Bernice is a town in Delaware County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bernice had a population of 422. Located on Grand Lake o' the Cherokees, the town is now primarily a vacation and retirement area. It claims to be the "Crappie Fishing Capital of the World."
History
Bernice was founded in 1912, after Rose Mode and his partner, Charles Lee, bought of land in the Horse Creek Basin of northwestern Delaware County. The town was named for Mode's daughter, Bernice. A post office was established on February 12, 1913, and the town soon became a local agricultural center. By 1918, Bernice had an estimated population of nearly 400 people. Businesses included a bank, a milliner, a grain elevator, a sawmill, a hotel, a flour mill, and three general stores. The population declined after World War I and the Great Depression from 198 in 1920 to 162 in 1930, and 91 in 1940. After World War II, population growth rebounded to 318 in 1980.
| align = right
| align-fn = center
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Bernice had a population of 422. The median age was 57.7 years. 14.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 33.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.2 males age 18 and over.
There were 211 households in Bernice, of which 19.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.3% were married-couple households, 25.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 315 || 74.6%
|-
| Black or African American || 1 || 0.2%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 55 || 13.0%
|-
| Asian || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 1 || 0.2%
|-
| Some other race || 4 || 0.9%
|-
| Two or more races || 46 || 10.9%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 12 || 2.8%
|}
2000 census
As of the census