What it's like to live in Lawton
Lawton is a smaller city in Oklahoma with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Lawton deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and hospital ratings below the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Air quality concerns
- Below-average hospital ratings
- High poverty rate
- Hot summers
How Lawton compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Lawton
Based on Lawton's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,934
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $38,680 a year
- 41% of Lawton renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$28,420
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $14,210
- Homes cost 2.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 32% below US
$967/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $967 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 $142,100. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $142,100 · 41% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.0% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.0%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 134% above US
769 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is a real factor here, with violent rates significantly above the national average. That doesn't make the whole city a write-off, but it does mean specific neighborhoods deserve real research before signing a lease.
Property crime 2346/100k · Lawton Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 38% below US
16 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 16.2 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 12% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 94°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 30°F and snow a regular occurrence.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
4 hospitals
There are 4 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 2.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 38% below US
23% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 23%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
25 public schools inside the boundary
There are 25 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. 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 (78 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Lawton'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 crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($967/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Lawton
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