Custer County, Oklahoma

County in OK, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

28,259

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

32.8

years ∙ half population younger than 32.8, half older

Diversity Index

52.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

foreign-born population

95%Native

5% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Custer County is a county in Oklahoma, United States.

Location

County in OK, US

Co-ordinates

DEC35.645601° N, 98.997386° W

DMS35° 38′ 44.16″ N, 98° 59′ 50.59″ W

Population Density & area

28.57/sq mi (11.03/km²)

Total Area

1,002 sq mi (2,595 km²)

Land Area

989 sq mi (2,561 km²) · 98.7%

Water Area

13 sq mi (34 km²) · 1.3%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

49.6% male

Male 49.6%

Female 50.4%

males per 100 females

Custer County 98.4

Oklahoma 99.1

United States 98

Nativity

foreign-born population

95%Native

5% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Custer County 5%

Oklahoma 6.4%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

32.8

years ∙ half population younger than 32.8, half older

Custer County

32.8

Oklahoma

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

65.3

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Custer County 65.3

Oklahoma 67.4

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Custer County	Oklahoma	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	24.9%	24%	22%
Working age (18-64)	60.5%	59.7%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	14.6%	16.3%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	65.3	67.4	64.4
Child dependency ratio	41.2	40.1	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	24.1	27.3	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

65.8%

Black

2.6%

Asian

0.9%

Hispanic

19.9%

Other

10.8%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

52.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Custer County 52.1%

Oklahoma 58.1%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Custer County population

	Custer County	Oklahoma	United States
Hispanic or Latino	19.9%	12.7%	19.3%
Mexican	18.3%	9.7%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.1%	0.5%	1.8%
Cuban	0%	0.1%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	1.4%	2.4%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	80.1%	87.3%	80.7%
One race	73.7%	78.4%	76.4%
White	65.8%	62.1%	57.4%
Black or African American	2.6%	6.8%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	4.4%	6.6%	0.5%
Asian	0.9%	2.4%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.1%	0.2%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0%	0.3%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	6.4%	8.9%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

61.3% family

Family 61.3%

Non family 38.7%

% family households

Custer County 61.3%

Oklahoma 64.3%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.44

persons per household

Custer County

2.44

Oklahoma

2.5

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Custer County population

	Custer County	Oklahoma	United States
Total households	11,044	1,562,389	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.44	2.5	2.53
Family households	6,766	1,004,739	82,990,528
Average family size	3.09	3.12	3.14
Married couple family	5,231	731,372	60,637,388
Other families	1,535	273,367	22,353,140
Male householder	438	84,154	6,572,819
Female householder	1,097	189,213	15,780,321
Non-family households	4,278	557,650	46,236,968
One-person households	3,404	462,709	37,140,836
Male householder	1,701	215,472	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	351	65,100	5,225,110
Female householder	1,703	247,237	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	680	126,972	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	874	94,941	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

12,971

housing units

Custer County 12,971

Oklahoma 1,775,127

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

85.1% occupied

Occupied 85.1%

Vacant 14.9%

vacancy rate

Custer County 14.9%

Oklahoma 12%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

68.6%

Single family houses

68.6%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

21.6%

Mobile homes

9.5%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.2%

Median Year Built

1979

Half of houses were built before 1979, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

9.2%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

24.5%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

43.9%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

22.3%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Custer County	Oklahoma	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.3	5.5	5.5
1–3 rooms	14.5%	12.1%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	57.5%	58.2%	51.6%
7+ rooms	28.1%	29.6%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	2.9%	2.1%	2.9%
1 bedroom	8.4%	9%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	27.3%	22.7%	25%
3 bedrooms	46.7%	47.9%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	14.7%	18.2%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1979	1981	1981
Total housing units	12,971	1,775,127	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

60.2% owners

Renter-occupied 39.8%

Owner-occupied 60.2%

homeownership rate

Custer County 60.2%

Oklahoma 65.8%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.63

Owner-occupied

2.14

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Custer County 2.63

Oklahoma 2.6

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Custer County	Oklahoma	United States
Total occupied units	11,044	1,562,389	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	36.1%	27.2%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	36.7%	40.4%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	12.8%	15.8%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	14.4%	16.5%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	97.8%	97.1%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	1.8%	2.1%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.5%	0.8%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	4.8%	5.6%	8.4%
1 vehicle	32.9%	32.5%	33.1%
2 vehicles	36.9%	37.8%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	25.3%	24.1%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	48.8%	55.8%	51.4%
Electricity	49.6%	41.7%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0.2%	3.9%
All other fuels	1.3%	1.9%	2%
No fuel used	0.2%	0.4%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.3%	0.5%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	1%	1%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.7%	1%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$181,500

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Custer County

$181,500

Oklahoma

$199,800

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

21.7%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

21.7%

Owners without a mortgage

8.4%

Renters

49.6%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Custer County	Oklahoma	United States
Property value
Median Value	$181,500	$199,800	$332,700
Under $100,000	26.7%	21.1%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	29.2%	29%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	22%	23.5%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	15.3%	18.5%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	6.3%	6.5%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	0.4%	1.4%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	49.8%	53.7%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	50.2%	46.3%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,551	$1,539	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$493	$519	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$824	$1,014	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

31.7%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Custer County 31.7%

Oklahoma 28.3%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

11.2%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Custer County 11.2%

Oklahoma 10.6%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

8,398

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

6.2%

K–12

59.8%

College / Undergraduate

30.9%

Graduate / Professional

3.1%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

53.7%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Custer County

53.7%

Oklahoma

34.2%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Custer County	Oklahoma	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	8,398	1,004,858	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	6.2%	5.8%	5.7%
K–12	59.8%	71%	67.6%
Kindergarten	2.9%	5.5%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	20.9%	21.5%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	18.6%	22%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	17.4%	21.9%	21.7%
College or graduate school	34%	23.2%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	30.9%	18.7%	21%
Graduate, professional school	3.1%	4.5%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	53.7%	34.2%	40.9%
School type
Public school	93.9%	85.7%	82%
Private school	6.1%	14.3%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

16,708

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

4.6%

9th-12th, no diploma

6.6%

HS graduate

30.1%

Some college no degree

20.8%

Associates degree

6.2%

Bachelors degree

19.9%

Graduate or professional degree

11.8%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

46.3% · 53.7%

9th-12th, no diploma

45% · 55%

HS graduate

53.1% · 46.9%

Some college no degree

48.3% · 51.7%

Associates degree

32.9% · 67.1%

Bachelors degree

50.5% · 49.5%

Graduate or professional degree

50.4% · 49.6%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Custer County	Oklahoma	United States
Population (25+)	16,708	2,668,805	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	4.6%	3.8%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	6.6%	6.8%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	30.1%	30.6%	26%
Some college, no degree	20.8%	22.1%	19.1%
Associate's degree	6.2%	8.3%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	31.7%	28.3%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	19.9%	18.5%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	11.8%	9.9%	14.1%
High School or higher	88.8%	89.4%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$42,005

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$32,227

HS graduate

$35,258

Some college or associates

$35,151

Bachelors degree

$50,194

Graduate or professional degree

$59,987

Poverty Rate

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

23.8%

HS graduate

17.7%

Some college or associates

9.3%

Bachelors degree or higher

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Custer County	Oklahoma	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$42,005	$46,101	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$32,227	$31,734	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$35,258	$37,211	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$35,151	$43,445	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$50,194	$58,520	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$59,987	$73,412	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	23.8%	26.8%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	17.7%	16.5%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	9.3%	11.4%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	4%	4.7%	4.5%

Insights for Custer County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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