Delaware County, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
 Delaware County Courthouse | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofOklahoma | |
| Coordinates:36°25′N94°48′W / 36.41°N 94.8°W /36.41; -94.8 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Oklahoma |
| Founded | 1907 |
| Named after | Delaware Indians |
| Seat | Jay |
| Largest city | Grove |
| Area | |
• Total | 792 sq mi (2,050 km2) |
| • Land | 738 sq mi (1,910 km2) |
| • Water | 54 sq mi (140 km2) 6.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 40,397 |
| • Density | 54.7/sq mi (21.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | delaware |
Delaware County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofOklahoma. As of the2020 census, its population was 40,397.[1] Itscounty seat isJay.[2] The county was named for theDelaware Indians, who had established a village in the area prior to the Cherokees being assigned to relocate toIndian Territory in the 1830s. Delaware County was created in 1907. Prior to becoming Delaware County, a large portion of the area was known as the Delaware District of the Cherokee Nation. Today, Delaware County continues to be recognized by theCherokee Nation as the Delaware District.
Archaeological studies have shown that at least three different periods of prehistoric people had lived in the area covered by Delaware County. These included 23 Archaic, 17 Woodland, and 63 Eastern Villager sites. Artifacts date back between 1400 and 2000 years from the present. Many of these sites have been submerged since the creation ofGrand Lake o' the Cherokees.[3]
Few Native Americans lived in the area until the early 19th century, when the federal government began relocating tribes from the Eastern United States. About 1820, a group of Delaware, who had allied with theCherokee against theOsage, settled Delaware Town, about two miles south of the present town ofEucha. In 1828, the Western Cherokee moved from Arkansas Territory into the area just south of the present Delaware County. In 1832, the Seneca moved fromOhio into an area that included the northeastern part of Delaware County.[3]
The present-day county was created at statehood in 1907. Initially,Grove, the only incorporated town in the county, was designated as the county seat. However, a large number of county residents wanted a more centrally located seat. This group founded the town ofJay, where they built a wooden courthouse and won an election to move the county seat. A court suit resolved the dispute in favor of the Jay location.[3]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 792 square miles (2,050 km2), of which 54 square miles (140 km2) (6.8%) are covered by water.[4] The county lies on the western slope of theOzark Plateau; no oil, gas, or mineral resources of economic consequence are present, but the county has abundant water.[3]
Lake Eucha, a man-made reservoir on Spavinaw Creek, completed in 1952, lies primarily within Delaware County.Grand Lake o' the Cherokees, completed in 1940, andLake Spavinaw, completed in 1924, are partly within Delaware County. TheNeosho River and theElk River drain the northern part of the county, whileFlint Creek and theIllinois River drain the southern part.[3]
U.S. Highway 59
U.S. Highway 60
U.S. Highway 412
State Highway 10
State Highway 20
State Highway 25
State Highway 28| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 11,469 | — | |
| 1920 | 13,868 | 20.9% | |
| 1930 | 15,370 | 10.8% | |
| 1940 | 18,592 | 21.0% | |
| 1950 | 14,734 | −20.8% | |
| 1960 | 13,198 | −10.4% | |
| 1970 | 17,767 | 34.6% | |
| 1980 | 23,946 | 34.8% | |
| 1990 | 28,070 | 17.2% | |
| 2000 | 37,077 | 32.1% | |
| 2010 | 41,487 | 11.9% | |
| 2020 | 40,397 | −2.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7] 1990-2000[8] 2010[9] | |||
As of the2020 United States census, the county had a population of 40,397. Of the residents, 20.0% were under the age of 18 and 25.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 48.0 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.9 males.[10][11]
The racial makeup of the county was 62.9% White, 0.3%Black or African American, 21.5%American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%Asian, 1.5% from some other race, and 12.5% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.0% of the population.[11]
There were 16,677 households in the county, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[10]
There were 24,086 housing units, of which 30.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.5% were owner-occupied and 24.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.4%.[10]
As of the2010 census, 41,487 people resided in the county, up from 37,077 people in 2000. Of the 14,838 households, 29.0% had children under living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 8.9 had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were not families. About 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.89. In the county, the age distribution was 24.5% under 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 24.40% from 25 to 44, 26.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.50% who were 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.
As of 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $27,996, and the median income for a family was $33,093. Males had a median income of $25,758 versus $19,345 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $15,424. About 14.10% of families and 18.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 27.40% of those under age 18 and 11.60% of those age 65 or over.
In the 2000 census, 14,838 households and 10,772 families resided in the county. Thepopulation density was 50 people per square mile (19 people/km2). The 22,290 housing units had an average density of 30 units per square mile (12/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 70.22% White, 0.13% African American, 22.31% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.63% from other races, and 6.53% from two or more races. Self-identified Hispanics or Latinos made up 1.75% of the population. About 93.8% spokeEnglish, 3.5%Cherokee, and 2.3%Spanish as their first language.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 30, 2023[12] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
| Democratic | 5,872 | 22.79% | |||
| Republican | 15,725 | 61.03% | |||
| Others | 4,169 | 16.18% | |||
| Total | 25,766 | 100% | |||
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1908 | 625 | 37.81% | 974 | 58.92% | 54 | 3.27% |
| 1912 | 732 | 38.55% | 983 | 51.76% | 184 | 9.69% |
| 1916 | 837 | 36.44% | 1,227 | 53.42% | 233 | 10.14% |
| 1920 | 2,059 | 59.17% | 1,282 | 36.84% | 139 | 3.99% |
| 1924 | 1,563 | 43.97% | 1,729 | 48.64% | 263 | 7.40% |
| 1928 | 2,603 | 59.70% | 1,706 | 39.13% | 51 | 1.17% |
| 1932 | 1,469 | 28.51% | 3,684 | 71.49% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 2,632 | 43.54% | 3,398 | 56.21% | 15 | 0.25% |
| 1940 | 3,305 | 49.04% | 3,417 | 50.70% | 17 | 0.25% |
| 1944 | 2,660 | 51.89% | 2,373 | 46.29% | 93 | 1.81% |
| 1948 | 2,343 | 42.60% | 3,157 | 57.40% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 3,399 | 55.86% | 2,686 | 44.14% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 3,078 | 53.47% | 2,679 | 46.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 3,639 | 61.46% | 2,282 | 38.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 2,743 | 42.56% | 3,702 | 57.44% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 3,168 | 47.29% | 2,129 | 31.78% | 1,402 | 20.93% |
| 1972 | 5,476 | 70.30% | 2,135 | 27.41% | 178 | 2.29% |
| 1976 | 3,642 | 42.07% | 4,924 | 56.88% | 91 | 1.05% |
| 1980 | 5,302 | 54.00% | 4,244 | 43.22% | 273 | 2.78% |
| 1984 | 6,690 | 63.46% | 3,789 | 35.94% | 63 | 0.60% |
| 1988 | 5,248 | 51.39% | 4,889 | 47.88% | 75 | 0.73% |
| 1992 | 4,840 | 38.95% | 4,842 | 38.97% | 2,744 | 22.08% |
| 1996 | 5,230 | 43.81% | 5,094 | 42.67% | 1,615 | 13.53% |
| 2000 | 7,618 | 57.05% | 5,514 | 41.29% | 221 | 1.66% |
| 2004 | 10,017 | 64.18% | 5,591 | 35.82% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2008 | 10,277 | 66.90% | 5,085 | 33.10% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2012 | 10,080 | 70.61% | 4,196 | 29.39% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2016 | 11,826 | 75.25% | 3,311 | 21.07% | 579 | 3.68% |
| 2020 | 13,557 | 78.61% | 3,472 | 20.13% | 216 | 1.25% |
| 2024 | 14,407 | 79.56% | 3,475 | 19.19% | 226 | 1.25% |
Delaware County, together with Ottawa County to the north, has a large impact on tourism in Oklahoma. Said counties combined are the third-largest tourism destination in the state, following only the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metropolitan areas.[14]
These sites are in Delaware County are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places:
Kindergarten-grade 12 school districts include:[15]
Elementary school districts include:[15]
Places adjacent to Delaware County, Oklahoma | |
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Municipalities and communities ofDelaware County, Oklahoma,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
36°25′N94°48′W / 36.41°N 94.80°W /36.41; -94.80
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