About one in four people in Choctaw County, Oklahoma, has a disability
In Choctaw County, 26.5% of people reported a disability (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Choctaw County's score
In Choctaw County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 94.8. About one in three children (35.6%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 83.4.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Choctaw County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (77.1, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (16.6%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Choctaw County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 94.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line35.6% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability26.5% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$39,680 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line26.4% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance17.7% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
-
- 83.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.5% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a credit card behind7.3% · August 202576th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.8% · Q4 202587th percentile
-
- 66.9 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working27.4% · 2020 to 202482nd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202651st percentile
-
- 66.6 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.7% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.6% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
-
- 59.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector43.2% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people77.1 · 202523rd percentile
-
Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Aug 2026.
Where the money in Choctaw County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Choctaw County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Choctaw County in 2024, pay from work was 47 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 12 cents. Benefit checks were 42 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks brought in more than pay in one of the years since 1969, but pay is ahead now.
In Choctaw County, benefit checks rose from 25 to 42 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Choctaw County, Oklahoma: 41.6% and 46.7% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 41.6% of all personal income in Choctaw County, Oklahoma (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Choctaw County, 20.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Choctaw County has changed
The number of people living in Choctaw County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 15,307 to 14,174. The number of jobs located there grew by about 58% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 9.9% in 1990 to 3.5% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 15,307 | 2024 14,174 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,457 | 2024 5,451 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.9% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 35.1% | 2024 26.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $13,809 | 2024 $39,680 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 24.6% | 2024 41.6% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Choctaw County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 32,144. The 2020 Census counted 14,204, 44% of the peak. Census Bureau
1982
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Flood: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Tornado: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1968
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Choctaw County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Choctaw County beside its neighbors
Choctaw County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Oklahoma and Texas. For the share of income from benefit checks, Choctaw County ranks 2nd of the seven; Pushmataha County is highest, at 44.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choctaw County, OK | 89 | 26.4% | 41.6% |
| McCurtain County, OK | 85 | 21.2% | 35.1% |
| Red River County, TX | 85 | 15.0% | 39.3% |
| Pushmataha County, OK | 82 | 18.8% | 44.8% |
| Lamar County, TX | 82 | 17.2% | 31.3% |
| Atoka County, OK | 79 | 19.5% | 36.4% |
| Bryan County, OK | 75 | 14.2% | 29.9% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Choctaw County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
Yes, Choctaw County's poverty rate was 26.4% in 2024, the highest of 77 counties in Oklahoma (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Choctaw County ranks 10th of 77 in the state.
Choctaw County in photographs
Places in Choctaw County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The Choctaw County Courthouse in Hugo, Oklahoma, United States.
Scope and content: This item lists Enumeration Districts for: OK ED 12-18: JETER TOWNSHIP IN TOWNSHIPS 7 AND 8 RANGES 16 AND 17, CHOCTAW COUNTY FARM, GOODLAND (PART), OLD GOODLAND INDIAN ORPHANAGE.
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author or not provided via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Choctaw County, Oklahoma: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Choctaw County, Oklahoma?
26.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in four people. Among children it was 35.6%.
Is Choctaw County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
Yes, Choctaw County's poverty rate was 26.4% in 2024, the highest of 77 counties in Oklahoma (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Choctaw County ranks 10th of 77 in the state.
What is the population of Choctaw County, Oklahoma?
About 14,174 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 14,204, 44% of the county's peak of 32,144 in 1920.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Choctaw County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
-
Housing Authority of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma
Legal aid
-
HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Choctaw County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Choctaw County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.