Kay County, Oklahoma

Kay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, its population was 43,700. Its county seat is Newkirk, and the largest city is Ponca City.

Kay County comprises the Ponca City micropolitan statistical area. It is in north-central Oklahoma on the Kansas state line.

Before statehood, Kay County was formed from the "Cherokee Strip" or "Cherokee Outlet" and originally designated as county "K". Its name means simply that.

History

The remains of two large 18th-century villages, the Deer Creek/Bryson Paddock Sites, of Wichita Native Americans have been found overlooking the Arkansas River in Kay County. The Osage used Kay County for hunting in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1825, the Osage ceded to the U.S. government their rights to a large expanse of land, including Kay County, and the government gave the Cherokee ownership of the land after their migration to Oklahoma in the 1830s.

In 2010, the Keystone-Cushing Pipeline (Phase II) was constructed north to south through Kay County to Cushing in Payne County.

On September 17, 2024, the National Park Service announced that Kay County and Ponca City were jointly named a World War II Heritage City.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (2.7%) are covered by water. The highest point in Kay County, Oklahoma, is west of North Sage Lane (36′56″12°N, 96′53″40°W), at above sea level. The lowest point is where the Arkansas River leaves the county.

The northern boundary is the border with Kansas and its eastern boundary is with Osage County. Kaw Lake, a large reservoir on the Arkansas River completed in 1975 includes most of the water area of the county. East of Kaw Lake and the Arkansas River is the region called the Osage Hills or The Osage, a tall-grass prairie region of large livestock, mostly cattle, ranches. West of the Arkansas River the land is flatter and a mixture of cultivated lands and livestock ranches. Principal rivers flowing through the county are the Chikaskia River, the Arkansas River and the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River.

| align-fn = center

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790-1960 1900-1990<br />1990-2000 2010

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 43,700. Of the residents, 24.3% were under the age of 18 and 19.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 39.4 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.9 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 72.8% White, 2.0% Black or African American, 10.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 3.1% from some other race, and 10.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.4% of the population. The population density was . There were 21,804 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.16% White, 1.79% Black or African American, 7.53% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.98% from other races, and 4.00% from two or more races; 4.25% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of 2000, there were 19,157 households, out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.70% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.40% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.40% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $30,762, and the median income for a family was $38,144. Males had a median income of $30,431 versus $19,617 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,643. About 12.40% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.70% of those under age 18 and 9.50% of those age 65 or over.

2021 estimates

In 2021, its median household income was $50,391. In the 1980-2014 period, the average life expectancy in Kay County for females increased by 0.1 years while male longevity increased by 3.0 years compared to the national average for the same period of an increased life expectancy of 4.0 years for women and 6.7 years for men.

In 2020, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ranked Kay country as 47th of 77 counties in Oklahoma in "health outcomes," as measured by length and quality of life.

Impact of COVID-19

As of December 22, 2022, Oklahoma has been impacted more by the COVID pandemic (2020-?) than the average U.S. State. Statistics for the U.S. as a whole are 331 deaths per 100,000 population with 68 percent of the population fully vaccinated. The comparable statistics for Oklahoma are 405 deaths per 100,000 population with 59 percent of the population fully vaccinated. Kay County has been impacted more by COVID than the average county in Oklahoma. 238 COVID deaths have been recorded in Kay County. The COVID death rate was .00547 (547 deaths per 100,000 residents). Forty-five percent of Kay County residents are fully vaccinated.

Politics

Kay County, like the rest of Oklahoma, is heavily Republican. Republicans have carried the county with a majority of the vote in all but one election since 1948, and have won greater than 70% of the county's vote in every election since 2004.

{| class=wikitable

! colspan = 6 | Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 30, 2023

! colspan = 2 | Party

! Number of Voters

! Percentage

| Democratic

| align = center | 5,491

| align = center | 21.81%

| Republican

| align = center | 14,797

| align = center | 58.78%

| Others

| align = center | 4,885

| align = center | 19.41%

! colspan = 2 | Total

! align = center | 25,173

! align = center | 100%

Communities

Cities

Blackwell
Kaw City
Newkirk (county seat)
Ponca City (largest city) (partially in Osage County)(best known as "Ponca")
Tonkawa

Towns

Braman
Kildare

Census-designated places

Nardin
Peckham
Tonkawa Tribal Housing
White Eagle

Other unincorporated community

Chilocco

Notable people

Joseph James, Mixed-blood Kaw native American, died in Kay County in 1898.
Les Layton, baseball player.
Jim Reese, former member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and since 2011 the commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, was born in Kay County c. 1957.
E.W. Marland, 10th Governor of Oklahoma, U.S. Congressman, and Oil tycoon who gained and lost a fortune in the Oklahoma oil fields.
The Miller Brothers - Joseph, George and Zack - who inherited the famous 101 Ranch from parents G.W. and Molly Miller, who encouraged their children to go big or go home.
Lew Wentz - oil tycoon and philanthropist