RANK #69 / 1001 NAT · #3 / 15 OK · POP 82,972
1YR FORECAST: +2.2%
5YR OUTLOOK: +38%
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.
Payne County's data profile doesn't fit any single market profile cleanly — its housing, labor, and demographic signals pull in different directions (home prices +4.4% YoY, population +0.8%, wages +3.3%). About 414 U.S. counties show this kind of mixed-signal pattern.
See all 414 Idiosyncratic Markets counties →Overvalued relative to economy
Moderate climate & terrain
Below national median (15x)
Housing looks overvalued at 9.8x — home prices are high 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.
Bars show trailing 12-month growth. The dashed Forecast bars are the model's next-12-month projection; the whisker marks the ±1% range (cooling–accelerating).
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 1001 counties.
Payne County ranks #69 out of 1001 U.S. counties on the Boom Town Index with a score of 93/100, placing it in the top tier nationally. Median household income is $49,809 and the underlying growth metrics (housing, migration, income) hold up against peer counties.
Payne County leans toward the expensive side. A median home value of $223,300 against an income-to-home-value ratio of 0.22 means housing eats a bigger share of local earnings than the national norm. Renters face $917/month on average.
Payne County's population is growing — up +0.8% YoY — while the job market is roughly flat (employment change of +0.4%). Home values shifted +4.4% over the past year. In-migration is outpacing local hiring, which often points to remote workers or retirees driving the headcount.
In significant numbers — 7.66% 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.