Lawton vs Oklahoma City
The short version
- Lawton is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Oklahoma City area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $142,100 in Lawton and $231,300 in Oklahoma City.
- Households earn more in Oklahoma City ($68,656 vs $54,433 median).
- Lawton has the warmer winter: January highs of 54°F vs 49°F.
- Lawton has more scorching days: 102 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 74.
- Oklahoma City is growing faster: +5.7% since 2020 vs +0.1%.
- Commutes are shorter in Lawton (16 vs 22 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Lawton, OK | Oklahoma City, OK | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 90,503 | 719,849 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.1% | +5.7% |
| People per square mile | 1,108 | 1,187 |
| Median age | 32.3 | 35.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 23% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $54,433 | $68,656 |
| Median home value | $142,100 | $231,300 |
| Home value to income | 2.6× | 3.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $967 | $1,130 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 85.9 | 90.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 57.4 | 73.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $64,500 | $67,800 |
| Homeowners | 45% | 59% |
| Top state income tax | 4.5% | 4.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.06% | 9.06% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 16.2 | 22.2 |
| Work from home | 12% | 11% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8.1% | 4.7% |
| Poverty rate | 21.1% | 15.1% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 54° / 27° | 49° / 27° |
| July high / low | 97° / 72° | 93° / 70° |
| Precipitation per year | 28 in | 36 in |
| Snowfall per year | 2 in | 7 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 102 | 74 |
| Nights below freezing | 79 | 72 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 86.2 | 97.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 67% | 44% |
| Home prices, past year | +10.2% | +2.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +43.4% | +36.4% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Lawton: April to May and October. Oklahoma City: April and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Lawton weather by month and Oklahoma City weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $64,500 in Lawton and $67,800 in Oklahoma City. Moving from Lawton to Oklahoma City, you would need about $78,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Lawton and Oklahoma City
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Lawton and Oklahoma City.
Which would you pick?
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