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Ponca City, OK

City in Kay County, OK, US
Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

24,326
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

37.1
years ∙ half population younger than 37.1, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
51.4%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

3.5%
foreign-born population
96.5%Native
3.5% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Ponca City is a city within Kay County, Oklahoma, United States.
Location
City in Kay County, OK, US
Co-ordinates
DEC36.721042° N, 97.068444° W
DMS36° 43′ 15.75″ N, 97° 04′ 06.40″ W

Population Density & area

1,322/sq mi (511.1/km²)
Total Area
19.6 sq mi (50.8 km²)
Land Area
18.4 sq mi (47.6 km²) · 93.7%
Water Area
1.2 sq mi (3.2 km²) · 6.3%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

49.7% male
Male 49.7%
Female 50.3%
males per 100 females
Ponca City 98.7
Kay County 101.2
Oklahoma 99.1

Nativity

3.5%
foreign-born population
96.5%Native
3.5% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Ponca City 3.5%
Kay County 3%
Oklahoma 6.4%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

37.1
years ∙ half population younger than 37.1, half older
Ponca City
37.1
Kay County
38.5
Oklahoma
37

Dependency ratio

Low High
76.4
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Ponca City 76.4
Kay County 79.1
Oklahoma 67.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Ponca City Kay County Oklahoma
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 25.6% 24.8% 24%
Working age (18-64) 56.7% 55.8% 59.7%
Senior (65+) 17.7% 19.4% 16.3%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 76.4 79.1 67.4
Child dependency ratio 45.1 44.4 40.1
Old-age dependency ratio 31.3 34.7 27.3
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
67.8%
Black
2.9%
Asian
0.7%
Hispanic
10.4%
Other
18.2%
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

Low High
51.4%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Ponca City 51.4%
Kay County 47%
Oklahoma 58.1%
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 Ponca City population
Ponca City Kay County Oklahoma
Hispanic or Latino 10.4% 9% 12.7%
Mexican 8.4% 7.5% 9.7%
Puerto Rican 0.4% 0.2% 0.5%
Cuban 0.1% 0% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 1.5% 1.3% 2.4%
Not Hispanic or Latino 89.6% 91% 87.3%
One race 79.4% 81.3% 78.4%
White 67.8% 71.2% 62.1%
Black or African American 2.9% 1.8% 6.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 6.6% 6.9% 6.6%
Asian 0.7% 0.5% 2.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 1% 0.6% 0.2%
Some Other Race 0.5% 0.3% 0.3%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 10.2% 9.7% 8.9%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

61.9% family
Family 61.9%
Non family 38.1%
% family households
Ponca City 61.9%
Kay County 62.9%
Oklahoma 64.3%

Average household size

2.53
persons per household
Ponca City
2.53
Kay County
2.52
Oklahoma
2.5

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Ponca City population
Ponca City Kay County Oklahoma
Total households 9,371 16,776 1,562,389
Average houshold size 2.53 2.52 2.5
Family households 5,801 10,554 1,004,739
Average family size 3.25 3.19 3.12
Married couple family 3,875 7,487 731,372
Other families 1,926 3,067 273,367
Male householder 631 936 84,154
Female householder 1,295 2,131 189,213
Non-family households 3,570 6,222 557,650
One-person households 3,005 5,267 462,709
Male householder 1,464 2,575 215,472
Senior (65+) living alone 558 1,067 65,100
Female householder 1,541 2,692 247,237
Senior (65+) living alone 864 1,629 126,972
Other living arrangements 565 955 94,941

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

11,462
housing units
Ponca City 11,462
Kay County 20,913
Oklahoma 1,775,127

Occupancy status

81.8% occupied
Occupied 81.8%
Vacant 18.2%
vacancy rate
Ponca City 18.2%
Kay County 19.8%
Oklahoma 12%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

82.7%
Single family houses
Single family houses
82.7%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
14.9%
Mobile homes
2.2%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0.2%

Median Year Built

1965
Half of houses were built before 1965, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
12.4%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
47.9%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
34.2%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
5.5%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Ponca City Kay County Oklahoma
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 5.7 5.7 5.5
1–3 rooms 11.3% 9.9% 12.1%
4–6 rooms 59.2% 59% 58.2%
7+ rooms 29.5% 31.1% 29.6%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 1.6% 1.2% 2.1%
1 bedroom 8.9% 7.9% 9%
2 bedrooms 26.1% 27.2% 22.7%
3 bedrooms 48.8% 48.1% 47.9%
4+ bedrooms 14.5% 15.7% 18.2%
At a glance
Median year built 1965 1964 1981
Total housing units 11,462 20,913 1,775,127
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

62.5% owners
Renter-occupied 37.5%
Owner-occupied 62.5%
homeownership rate
Ponca City 62.5%
Kay County 69.2%
Oklahoma 65.8%

Average household size

2.55
Owner-occupied
2.5
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Ponca City 2.55
Kay County 2.52
Oklahoma 2.6

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Ponca City Kay County Oklahoma
Total occupied units 9,371 16,776 1,562,389
Year moved in
2020 or later 26.3% 23% 27.2%
2010 to 2019 42.3% 40% 40.4%
2000 to 2009 14.2% 15.9% 15.8%
1999 or earlier 17.1% 21.1% 16.5%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 97.6% 97.8% 97.1%
1.01 to 1.50 2.1% 1.8% 2.1%
1.51 or more 0.3% 0.4% 0.8%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 7.4% 6% 5.6%
1 vehicle 37% 34.4% 32.5%
2 vehicles 38.1% 36.3% 37.8%
3 or more vehicles 17.4% 23.4% 24.1%
House heating fuel used
Gas 75.6% 75.7% 55.8%
Electricity 22.8% 20.6% 41.7%
Solar 0% 0% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0.5% 1% 0.2%
All other fuels 0.8% 2.5% 1.9%
No fuel used 0.3% 0.2% 0.4%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 1.1% 0.8% 0.5%
Lacking complete kitchen 1.8% 1.4% 1%
No telephone service available 1.5% 1.2% 1%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$135,800
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Ponca City
$135,800
Kay County
$124,700
Oklahoma
$199,800

Housing Cost Burden

23.7%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
23.7%
Owners without a mortgage
16.2%
Renters
40.6%
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
Ponca City Kay County Oklahoma
Property value
Median Value $135,800 $124,700 $199,800
Under $100,000 33.9% 40.2% 21.1%
$100,000 - $200,000 44% 34.3% 29%
$200,000 - $300,000 12.2% 11.9% 23.5%
$300,000 - $500,000 8% 11% 18.5%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 1.1% 1.9% 6.5%
$1,000,000 and more 0.8% 0.7% 1.4%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 46.8% 42.4% 53.7%
Without a mortgage 53.2% 57.6% 46.3%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,228 $1,256 $1,539
Without a mortgage $486 $476 $519
Gross rent
Median rent $850 $842 $1,014

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

20.6%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Ponca City 20.6%
Kay County 19.2%
Oklahoma 28.3%

Adults without a high school diploma

9.5%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Ponca City 9.5%
Kay County 9.5%
Oklahoma 10.6%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

5,790
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
8.6%
K–12
74.4%
College / Undergraduate
15.8%
Graduate / Professional
1.2%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

21.7%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Ponca City
21.7%
Kay County
27.5%
Oklahoma
34.2%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Ponca City Kay County Oklahoma
Total enrolled (age 3+) 5,790 10,270 1,004,858
Nursery / preschool 8.6% 6.7% 5.8%
K–12 74.4% 76% 71%
Kindergarten 6.4% 5.4% 5.5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 21.9% 22.1% 21.5%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 25.2% 26.1% 22%
High School: Grades 9–12 21% 22.5% 21.9%
College or graduate school 17% 17.3% 23.2%
College, undergraduate 15.8% 15.9% 18.7%
Graduate, professional school 1.2% 1.4% 4.5%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 21.7% 27.5% 34.2%
School type
Public school 89.3% 90.7% 85.7%
Private school 10.7% 9.3% 14.3%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

15,874
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
2.3%
9th-12th, no diploma
7.2%
HS graduate
33.1%
Some college no degree
24.9%
Associates degree
12%
Bachelors degree
14%
Graduate or professional degree
6.6%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
53.7% · 46.3%
9th-12th, no diploma
60.3% · 39.7%
HS graduate
57% · 43%
Some college no degree
46.1% · 53.9%
Associates degree
35% · 65%
Bachelors degree
44% · 56%
Graduate or professional degree
40.4% · 59.6%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Ponca City Kay County Oklahoma
Population (25+) 15,874 28,907 2,668,805
Less than 9th grade 2.3% 2.1% 3.8%
9th–12th, no diploma 7.2% 7.4% 6.8%
High school diploma or GED 33.1% 35% 30.6%
Some college, no degree 24.9% 23.8% 22.1%
Associate's degree 12% 12.5% 8.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher 20.6% 19.2% 28.3%
Bachelor's degree 14% 13% 18.5%
Graduate or professional 6.6% 6.3% 9.9%
High School or higher 90.5% 90.5% 89.4%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$39,304
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$36,667
HS graduate
$33,531
Some college or associates
$37,780
Bachelors degree
$51,958
Graduate or professional degree
$67,500

Poverty Rate

3.7%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
30.9%
HS graduate
19.3%
Some college or associates
15.8%
Bachelors degree or higher
3.7%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Ponca City Kay County Oklahoma
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $39,304 $40,522 $46,101
Less than high school graduate $36,667 $34,364 $31,734
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $33,531 $35,876 $37,211
Some college or associate's degree $37,780 $39,375 $43,445
Bachelor's degree $51,958 $51,786 $58,520
Graduate or professional degree $67,500 $62,102 $73,412
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 30.9% 26.4% 26.8%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 19.3% 15.5% 16.5%
Some college or associate's degree 15.8% 14.1% 11.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher 3.7% 4.5% 4.7%

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