What it's like to live in Elk City
Elk City is a small city in Oklahoma with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Elk City deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, a poverty rate above the national average, and cold winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- Cold winters
- Hot summers
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Elk City compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Elk City
Based on Elk City's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,886
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $37,720 a year
- 46% of Elk City renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$30,080
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $15,040
- Homes cost 2.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 33% below US
$943/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $943 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $150,400. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $150,400 · 46% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.3% county unemployment
Unemployment in Beckham County is 3.3%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Beckham County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 55% below US
150 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 978/100k · Elk City Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 46% below US
14 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 14 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 93°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 28°F and snow a regular occurrence.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 60% below US
15% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Washita Battlefield National Historic Site (22 miles away).
Bottom line
Elk City's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($943/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), and anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
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