Payne County is a county in Oklahoma, United States, home to Oklahoma State University in the county seat, Stillwater. It had a population of 81,646 at the 2020 census and covers 697 square miles (1,810 km2) centred near 36°05′N 96°58′W.
Stillwater is the county seat, and its postal code is 74074. The county contains five incorporated cities, three towns and several unincorporated communities and census-designated places. Payne County sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Payne County
Payne County has five incorporated cities (one the county seat), three incorporated towns, and a scatter of unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) that carry no municipal government of their own. The table below covers every settlement carried over from the county’s older records.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stillwater | City · seat | 47,186 | 74074 |
| Cushing | City | 7,826 | 74023 |
| Perkins | City | 2,913 | 74059 |
| Drumright | City | 2,564 | 74030 |
| Yale | City | 1,246 | 74085 |
| Glencoe | Town | 780 | 74032 |
| Ripley | Town | 423 | 74062 |
| Ingalls | CDP | — | — |
| Mehan | CDP | — | — |
| Quay | CDP | — | — |
| Vinco | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Yost | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Amabel | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cottingham | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Drakes Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gano | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Marena | Unincorp. | — | — |
| North Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Schlegel | Unincorp. | — | — |
| West Point | Unincorp. | — | — |
Quay straddles the Payne–Pawnee county line, with the bulk of its census-designated place across the border in Pawnee County. Cartoco, listed in older county records, does not appear in current Census Bureau or Oklahoma Department of Transportation gazetteers and has been dropped here as unverifiable.
ZIP Codes
- 74074 — Stillwater (also serves Ingalls and Mehan)
- 74023 — Cushing
- 74059 — Perkins
- 74030 — Drumright
- 74085 — Yale
- 74032 — Glencoe
- 74062 — Ripley
Smaller unincorporated communities such as Vinco, Yost and Amabel use the ZIP code of the nearest post office town rather than one of their own.
Geography
Payne County lies in north-central Oklahoma on the Cimarron River, which crosses the county’s northern half; Stillwater Creek and Council Creek drain the southern part of the county toward the Cimarron and North Canadian systems. Terrain ranges from bottomland along the Cimarron to the rolling cross-timbers upland that carries much of the county’s pastureland.
The county borders Noble County to the northwest, Pawnee County to the northeast, Creek County to the east, Lincoln County to the south, and Logan County to the southwest.
Demographics
Payne County had 81,646 residents at the 2020 census, the 8th most populous county in Oklahoma. Stillwater, with 47,186 people, is by far the largest community, followed by Cushing at 7,826. The county’s median household income runs below the Oklahoma median of $62,138, reflecting a population weighted toward students at Oklahoma State University. Density works out to roughly 119 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Oklahoma State University-Stillwater is the county’s dominant employer and its defining institution, drawing a large student population that skews the county’s age and income profile relative to the rest of the state. Northern Oklahoma College also maintains a presence in the county. Cushing is a historic oil-refining and pipeline hub, still home to major crude-oil storage terminals that make it one of the most closely watched pricing points in the U.S. petroleum market. Outside the two cities, agriculture — cattle, wheat and hay — remains the base of the rural economy.
History
Payne County was established May 2, 1890, as part of Oklahoma Territory, and takes its name from Capt. David L. Payne, a leader of the “Boomers” who pushed for the opening of the Unassigned Lands to non-Native settlement in the 1880s. Stillwater was platted the same year during the Land Run of 1889 and became the territorial and later state home of Oklahoma A&M College, chartered in 1890 and renamed Oklahoma State University in 1957. Cushing’s oil boom began in 1912 with the discovery of the Cushing-Drumright oil field, one of the largest in the world at the time, and the town’s tank-farm infrastructure from that era still anchors its economy.
Getting There
Interstate 35 skirts the county’s western edge near Perkins, and State Highway 51 runs east–west through Stillwater connecting to Cushing. State Highway 33 links Stillwater to Perkins and Guthrie.
- Oklahoma City — 65 miles southwest
- Tulsa — 70 miles east
- Ponca City — 45 miles north
- Guthrie — 25 miles southwest
Stillwater Regional Airport offers limited commercial service; the nearest major commercial airports are Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City and Tulsa International Airport, each roughly an hour’s drive away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Payne County, Oklahoma?
It lies in north-central Oklahoma, along the Cimarron River, between Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
What is the population of Payne County?
81,646 at the 2020 census.
How big is Payne County?
697 square miles (1,810 km2), of which 685 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Payne County?
Stillwater, also home to Oklahoma State University.
How many towns and cities are in Payne County?
Five incorporated cities and three incorporated towns, plus several unincorporated communities and census-designated places.
What ZIP codes are in Payne County?
Codes include 74074 (Stillwater), 74023 (Cushing), 74059 (Perkins), 74030 (Drumright), 74085 (Yale), 74032 (Glencoe) and 74062 (Ripley).
Why is Cushing important to the U.S. oil market?
Its tank farms, built after the 1912 Cushing-Drumright oil discovery, form one of the largest crude-oil storage and pipeline hubs in the country and serve as the delivery point for WTI crude futures contracts.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Oklahoma.