Key Contact for Oklahoma

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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Oklahoma Nonmetro Population

3,949,342

Estimated population

1,325,762 (33.6%)

People living in nonmetro areas

Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020 estimate

Oklahoma Rural Healthcare Facilities

40

Critical Access Hospitals

120

Rural Health Clinics

103

Federally Qualified Health Centers*

46

Short Term/PPS Hospitals*

*Sites located outside of Urbanized Areas according to data.HRSA.gov. July 2022.

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Oklahoma

Most Oklahomans have some form of health insurance coverage, although 13.8% of its residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2021). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per capita income for Oklahomans in 2020 was $49,878, with the rural per capita income at $42,046. The ERS reports, based on 2020 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Oklahoma is 16.8%, compared with 13.1% in urban areas of the state. 13.1% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 10.4% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2017-2021 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Oklahoma is 3.8%, while in urban Oklahoma, it is 3.9% (USDA-ERS, 2021).