Jefferson County, Oklahoma

Jefferson County is a county in Oklahoma, United States, about 109 miles southwest of Oklahoma
City. It had a population of 5,337 at the 2020 census, an estimated 5,380 by 2024, and covers 774
square miles (2,000 km2) centred near 34°06′N 97°50′W.

Waurika is the county seat and the county’s only city; its postal code is 73573. The county
holds 1 city, 7 incorporated towns and 4 unincorporated communities. It runs on Central Time.

Towns & Villages in Jefferson County

Jefferson County has 12 named places on record: 8 incorporated cities and towns and 4
unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. Unincorp. covers crossroads and
rural communities with no formal boundary. Oklahoma has no civil township system, so places here
are not grouped by township.

Cornish and Ringling share ZIP code 73456; both towns receive mail through the Ringling post
office, the closer of the two to Cornish’s own town limits — Cornish’s own post office
closed in 1918. Sugden and Ryan share 73565 the same way; Sugden’s post office closed in
1955. Terral holds two ZIP codes of its own, 73561 and 73569.

ZIP Codes

• 73573 — Waurika, the county seat
• 73456 — Ringling (also serves Cornish)
• 73565 — Ryan (also serves Sugden)
• 73561 — Terral
• 73569 — Terral (a second ZIP covering the town’s rural route)
• 73520 — Addington
• 73548 — Hastings

Atlee, Fleetwood, Grady and Oscar have no ZIP code of their own; all four are unincorporated
crossroads communities whose few remaining households take mail through the nearest incorporated
town’s post office.

Geography

Jefferson County sits in south-central Oklahoma along the Red River, which forms the county’s
entire southern border with Texas. Of its 774 square miles, 759 are land and 15 are water, about 2
percent. Beaver Creek and Mud Creek cross the county and drain south into the Red River. A 1971 dam
on Beaver Creek in the northwest created Waurika Lake, the county’s largest body of water and
the public water supply for Waurika and several surrounding towns.

Stephens County lies to the north, Carter County to the northeast, Love County to the east, and
Cotton County to the west. Across the Red River to the south lie Montague County and Clay County,
both in Texas. Stephens
County, Carter County, Love County, Cotton County, Montague County and Clay County all border Jefferson
directly.

Demographics

Jefferson County had a population of 5,337 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the
county near 5,380 residents by 2024. Waurika and Ringling are the two largest communities, together
holding just over half the county’s population. Median household income runs $48,668 (2024
estimate), well under Oklahoma’s statewide figure of $62,138 (2023 ACS). Population density
works out to roughly 7 people per square mile of land, sparse even by the standards of rural
southern Oklahoma.

Economy & Local Life

Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 275 people, followed by retail trade
at 272 and health care and social assistance at 210. Cattle raising, general agriculture and
petroleum production have anchored the local economy since Waurika’s earliest years. Terral,
in the county’s south, grows watermelons, cantaloupes and cotton alongside cattle and hog
raising, and has held its Watermelon Jubilee every July since 1965.

History

Jefferson County was created at Oklahoma statehood in 1907 and named for President Thomas
Jefferson. The land had previously been part of the Chickasaw Nation. Waurika was platted after
the former Comanche, Kiowa and Apache Reservation opened to non-Indian settlement on 6 August
1901; nearly three thousand people attended the first sale of town lots on 18 June 1902, and the
town incorporated in May 1903. Ringling grew after 1913, when circus owner John Ringling and
oilman Jake Hamon financed a new railway toward the newly discovered Healdton oilfield; a post
office opened under Ringling’s name in June 1914, and many Cornish businessmen relocated
there for the oil-boom trade.

Getting There

No interstate highway crosses Jefferson County. US Routes 70 and 81 run through it, along with
State Highways 5, 32, 79 and 89.

• Oklahoma City — about 109 miles northeast
• Ardmore — about 49 miles east
• Wichita Falls, Texas — about 33 miles south

Wichita Falls Regional Airport, co-located with Sheppard Air Force Base across the Red River in
Texas, is the nearest commercial airport, with American Eagle service to Dallas/Fort Worth.
Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer stops at Ardmore, about 49 miles east, on its run between Oklahoma
City and Fort Worth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Jefferson County located?
It sits in south-central Oklahoma along the Red River and the Texas border, about 109 miles
southwest of Oklahoma City, bordered by Stephens, Carter, Love, Cotton, Montague and Clay counties.

What is the population of Jefferson County?
5,337 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 5,380.

How big is Jefferson County?
774 square miles (2,000 km2), of which 759 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Jefferson County?
Waurika, incorporated in 1903, is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated city.

How many towns are in Jefferson County?
Seven incorporated towns — Ringling, Ryan, Terral, Hastings, Cornish, Addington and Sugden
— plus the city of Waurika and four unincorporated communities: Grady, Oscar, Fleetwood and
Atlee.

What ZIP codes does Jefferson County use?
73573 for Waurika, 73456 for Ringling and Cornish, 73565 for Ryan and Sugden, 73561 and 73569 for
Terral, 73520 for Addington and 73548 for Hastings.

What is Jefferson County known for?
Waurika Lake, a Red River reservoir that supplies drinking water to five Oklahoma cities, and
Ryan, the birthplace of martial artist and actor Chuck Norris.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Oklahoma.