Stephens County, Oklahoma

Stephens County, Oklahoma
Location in the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location in the U.S.
Founded	1907
Seat	Duncan
Largest city	Duncan
Area
• Total	891 sq mi (2,308 km2)
• Land	870 sq mi (2,253 km2)
• Water	21 sq mi (54 km2), 2.4%
Population (est.)
• (2013)	44,919
• Density	52/sq mi (20/km²)
Congressional district	4th
Website	www.stephenscountyok.com

Stephens County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 45,048. Its county seat is Duncan. The county was created at statehood, partly from the Chickasaw Nation in Indian Territory and partly from Comanche County in Oklahoma Territory. It was named for Texas politician John Hall Stephens.

Stephens County comprises the Duncan, OK Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Stephens County was created at statehood from portions of both Oklahoma Territory (OT) and Indian Territory (IT). About two-thirds of the area came from Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation, IT, and the western third came from Comanche County, OT. The town of Duncan was designated as the county seat. County offices were located in rented facilities in Duncan until the first courthouse was built in 1921. That building was replaced by a new facility in 1967.

Drilling for oil and gas began about 1910. The first production well did not come in until 1918. Production support activities soon followed. Erle P. Halliburton founded the Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Company in Duncan. The company has since grown into a multinational corporation with headquarters in Dubai and Houston, Texas.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 891 square miles (2,310 km²), of which 870 square miles (2,300 km²) is land and 21 square miles (54 km²) (2.4%) is water. It lies within the Red Bed plains. Although there is no major river in the county, there are some creeks that provide drainage. Wildhorse Creek in the eastern part flows into the Washita River. Beaver Creek in the western part of the county flows into the Red River. Lakes in the county include Lake Humphreys, Clear Creek Lake, Duncan Lake, Comanche Lake, and Waurika Lake.

Adjacent counties

• Grady County (north)
• Garvin County (northeast)
• Carter County (southeast)
• Jefferson County (south)
• Cotton County (southwest)
• Comanche County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1910	22,252		—
1920	24,692		11.0%
1930	33,069		33.9%
1940	31,090		−6.0%
1950	34,071		9.6%
1960	37,990		11.5%
1970	35,902		−5.5%
1980	43,419		20.9%
1990	42,299		−2.6%
2000	43,182		2.1%
2010	45,048		4.3%
Est. 2014	44,493		−1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

Age pyramid for Stephens County, Oklahoma, based on census 2000 data.

As of the census of 2000, there were 43,182 people, 17,463 households, and 12,590 families residing in the county. The population density was 19/km² (49/mi²). There were 19,854 housing units at an average density of 9/km² (23/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.37% White, 2.20% Black or African American, 4.92% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.44% from other races, and 2.74% from two or more races. 3.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 17,463 households out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.90% were non-families. 25.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 25.10% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 18.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,709, and the median income for a family was $36,371. Males had a median income of $30,428 versus $20,055 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,357. About 11.60% of families and 14.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.50% of those under age 18 and 11.90% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of January 15, 2012
Party		Number of Voters	Percentage
	Democratic	13,761	54.39%
	Republican	9,288	36.71%
	Unaffiliated	2,251	8.90%
Total		25,300	100%

Presidential election results

Year	Republican	Democrat
2012	76.62% 12,908	23.38% 3,939
2008	76.03% 14,394	23.97% 4,538
2004	71.22% 13,646	28.78% 5,515
2000	62.10% 10,860	36.98% 6,467

Communities

• Alma
• Bray
• Central High
• Comanche
• Corum
• Duncan (county seat)
• Elk Plaza
• Empire City
• Lake Humphreys
• Loco
• Marlow
• Meridian
• Santa Fe
• Sunray
• Velma

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Stephens County, Oklahoma