Stillwater
RANK #218 / 996 NAT · #7 / 14 OK · POP 82,058
1YR FORECAST: +1.5%
5YR OUTLOOK: +31%
Payne County, Oklahoma, is perhaps best known as the home of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, its largest city and county seat. Located in central Oklahoma, about an hour northeast of downtown Oklahoma City, the county offers a community feel with access to larger urban centers via Interstate 35 and the Cimarron Turnpike. The landscape features rolling plains, with the western part in the Red Bed plains, and includes two notable reservoirs, Lake McMurtry and Lake Carl Blackwell, providing opportunities for outdoor recreation like fishing, kayaking, and hiking. Stillwater also boasts parks such as Boomer Lake Park, offering trails, disc golf, and boating. Life in Payne County often revolves around its educational institutions, including Oklahoma State University, which contribute to a community with a mix of young professionals and families. The economy is diverse, historically rooted in agribusiness, but now seeing growth in sectors like manufacturing, distribution, and research and development. Recent economic discussions in the county have also focused on emerging technology infrastructure, including data centers and energy projects. Public schools in Payne County are highly rated, with Stillwater Public Schools being a top-ranked district.
Below national median (4.7x)
Below national median
Moderate climate & terrain
Below national median (13x)
Housing is fairly valued at 4.6x relative to local economic output. The typical U.S. county is 4–6x.
Estimated local headcount ranges. Larger employers shown as floor + "+"; smaller employers show exact counts where reported.
Source: Redfin · Census BPS — Browse sales on Redfin →
Source: CDC/NCHS vital statistics via County Health Rankings (2020–2022 avg). Rates per 100,000 population. Grade based on homicide rate relative to national average (~6.3). Learn more →
| PROJECT | AMOUNT | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
|
Google Data Center Campus
Google
|
$3,000M | Under Construction |
|
Ripley Energy Center
Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc.
|
$421M | Under Construction |
|
Keystone Wind Project
RWE
|
$250M | Planned |
|
Wagon Wheel Wind Energy Project
Invenergy
|
$250M | Proposed |
|
Payne County Solar (Multiple Projects)
Various (e.g., Cleanview listed projects)
|
$177M | Planned |
Source: public records, news, corporate announcements. Amounts are estimates where noted.
Bars show percentile rank among all 996 counties.
With a Boom Town Index score of 78/100, Payne County sits in the upper half of all 996 ranked counties. Employment is expanding at +1.7%, and median household income stands at $46,658 — indicators that suggest solid fundamentals even if it's not among the fastest-growing counties in OK.
Payne County leans toward the expensive side. A median home value of $196,100 against an income-to-home-value ratio of 0.24 means housing eats a bigger share of local earnings than the national norm. Renters face $899/month on average.
Employers in Payne County are hiring — job growth of +1.7% — but the population is close to flat (+0.3% YoY). Home values moved +3.4% over the past year. Labor demand is outpacing local population growth, which tends to tighten wages and housing.
In significant numbers — 7.3% of Payne County's current population relocated from another state, well above the national norm. That level of in-migration usually signals a county where jobs, affordability, or quality of life are pulling people in from elsewhere.