Osage County is a county in Oklahoma, United States, coextensive with the Osage Nation Reservation in the northeastern part of the state. It had a population of 45,818 at the 2020 census and covers 2,304 square miles (5,970 km2), of which 2,246 square miles (5,820 km2) are land, centred near 36°38′N 96°24′W.
Pawhuska is the county seat, and its postal code is 74056. The county has 9 cities, 8 incorporated towns and a scatter of unincorporated communities and census-designated places, several dating from the early-1900s oil boom. Osage County sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Osage County
Osage County is the largest county in Oklahoma by land area — bigger than Delaware — so its settlements are spread thin across open prairie and Osage Hills country. A handful of cities (Bartlesville, Ponca City, Sand Springs, Skiatook and Tulsa) have only a small edge of their built-up area inside the county; their populations are counted mostly in neighboring counties, so they are marked “part” below. CDPs are unincorporated but tracked separately by the Census Bureau. “Unincorp.” covers historic townsites, many tied to the 1910s–20s oil boom, with no formal municipal government today.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pawhuska | City · seat | — | 74056 |
| Barnsdall | City | — | 74002 |
| Hominy | City | — | 74035 |
| Shidler | City | — | 74652 |
| Bartlesville (part) | City | — | — |
| Ponca City (part) | City | — | — |
| Sand Springs (part) | City | — | — |
| Skiatook (part) | City | — | — |
| Tulsa (part) | City | — | — |
| Avant | Town | — | 74001 |
| Burbank | Town | — | 74633 |
| Fairfax | Town | — | 74637 |
| Foraker | Town | — | — |
| Grainola | Town | — | — |
| Osage | Town | — | 74054 |
| Prue | Town | — | 74060 |
| Wynona | Town | — | 74084 |
| Bowring | CDP | — | — |
| McCord | CDP | — | — |
| Nelagoney | CDP | — | — |
| Pershing | CDP | — | — |
| Whippoorwill | CDP | — | — |
| Apperson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Blackland | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Boulanger Landing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Boulangerville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Carter Nine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cooper | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Doga | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fite | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gilland | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gray Horse | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Herd | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hickory Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hulah | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Indian Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kiheki | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lep | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Little Chief | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lyman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Morgans Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Myers | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nanos | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Prue | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nichols | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oak Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Okesa | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Opah | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Osage Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pearsonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Remington | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Soldani | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Strohm | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Tallant | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Torpedo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Webb City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wolco | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Woolaroc | Unincorp. | — | — |
Barnsdall was platted as “Bigheart” (named for Osage chief James Bigheart) and carried that name until a 1922 vote renamed it after oilman T.N. Barnsdall — the two are the same town, not separate places, so “Bigheart” is not listed twice above.
ZIP Codes
- 74056 — Pawhuska (also serves the reservation’s east-central towns)
- 74035 — Hominy
- 74002 — Barnsdall
- 74637 — Fairfax
- 74054 — Osage
- 74652 — Shidler
- 74633 — Burbank
- 74084 — Wynona
- 74060 — Prue
- 74001 — Avant (PO Box delivery)
Ten ZIP codes cover the county; smaller unincorporated communities such as Foraker and Grainola use a neighboring town’s ZIP for mail.
Geography
Osage County is rolling tallgrass prairie and the wooded Osage Hills, cut by the Arkansas River along its southern edge and Bird Creek through the east. Lake Hulah and the Osage Hills State Park lie in the north and east of the county. It shares a state line to the north with two Kansas counties, and borders five Oklahoma counties: Cowley County, Kansas to the northwest, Chautauqua County, Kansas to the north, Washington County to the east, Tulsa County to the southeast, Pawnee County to the southwest, and Kay County and Noble County to the west.
Demographics
Osage County had 45,818 residents at the 2020 census, spread across 2,246 square miles of land for a density of about 20 people per square mile — among the least densely settled counties in eastern Oklahoma. Pawhuska and Skiatook’s in-county edge are the largest population centers. Median household income runs below the Oklahoma median of $62,138, reflecting the county’s rural, agriculture- and mineral-royalty-based economy.
Economy & Local Life
Cattle ranching on the tallgrass prairie, oil and gas production, and Osage Nation mineral royalties anchor the county’s economy; the Osage Minerals Council still administers a communally-owned mineral estate under federal trust that is unique among U.S. counties. Woolaroc, the former ranch and museum of oilman Frank Phillips near Bartlesville, draws visitors to the county’s east side. Pawhuska’s downtown has drawn tourism tied to the Pioneer Woman brand (Ree Drummond’s Mercantile store and bakery). The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, a Nature Conservancy bison range, sits north of Pawhuska.
History
Osage County was organized in 1907 at Oklahoma statehood, formed coextensive with the Osage Reservation the Osage Nation had purchased from the Cherokee in the 1870s after removal from Kansas. The 1920s Osage oil boom brought sudden wealth to Osage headright holders and, with it, the Osage Indian murders — a string of killings of Osage citizens for their mineral rights investigated by the fledgling FBI, later chronicled in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Getting There
US-60, US-99/State Highway 18 and State Highway 20 cross the county; Pawhuska sits about an hour northwest of Tulsa.
- Tulsa — 55 miles southeast
- Bartlesville — 20 miles northeast
- Ponca City — 35 miles west
- Stillwater — 50 miles south
Tulsa International Airport, southeast of the county, is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Osage County, Oklahoma?
It is in the north-central part of the state, bordering Kansas, and is coextensive with the Osage Nation Reservation.
What is the population of Osage County?
45,818 at the 2020 census.
How big is Osage County?
2,304 square miles (5,970 km2) total — the largest county in Oklahoma by land area.
What is the county seat of Osage County?
Pawhuska is the county seat.
How many towns are in Osage County?
Nine cities (several only partly in the county), eight incorporated towns, and dozens of unincorporated communities and CDPs.
What ZIP codes are in Osage County?
Ten ZIP codes serve the county, led by 74056 (Pawhuska) and 74035 (Hominy).
Why is Osage County unique among U.S. counties?
It is coextensive with a tribal reservation, and the Osage Nation retains a communal mineral estate under the county held in federal trust since 1906.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Oklahoma.