Cotton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,527. Its county seat is Walters. When Oklahoma achieved statehood in 1907, the area which is now Cotton County fell within the boundaries of Comanche County. It was split off in 1912, becoming the last county created in Oklahoma; it was named for the county's primary crop.
Cotton County is included in the Lawton, Oklahoma metropolitan area.
History
The eastern part of what is now Cotton County was opened to settlement by non-Native Americans by the 1901 Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Opening, which distributed land by a lottery system. In 1906, the remainder of the present county, then known as the Big Pasture was opened through a sealed bid process. Most of this territory became part of Comanche County at statehood in 1907.
The eastern portion of the county is in the Cross Timbers region.
| align-fn = center
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790-1960 1900-1990<br />1990-2000 2010
The county's population has generally declined since it stood at 16,679 in 1920.
The racial makeup of the county was 76.2% White, 1.4% Black or African American, 9.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 1.7% from some other race, and 10.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.5% of the population. of 2000, there were 6,614 people, 2,614 households, and 1,840 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 3,085 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.70% White, 2.86% Black or African American, 7.42% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.81% from other races, and 3.05% from two or more races. 4.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 2,614 households, out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.60% were married couples living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,210, and the median income for a family was $35,129. Males had a median income of $28,443 versus $19,101 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,626. About 13.70% of families and 18.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.40% of those under age 18 and 16.90% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
{| class=wikitable
! colspan = 6 | Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 30, 2023
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Number of Voters
! Percentage
|-
|
| Democratic
| align = center | 1,020
| align = center | 27.60%
|-
|
| Republican
| align = center | 2,237
| align = center | 60.52%
|-
|
| Others
| align = center | 439
| align = center | 11.88%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! align = center | 3,696
! align = center | 100%
|}
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Economy
The county's economy has long revolved around agriculture, specifically crops such as cotton and wheat and livestock such as cattle and poultry.