About one in four people in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, has a disability
In Muskogee County, 23.5% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 93% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Muskogee County's score
In Muskogee County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 87.7. People with a credit card behind: 9.1%, August 2025, higher than in 91% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 85.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Muskogee County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Muskogee County does better than most counties on one measure: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (20.5%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.7 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.1% · August 202591st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.4% · August 202585th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score53.1% · second quarter of 202686th percentile
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- 85.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202686th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.0% · 2020 to 202484th percentile
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- 85.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.6% · 202486th percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.5% · 202477th percentile
- People with a disability23.5% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- People without health insurance13.9% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,536 · 202481st percentile
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- 82.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.8% · August 202585th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people217.5 · 202579th percentile
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- 56.9 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.5% · fiscal year 202748th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Muskogee County comes from
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 Muskogee County, 17.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Muskogee County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Muskogee County had its largest rise, from 25.9% in 2004 to 29.7% in 2009.
In Muskogee County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 36.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Muskogee County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Muskogee County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 17.0% in 2010 to 18.9% in 2011.
The share of households in Muskogee County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 19.7%
Low on the chart: 16.2% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Muskogee County, Oklahoma.
How Muskogee County has changed
Muskogee County's population rose 11% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1979 and 1984
High on the chart: 70,692 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Muskogee County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Muskogee County had its largest rise, from 25,381 in 1995 to 29,806 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Muskogee County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 29,936 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Muskogee County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.5% | 2024 19.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,270 | 2024 $55,536 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 5.4% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Muskogee County's history
1824
Fort Gibson established by U.S. Army in 1824 to manage conflict between Native tribes. Wikipedia
1973
A tornado in May 1973 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in November 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 70,990. The 2020 Census counted 66,339, 93% of the peak. Census Bureau
2015
A flash flood in March 2015 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flood in November 2024 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Muskogee County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Muskogee County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Muskogee County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Muskogee County ranks 5th of the seven; McIntosh County is highest, at 45.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Okmulgee County, OK | 95 | 19.6% | 39.1% |
| Muskogee County, OK | 94 | 19.6% | 36.8% |
| McIntosh County, OK | 93 | 18.9% | 45.9% |
| Sequoyah County, OK | 92 | 19.6% | 38.9% |
| Haskell County, OK | 84 | 20.9% | 40.1% |
| Cherokee County, OK | 79 | 17.8% | 33.2% |
| Wagoner County, OK | 38 | 8.6% | 22.7% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 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 Muskogee County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Muskogee County's poverty rate was 19.6% in 2024, 16th highest of 77 in Oklahoma (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Choctaw County, at 26.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Muskogee County ranks 4th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Muskogee County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Muskogee County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Muskogee County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.