Counties with the oldest homes in Oklahoma
Counties with the oldest homes in Oklahoma
There's an undeniable charm that comes with pre-World War II American architecture, characterized by high ceilings, crown molding, hardwood floors, and ornate details. In fact, 11.4% of all housing units in America were built in 1939 or before, showing the popularity of the preservation of these units. Owning a piece of history can sometimes come with a cost: Many old homes come with asbestos, lead piping, knob-and-tube wiring, and other outdated building styles that can rack up a hefty price tag to modernize. However, with more and more modernized pre-war homes on the market, generally located just outside bustling downtown metros, investing in property that has withstood the test of time is an attractive prospect.
Stacker compiled a list of the counties in Oklahoma with the oldest homes using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by median year the structure was built according to 2023 5-year estimates. Ties broken by the highest percentage of homes built before 1939.
The country's domestic architecture is perhaps best characterized by a rugged individualism as opposed to the hybridization of disparate architectural elements. As Maya Angelou once perceptively observed, "the ache for home lives in all of us," a phrase that has meant very different things to different people.
Modest or palatial, there is no shortage of noteworthy homes in the U.S. Log cabins constructed by industrious pioneers have dotted the landscape alongside traditional Native American dwellings ever since immigrant Swedes introduced them to the New World in 1638. The unprecedented personal fortunes amassed by the so-called "Robber Barons" at the close of the 19th century gave way to the construction of a staggering number of Gilded Age estates.
The ravages of time spared neither the sumptuous nor the humble. Stately mansions, often prohibitively costly to maintain in the modern era, were frequently neglected; simple structures were forgotten, discarded by their owners, and damaged by natural elements. However, the tireless efforts of architectural preservationists and local historical societies have saved many of these homes from demolition, leading to their inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places and thereby safeguarding them for future generations.
Keep reading to learn more about which counties in Oklahoma have the oldest homes.
#50. Grady County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.8% (2,285 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.2% (271 homes)
- Total homes built: 23,332
#49. Murray County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.2% (472 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.6% (38 homes)
- Total homes built: 6,546
#48. Osage County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 10.2% (2,018 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.2% (242 homes)
- Total homes built: 19,801
#47. Tulsa County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.8% (19,974 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.8% (2,466 homes)
- Total homes built: 295,318
#46. Pottawatomie County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.3% (2,816 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.9% (284 homes)
- Total homes built: 30,163
#45. Pittsburg County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.5% (1,885 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.6% (132 homes)
- Total homes built: 22,204
#44. Okfuskee County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.6% (459 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.7% (82 homes)
- Total homes built: 4,779
#43. Comanche County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.4% (2,821 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.7% (372 homes)
- Total homes built: 52,647
#42. Pontotoc County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.5% (1,136 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.3% (223 homes)
- Total homes built: 17,483
#41. Oklahoma County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.8% (24,401 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.3% (4,571 homes)
- Total homes built: 356,997
#40. Woodward County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.2% (770 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.1% (11 homes)
- Total homes built: 9,389
#39. Carter County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.2% (1,782 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.6% (125 homes)
- Total homes built: 21,619
#38. Muskogee County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.8% (2,598 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.8% (239 homes)
- Total homes built: 29,363
#37. Custer County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 10.4% (1,343 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.3% (40 homes)
- Total homes built: 12,946
#36. Pawnee County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.9% (943 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (30 homes)
- Total homes built: 7,337
#35. Okmulgee County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 15.6% (2,614 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (73 homes)
- Total homes built: 16,708
#34. Kingfisher County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 16.8% (1,077 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.6% (101 homes)
- Total homes built: 6,426
#33. Coal County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 11.7% (302 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.6% (16 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,581
#32. Nowata County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 13.4% (589 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (16 homes)
- Total homes built: 4,383
#31. Seminole County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 14.7% (1,581 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.8% (88 homes)
- Total homes built: 10,789
#30. Stephens County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.8% (1,377 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.5% (100 homes)
- Total homes built: 20,311
#29. Texas County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 11.5% (974 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.2% (19 homes)
- Total homes built: 8,462
#28. Major County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 14.4% (534 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.5% (18 homes)
- Total homes built: 3,713
#27. Craig County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 14.8% (943 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.5% (34 homes)
- Total homes built: 6,382
#26. Noble County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 17.1% (868 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.1% (7 homes)
- Total homes built: 5,067
#25. Ottawa County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 11.8% (1,619 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.5% (68 homes)
- Total homes built: 13,695
#24. Garvin County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.1% (490 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (52 homes)
- Total homes built: 12,073
#23. Jackson County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.3% (879 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.3% (36 homes)
- Total homes built: 12,046
#22. Dewey County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 13.3% (292 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.2% (5 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,195
#21. Caddo County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 13.6% (1,571 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.1% (11 homes)
- Total homes built: 11,577
#20. Blaine County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 14.1% (647 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.1% (4 homes)
- Total homes built: 4,590
#19. Hughes County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 14.4% (830 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.2% (10 homes)
- Total homes built: 5,782
#18. Washington County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.7% (2,297 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.6% (149 homes)
- Total homes built: 23,745
#17. Roger Mills County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 13.7% (254 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.3% (5 homes)
- Total homes built: 1,850
#16. Jefferson County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 14.3% (393 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.6% (16 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,742
#15. Garfield County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 14.6% (4,048 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.3% (76 homes)
- Total homes built: 27,782
#14. Cotton County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 17.2% (466 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.9% (25 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,707
#13. Ellis County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 17.4% (369 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (1 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,125
#12. Beaver County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 10.4% (256 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.8% (20 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,467
#11. Grant County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 22.7% (493 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.5% (11 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,175
#10. Harmon County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 14.4% (195 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
- Total homes built: 1,358
#9. Harper County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 17.0% (292 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.1% (18 homes)
- Total homes built: 1,714
#8. Greer County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 15.6% (408 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.1% (2 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,614
#7. Kay County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 17.8% (3,719 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.2% (39 homes)
- Total homes built: 20,923
#6. Tillman County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 13.2% (498 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.1% (2 homes)
- Total homes built: 3,776
#5. Washita County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 16.9% (866 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
- Total homes built: 5,131
#4. Woods County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 30.0% (1,337 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.1% (6 homes)
- Total homes built: 4,463
#3. Cimarron County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 23.0% (314 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (0 homes)
- Total homes built: 1,368
#2. Kiowa County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 24.3% (1,137 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.3% (13 homes)
- Total homes built: 4,684
#1. Alfalfa County
- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 30.2% (748 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.0% (1 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,480