; see religion across the states.

Shorter lives and more people without insurance

Life expectancy at birth was 73.8 years in 2022, 3.7 years below the US figure (77.5 years) and tied for 4th shortest. For women it was 76.5 years, 4th shortest³⁷ in the country. The infant mortality rate, 7.4 per 1,000 live births in 2024, was 6th highest³⁸.

Texas16.5% ±0.2

Alaska13.6% ±0.8

Oklahoma12.6% ±0.3

Arizona11.8% ±0.3

Georgia11.7% ±0.3

Nevada11.5% ±0.5

Montana10.9% ±0.6

Florida10.5% ±0.2

New Mexico10.5% ±0.5

Mississippi10.2% ±0.4

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B27010. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2025.

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State	Uninsured rate	MOE
Texas	16.5%	±0.2
Alaska	13.6%	±0.8
Oklahoma	12.6%	±0.3
Arizona	11.8%	±0.3
Georgia	11.7%	±0.3
Nevada	11.5%	±0.5
Montana	10.9%	±0.6
Florida	10.5%	±0.2
New Mexico	10.5%	±0.5
Mississippi	10.2%	±0.4

In 2025, 12.6% of Oklahomans (±0.3 percentage points) had no health insurance, the 3rd highest share after Texas and Alaska. The rate was up from 11.5% in 2024, and among children it was 10.5%, up from 8.5% in 2024³⁹. A disability was reported by 17.7% of residents, 5th highest⁴⁰. Medicaid and CHIP covered 24.1%⁴¹ of residents in June 2026, according to enrollment records.

Marriage and divorce

Oklahoma recorded 3.3 per 1,000 residents divorces in 2024, tied for 2nd highest with Arkansas, behind only Nevada, among the states that publish a divorce rate (California, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota and New Mexico do not). The marriage rate, 5.9 per 1,000 residents, is 6% below the US figure (6.3 per 1,000 residents)⁴². In the survey, 12.1% of people 15 and older were currently divorced, 1.9 percentage points above the US figure (10.2%), and fewer had never married (31.8%⁴³) than nationally.

Schooling, work and military service

Among adults 25 and older, 28.7% (±0.5 percentage points) hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 8.7 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%); allowing for the margins of error, the state ranks between 45th and 49th. The share with a graduate degree, 10.5%, is lower than every bordering state (Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas). The share with at least a high school diploma, 90.5%, is not statistically different from the US figure (90.6%)⁴⁴.

Unemployment averaged 3.4% in 2025, 0.9 percentage points below the US figure (4.3%); the September 2026 preliminary rate was 4.2%, the same as the US figure (4.2%)⁴⁵. Veterans are 7.6% of civilian adults, 1.7 percentage points above the US figure (5.9%)⁴⁶, and more of them served after September 2001 (35.4%⁴⁷) than nationally.

Immigrants and smaller communities

Immigrants are a smaller part of the population than in most states: 265,070 residents, 6.4%, were born abroad, 8.3 percentage points below the US figure (14.7%). Most came from Latin America (59.7%¹⁵ of the foreign-born). Spanish is spoken at home by 8.1%⁴⁸ of residents 5 and older.

Some small groups are large by national standards. Measured over 2020–2024, Oklahoma has the 5th largest Hmong population of any state and the 4th largest Marshallese population (3,137⁵⁰). Vietnamese⁴⁹ is the largest Asian origin group, with 23,787 people (±3,547⁵¹) in 2025.