What share of people in Tulsa are on low incomes?

40.4% of residents of Tulsa had incomes below twice the poverty line in 2020-2024, 144th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 28.2%; Oklahoma: 35.5%).

Poverty and living standards in Tulsa, Oklahoma: official figures

18.7% of residents of Tulsa (75,732 people) had incomes below the federal poverty line in the 2020-2024 American Community Survey, 150th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 12.5%; Oklahoma: 15.3%).

Poverty rate

18.7%

2020-2024

Child poverty rate (under 18)

27.4%

2020-2024

Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent

47.8%

2020-2024

How many children live in poverty in Tulsa?

27.4% of children under 18 in Tulsa lived below the poverty line in 2020-2024 (26,832 children), 107th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 16.1%; Oklahoma: 20.1%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

What is the poverty rate for older people in Tulsa?

By age, the poverty rate in Tulsa was 31.2% for children under 6 and 11.9% for residents aged 60 and over in 2020-2024 (US: 17.2% and 11.0%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Tulsa live in deep poverty?

38,390 people in Tulsa, 9.5% of residents, had incomes below half the poverty line in 2020-2024, 140th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 6.0%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many renters in Tulsa are cost-burdened?

47.8% of renting households in Tulsa spent 30% or more of their income on rent and utilities in 2020-2024 (36,944 households), 199th lowest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 51.1%; Oklahoma: 46.3%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many households in Tulsa spend half their income on rent?

23.7% of renting households in Tulsa spent half or more of their income on rent and utilities, 251st lowest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 25.9%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Tulsa are food insecure?

An estimated 24.1% of adults in Tulsa experienced food insecurity in the past year, joint 126th highest of 592 US cities of 50,000 or more with an estimate, and 18.8% housing insecurity (CDC PLACES model-based estimate for 2023, age-adjusted).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

How Tulsa compares with other cities in the United States

Residents below the poverty line (2020-2024)

Tulsa ranks 150 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents below the poverty line
147	Lubbock	18.9%
148	North Miami	18.9%
149	Tucson	18.9%
150	Tulsa	18.7%
151	San Bernardino	18.6%
152	Bellingham	18.6%
153	Lynchburg	18.6%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Children under 18 below the poverty line (2020-2024)

Tulsa ranks 107 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Children under 18 below the poverty line
104	Hamilton	27.6%
105	Mobile	27.6%
106	Fresno	27.4%
107	Tulsa	27.4%
108	Sarasota	27.2%
109	Evansville	27.2%
110	McAllen	27.1%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Residents with incomes below half the poverty line (2020-2024)

Tulsa ranks 140 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents with incomes below half the poverty line
137	Portsmouth	9.5%
138	Montgomery	9.5%
139	New Bedford	9.5%
140	Tulsa	9.5%
141	Chattanooga	9.5%
142	Columbus	9.5%
143	West New York	9.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Renting households spending 30% or more of income on rent (2020-2024)

Tulsa ranks 625 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Renting households spending 30% or more of income on rent
622	Joplin	47.8%
623	Evansville	47.8%
624	Louisville/Jefferson County metro government	47.8%
625	Tulsa	47.8%
626	North Little Rock	47.8%
627	Austin	47.7%
628	Pocatello	47.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Adults experiencing food insecurity (age-adjusted model estimate) (2023)

Tulsa ranks 126 of 592, highest first.

Rank	City	Adults experiencing food insecurity (age-adjusted model estimate)
123	Columbus	24.4%
124	Fall River	24.2%
125	Apple Valley	24.2%
126	Tulsa	24.1%
127	Fontana	24.1%
128	Muncie	24.1%
129	Hanford	24.1%

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

More on Tulsa: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · all cities in the United States

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: PLACES: Place Data (GIS Friendly Format), 2025 release: model-based age-adjusted prevalence among adults, for every place (data.cdc.gov API, columns used), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b2174bcc660f…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B17020: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months by Age (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 e79a292f34605560506b7f4b5c8ea242c9d6e203c8e95ba675565ddb7758571e), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 41bab025d213…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table C17002: Ratio of Income to Poverty Level in the Past 12 Months (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 dc3dc675113683ec3ff2a0e29a840f43e03268151d7f14b922658d7306da5187), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 31aa364bfddf…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25070: Gross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income in the Past 12 Months (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 862ccc17d913305d11e6f802ce4518d76b30585ea0b05b251cd8cf21f8661386), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4f8d499d9e95…)

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