Hughes County, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
 1909 map of Hughes County | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofOklahoma | |
| Coordinates:35°02′N96°16′W / 35.04°N 96.26°W /35.04; -96.26 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Oklahoma |
| Founded | 1907 |
| Named after | W. C. Hughes |
| Seat | Holdenville |
| Largest city | Holdenville |
| Area | |
• Total | 815 sq mi (2,110 km2) |
| • Land | 805 sq mi (2,080 km2) |
| • Water | 10 sq mi (26 km2) 1.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 13,367 |
| • Density | 16.6/sq mi (6.41/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
Hughes County is acounty located in south centralU.S. state ofOklahoma. As of the2020 census, the population was 13,367.[1] Itscounty seat isHoldenville.[2] The county was named for W. C. Hughes, anOklahoma City lawyer who was a member of the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention.[3]
The area now occupied by Hughes County was part of Indian Territory in the 19th Century. The Creeks settled in the northern part, which fell within the Wewoka District of theCreek Nation, while the Choctaws settled in the southern, which fell within portions ofAtoka County and Tobucksy County of theChoctaw Nation.[3] In June 1834, Camp Holmes (later known as Old Camp Holmes) was established and used as a base for theDodge-Leavenworth Expedition; the garrison abandoned the "camp" in autumn 1834.[4] It was near Edwards' Store onLittle River, one of the first settlements in this area. Also, following Quapaw removal in 1834, several small groups of Quapaw dispersed throughout Indian Territory. There were absentee groups of Quapaw living along the Red River and in Creek, Choctaw and Cherokee territory. There was a Quapaw settlement near camp Holmes in Hughes County.[5]
When theChoctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad built in 1895, the Edward's settlement was moved north for access to the railroad. The town established there was named Holden, for James Franklin Holder, a railroad official. However, the Post Office Department would not accept that name because it was too similar to the name Holder. The town was renamed Holdenville. The post office opened November 15, 1895. Holdenville incorporated in 1898.[3]
Hughes County was created at statehood and named for W. C. Hughes,[6] an Oklahoma City lawyer who was a member of the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention.[3]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 815 square miles (2,110 km2), of which 805 square miles (2,080 km2) is land and 10 square miles (26 km2) (1.3%) is water.[7] The county is located in the Sandstone Hills physiographic region. It is drained by theNorth Canadian River,Canadian River, and Little River.[3]
The county includes Holdenville andWetumka lakes.[8]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 24,040 | — | |
| 1920 | 26,045 | 8.3% | |
| 1930 | 30,334 | 16.5% | |
| 1940 | 29,189 | −3.8% | |
| 1950 | 20,664 | −29.2% | |
| 1960 | 15,144 | −26.7% | |
| 1970 | 13,228 | −12.7% | |
| 1980 | 14,338 | 8.4% | |
| 1990 | 13,023 | −9.2% | |
| 2000 | 14,154 | 8.7% | |
| 2010 | 14,003 | −1.1% | |
| 2020 | 13,367 | −4.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010[13] | |||
As of the2020 United States census, the county had a population of 13,367. Of the residents, 21.2% were under the age of 18 and 18.5% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 40.1 years. For every 100 females there were 119.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 123.5 males.[14][15]
The racial makeup of the county was 61.5% White, 5.5%Black or African American, 19.4%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Asian, 3.2% from some other race, and 10.0% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.6% of the population.[15]
There were 4,618 households in the county, of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 28.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[14]
There were 5,766 housing units, of which 19.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.1% were owner-occupied and 26.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 4.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.5%.[14]
As of thecensus[16] of 2000, there were 14,154 people, 5,319 households, and 3,675 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 18 people per square mile (6.9 people/km2). There were 6,237 housing units at an average density of 8 units per square mile (3.1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 72.77%White, 4.48%Black orAfrican American, 16.18%Native American, 0.21%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.98% fromother races, and 5.36% from two or more races. 2.49% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 94.3% spokeEnglish, 2.6%Muskogee and 2.5%Spanish as their first language.
There were 5,319 households, out of which 28.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.50% weremarried couples living together, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 28.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.20% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 18.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 105.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $22,621, and the median income for a family was $29,153. Males had a median income of $22,337 versus $18,029 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $12,687. About 16.70% of families and 21.90% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 27.40% of those under age 18 and 17.60% of those age 65 or over.
Despite the county being home to a significantNative American population and, until recently, a substantial Democratic registration advantage, Hughes County has votedRepublican in every presidential election in the 21st century. Following the lead of most rural counties nationwide, the Republican Party candidate has won at least 60% of the vote in the county since 2008, withDonald Trump topping out at 80.4% of the vote in 2024.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 30, 2023[17] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
| Democratic | 2,467 | 35.47% | |||
| Republican | 3,446 | 49.54% | |||
| Others | 1,043 | 14.99% | |||
| Total | 6,956 | 100% | |||
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1908 | 1,459 | 41.77% | 1,649 | 47.21% | 385 | 11.02% |
| 1912 | 1,228 | 30.69% | 1,769 | 44.21% | 1,004 | 25.09% |
| 1916 | 1,219 | 28.98% | 2,187 | 52.00% | 800 | 19.02% |
| 1920 | 3,049 | 45.60% | 3,487 | 52.15% | 150 | 2.24% |
| 1924 | 1,994 | 32.16% | 3,996 | 64.45% | 210 | 3.39% |
| 1928 | 3,937 | 55.18% | 3,169 | 44.41% | 29 | 0.41% |
| 1932 | 1,114 | 14.66% | 6,485 | 85.34% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 2,032 | 25.31% | 5,990 | 74.60% | 8 | 0.10% |
| 1940 | 3,168 | 34.46% | 6,005 | 65.31% | 21 | 0.23% |
| 1944 | 2,484 | 33.09% | 5,009 | 66.73% | 13 | 0.17% |
| 1948 | 1,676 | 23.38% | 5,492 | 76.62% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 3,012 | 39.37% | 4,639 | 60.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 2,783 | 39.41% | 4,278 | 60.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 3,117 | 50.49% | 3,057 | 49.51% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,692 | 27.43% | 4,477 | 72.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,897 | 33.60% | 2,578 | 45.67% | 1,170 | 20.73% |
| 1972 | 3,497 | 64.86% | 1,787 | 33.14% | 108 | 2.00% |
| 1976 | 1,715 | 28.79% | 4,185 | 70.27% | 56 | 0.94% |
| 1980 | 2,170 | 39.35% | 3,211 | 58.22% | 134 | 2.43% |
| 1984 | 2,663 | 47.57% | 2,901 | 51.82% | 34 | 0.61% |
| 1988 | 2,037 | 38.24% | 3,259 | 61.18% | 31 | 0.58% |
| 1992 | 1,522 | 27.40% | 2,850 | 51.31% | 1,182 | 21.28% |
| 1996 | 1,510 | 30.13% | 2,748 | 54.83% | 754 | 15.04% |
| 2000 | 2,196 | 47.90% | 2,334 | 50.91% | 55 | 1.20% |
| 2004 | 3,066 | 57.32% | 2,283 | 42.68% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2008 | 3,134 | 64.71% | 1,709 | 35.29% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2012 | 2,838 | 67.44% | 1,370 | 32.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2016 | 3,388 | 74.86% | 961 | 21.23% | 177 | 3.91% |
| 2020 | 3,875 | 79.78% | 919 | 18.92% | 63 | 1.30% |
| 2024 | 3,744 | 80.36% | 831 | 17.84% | 84 | 1.80% |
Agriculture and cattle raising have long been important to the county economy. Primary crops have been cotton, wheat, corn, oats, peanuts, and soybeans. The most important other employers in the county are: Davis Correctional Center (which is operated byCorrections Corporation of America),Tyson Foods, Wes Watkins Technology Center, and Aquafarms, which has since gone out of business.[3]
Hughes County has one level 4 hospital, Holdenville General Hospital, a city-owned hospital (public trust) under the Holdenville Public Works Authority, opened in 1969 as a 55 licensed bed general medical-surgical hospital. The hospital experienced a fire on May 18, 2002. On June 30, 2002, the renovated hospital reopened with 25 licensed beds, and on July 1, 2002, was re-designated by CMS as a Critical Access Hospital. This designation effects the way Medicare reimburses the hospital. In 1998, the city formed the Holdenville Hospital Authority. In July 2011, the hospital became a Tier 1 Affiliate with St. Anthony Hospital. This allows collaboration between the hospitals to improve services and support for patient transfers to higher levels of care when needed.[19]
In 1979 Hughes County Commissioners established a 522 Ambulance Service Board, and Opened Hughes County EMS. Hughes County EMS is an ALS level service licensed by the State of Oklahoma, with Paramedics on every unit. The system operates 4 units, 2 out of Holdenville (EMS 1 and EMS 3) and Horntown (EMS 2 and EMS 4) during certain times of the year, Horntown functions as a posting point with the crews in Calvin and Wetumka.[3]
School districts (all K-12) include:[20]
The following sites are in Hughes County are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places:
35°02′N96°16′W / 35.04°N 96.26°W /35.04; -96.26
Places adjacent to Hughes County, Oklahoma | |
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Municipalities and communities ofHughes County, Oklahoma,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
