Oklahoma covers 68,667 square miles, with a 2019 estimated population of 3,956,971 people – 1,331,558 living in rural Oklahoma (USDA-ERS). Oklahoma City, the state capital, is the largest city in the state. The state's other large cities include: Tulsa, Norman and Lawton. According to 2019 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 74.0% of the state's population is white, 7.8% is African-American, 2.4% is Asian, 9.4% is American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.2% is Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 11.1% is of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Oklahoma Rural Healthcare Facilities

According to data.HRSA.gov, as of January 2021 Oklahoma had:

• 40 Critical Access Hospitals
• 100 Rural Health Clinics
• 92 Federally Qualified Health Center sites located outside of Urbanized Areas
• 45 short term hospitals located outside of Urbanized Areas

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Oklahoma

Most Oklahomans have some form of health insurance coverage, although 14.9% of its residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2019). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per capita income for Oklahomans in 2019 was $47,341, with the rural per capita income at $40,232. The ERS reports, based on 2019 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Oklahoma is 17.6%, compared with 13.8% in urban areas of the state. 13.7% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 11.1% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2015-2019 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Oklahoma is 3.5%, while in urban Oklahoma, it is 3.2% (USDA-ERS, 2019).

Oklahoma Office of Rural Health
Phone: 405.945.8608
Works with rural communities to ensure their healthcare infrastructure is effective and economically viable by broadening and improving the access and quality of healthcare services, stabilizing rural hospital finances, and educating the public and policymakers about rural health issues.
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