About one in five people in Stephens County, Oklahoma, has a disability
In Stephens County, 20.3% of people reported a disability. That is higher than in 81% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Stephens County's score
In Stephens County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 75.1. Jobs come next, at 73.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Stephens 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.
Stephens County does better than most counties on one measure: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (18.6%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 75.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.1% · 202471st percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.0% · 202468th percentile
- People with a disability20.3% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- People without health insurance12.6% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,105 · 202472nd percentile
-
- 73.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202667th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.2% · 2020 to 202478th percentile
-
- 70.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.0% · August 202579th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people156.8 · 202562nd percentile
-
- 64.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.8% · August 202559th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.8% · second quarter of 202681st percentile
-
- 46.3 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 rent20.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.6% · fiscal year 202727th percentile
-
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 Stephens 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 Stephens County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Stephens County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Stephens County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Stephens County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Stephens County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2010 low, from 7.9% in 2010 to 10.5% in 2011.
The share of households in Stephens County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 17.6%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 7.9% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Stephens County, Oklahoma.
How Stephens County has changed
Stephens County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 44,075, with most of the change between 1974 and 1979
High on the chart: 45,594 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Stephens County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Stephens County fell most sharply after its 2015 high, from 15,745 in 2015 to 13,844 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Stephens County rose 12% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 15,745 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Stephens County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.8% | 2024 16.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,610 | 2024 $59,105 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Stephens County's history
1907
Created at statehood from portions of both Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory. Wikipedia
1918
Drilling for oil and gas began about 1910; first production well in 1918. Wikipedia
1977
A tornado in May 1977 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 45,048. The 2020 Census counted 42,848, 95% of the peak. Census Bureau
2016
A flash flood in June 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flash flood in May 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A tornado in November 2024 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1973
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Stephens County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Stephens County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Stephens County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Stephens County ranks 3rd of the seven; Jefferson County is highest, at 40.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carter County, OK | 89 | 16.8% | 28.7% |
| Comanche County, OK | 83 | 16.9% | 27.8% |
| Garvin County, OK | 81 | 19.4% | 32.9% |
| Stephens County, OK | 76 | 16.1% | 30.3% |
| Cotton County, OK | 76 | 17.1% | 29.4% |
| Jefferson County, OK | 75 | 19.0% | 40.9% |
| Grady County, OK | 48 | 11.9% | 23.3% |
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 Stephens County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Stephens County's poverty rate was 16.1% in 2024, 45th 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, Stephens County ranks 32nd of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Stephens 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.
-
Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma
Legal aid
-
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 Stephens 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 Stephens County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.