State
County
Land Area
197.5 sq mi
Density
2,035.5/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
0.19%
Growth Since 2010
2.57%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
1,004,120
Tulsa is a city located in Oklahoma. With a 2020 population of 401,966, it is the 2nd largest city in Oklahoma (after Oklahoma City) and the 48th largest city in the United States. Tulsa is currently growing at a rate of 0.19% annually and its population has increased by 2.57% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 391,906 in 2010. Tulsa reached it's highest population of 404,007 in 2016. Spanning over 202 miles, Tulsa has a population density of 2,036 people per square mile.
The average household income in Tulsa is $73,816 with a poverty rate of 19.43%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $829 per month, and the median house value is $139,900. The median age in Tulsa is 35.1 years, 33.9 years for males, and 36.4 years for females. For every 100 females there are 94.6 males.
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma. For a bit of perspective on how large Tulsa is, the city stretches over Wagoner, Tulsa, Rogers, and Osage counties.
Tulsa's estimated population is 394,500, up very slightly from the 2010 population of 393,500. The city anchors the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, which has a population of about 953,000, while the greater Tulsa-Muskogee-Bartlesville Combined Statistical Area (CSA) has a population of 1.12 million. Tulsa has the 54th largest metropolitan region in the United States. This metro area accounts for 25% of Oklahoma's population.
Two rings of suburbs surround Tulsa, and the cityscape of the inner city with the ring of suburbs forms the immediate Tulsa Urban Area, separated from the second ring of suburbs. After Tulsa, the largest cities in the metro area are Broken Arrow (99,000, 4th largest in the state), Bartlesville (36,000), and Owasso (29,000). Owasso is currently the fastest growing city in Oklahoma.
The 2010 Census found that Tulsa was one of just 3 of the largest 20 cities in Oklahoma to see a population decline over the last decade. Meanwhile, its towns and outer-lying suburbs are experiencing more rapid growth as more people leave the downtown Tulsa area. The nearby city of Broken Arrow, for example, grew 32% in the last decade.
The Tulsa region was originally part of Indian Territory and settled by Creek and Lochapoka tribes in 1836. The tribes created a home under an oak tree at the present-day intersection of 18th Street and Cheyenne Avenue and named the settlement Tallasi -- or "old town" -- which became Tulsa. The city was officially incorporated in 1898.
Oil was discovered in 1901, and a flood of entrepreneurs made their way to the city, pushing the population to more than 140,000 by 1930, with an early peak of 180,000 in 1909. Tulsa was the "Oil Capital of the World" for much of the 20th century, and revenue from the oil industry helped Tulsa manage better than most areas during the Great Depression.
Tulsa also became home to one of the most prosperous African American communities in the country in the early 20th century in the Greenwood neighborhood, which was ultimately the site of the Tulsa Race Riot that left up to 300 people dead and an estimated 10,000 homeless.
In 1925, Tulsa businessman Cyrus Avery began a campaign to link Chicago to California with the establishment of the U.S. Highway 66 Association in the city. When Route 66 was completed, Tulsa grew even faster as the city became a favorite rest stop.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Tulsa was:
2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.
Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | 1,004,120 | 5,494 | 0.55% |
2019 | 998,626 | 5,491 | 0.55% |
2018 | 993,135 | 1,805 | 0.18% |
2017 | 991,330 | 2,624 | 0.26% |
2016 | 988,706 | 7,780 | 0.79% |
2015 | 980,926 | 11,505 | 1.17% |
2014 | 969,421 | 7,517 | 0.78% |
2013 | 961,904 | 9,420 | 0.98% |
2012 | 952,484 | 6,734 | 0.71% |
2011 | 945,750 | 5,917 | 0.63% |
2010 | 939,833 | 0.00% |
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 258,863 | 64.34% |
Black or African American | 61,305 | 15.24% |
Two or More Races | 30,156 | 7.50% |
Some Other Race | 19,543 | 4.86% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 18,213 | 4.53% |
Asian | 13,712 | 3.41% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 532 | 0.13% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 164,000 | 2.41 | 50.7 |
Non Family | 70,007 | 1.25 | 39.3 |
Married | 61,894 | 3.21 | 72 |
Female | 23,764 | 3.38 | 32.7 |
Male | 8,335 | 3.48 | 40.4 |
3.18
Average Family Size
2.41
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 13,988 | 5.28% |
9th to 12th Grade | 19,588 | 7.40% |
High School Graduate | 67,018 | 25.30% |
Some College | 59,764 | 22.57% |
Associates Degree | 21,048 | 7.95% |
Bachelors Degree | 54,822 | 20.70% |
Graduate Degree | 28,616 | 10.80% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
White | 162,934 | 152,144 | 64,225 |
Black | 36,871 | 32,739 | 6,472 |
Hispanic | 31,960 | 18,410 | 3,426 |
Multiple Races | 14,169 | 12,509 | 3,655 |
Native American | 11,558 | 9,891 | 2,608 |
Other Race | 10,023 | 4,830 | 618 |
Asian | 8,638 | 6,458 | 3,267 |
Islander | 392 | 212 | 16 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 93.38%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 39.42%.
$34,354
Average Earnings
$40,304
Average Male
$30,071
Average Female
81.51% of Tulsa residents speak only English, while 18.49% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 13.90% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
White | 212,857 | 26,634 | 12.51% |
Black | 59,985 | 19,037 | 31.74% |
Hispanic | 65,748 | 17,330 | 26.36% |
Multiple | 29,785 | 8,443 | 28.35% |
Other | 19,404 | 6,114 | 31.51% |
Native | 17,885 | 3,910 | 21.86% |
Asian | 13,434 | 3,034 | 22.58% |
Islander | 532 | 198 | 37.22% |
19.43%
Overall Poverty Rate
17.82%
Male Poverty Rate
20.95%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Tulsa is Islander, with 37.22% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Tulsa is White, with 12.51% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 4.31%. Among those working part-time, it was 23.65%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 27.81%.
42.5%
Overall Marriage Rate
44.4%
Male Marriage Rate
40.7%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 17,002 | 8.27% |
Black | 2,754 | 6.31% |
2 or More | 991 | 5.62% |
Hispanic | 854 | 2.13% |
Indian | 764 | 5.65% |
Asian | 197 | 1.90% |
Other | 143 | 1.16% |
Hawaiian | 20 | 4.77% |
9.85%
Veteran Poverty Rate
33.62%
Veteran Disability Rate
65.6%
Labor Force Participation
61.4%
Employment Rate
6.3%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
88.82%
Native Born
11.18%
Foreign Born
7.92%
Non Citizen
3.26%
Naturalized
88.82% of Tulsa residents were born in the United States, with 55.59% having been born in Oklahoma. 7.92% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.
Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | 401,966 | 776 | 0.19% |
2019 | 401,190 | 776 | 0.19% |
2018 | 400,414 | -1,646 | -0.41% |
2017 | 402,060 | -1,947 | -0.48% |
2016 | 404,007 | 516 | 0.13% |
2015 | 403,491 | 3,599 | 0.90% |
2014 | 399,892 | 1,491 | 0.37% |
2013 | 398,401 | 3,758 | 0.95% |
2012 | 394,643 | 1,638 | 0.42% |
2011 | 393,005 | 602 | 0.15% |
2010 | 392,403 | -646 | -0.02% |
2000 | 393,049 | 25,747 | 0.68% |
1990 | 367,302 | 6,383 | 0.18% |
1980 | 360,919 | 30,569 | 0.89% |
1970 | 330,350 | 68,665 | 2.36% |
1960 | 261,685 | 78,945 | 3.66% |
1950 | 182,740 | 40,583 | 2.54% |
1940 | 142,157 | 899 | 0.06% |
1930 | 141,258 | 69,183 | 6.96% |
1920 | 72,075 | 53,893 | 14.77% |
1910 | 18,182 | 16,782 | 29.23% |
1900 | 1,400 | 0.00% |