What it's like to live in Guthrie
Guthrie 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 a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Guthrie deals with household incomes below the national average, a poverty rate above the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and hot summers.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Fast-growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Guthrie compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Guthrie
Based on Guthrie's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,740
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $34,800 a year
- 52% of Guthrie renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$37,320
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $18,660
- Homes cost 3.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 38% below US
$870/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $870 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 $186,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $186,600 · 52% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.3% county unemployment
Unemployment in Logan 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.
Logan County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 18% below US
269 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 1109/100k · Guthrie Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
24 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.2 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 92°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 30°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. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 26% below US
27% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 27%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
9 public schools inside the boundary
There are 9 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Oklahoma City National Memorial (26 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Guthrie'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 a poverty rate above the national average. A year of median rent ($870/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low).
Other places near Guthrie
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