McIntosh County, Oklahoma

McIntosh County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,941. Its county seat is Eufaula. The county is named for an influential Muscogee Creek family, whose members led the migration of the Lower Towns to Indian Territory and served as leaders for generations.

It is one of the counties within the jurisdiction of the federally recognized Muscogee (Creek) Nation; a small portion is within the jurisdiction of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.

History

Many archaeological sites in McIntosh County date back to the Archaic period in North America (6000 BC - 1 AD). (Ed. note: the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture defines this period as written here. The definition differs from that shown by the linked Wikipedia article.) Archaeologists have uncovered six sites since 2003 that predate these. These indigenous peoples predated any of Plains Indians, as well as the tribes that settled in the territory in the 1830s following Indian Removal from the American Southeast. Indigenous people may have made petroglyphs at the Handprint Site before the coming of the earliest European explorers. and Hoffman into Okmulgee County.

The county is mostly within the jurisdiction of the federally recognized Muscogee (Creek) Nation, which oversees and represents its members. The far eastern portion of the county is within the jurisdiction of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Much of the water surface is attributable to Eufaula Lake, the largest reservoir entirely within the state. Checotah is the nearest city to Lake Eufaula State Park (formerly Fountainhead State Park). The county is drained by the Deep Fork River, North Canadian River and Canadian River.

| align-fn = center

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 18,941. Of the residents, 19.6% were under the age of 18 and 26.9% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 49.5 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.7 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 67.6% White, 2.9% Black or African American, 17.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.7% from some other race, and 11.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.6% of the population. of 2000, there were 19,456 people, 8,085 households, and 5,683 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 12,640 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 72.59% White, 4.06% Black or African American, 16.20% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races, and 6.63% from two or more races. 1.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 96.4% spoke English, 1.5% Muskogee and 1.5% Spanish as their first language.

There were 8,085 households, out of which 25.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 26.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.60% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 22.30% from 25 to 44, 26.90% from 45 to 64, and 21.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 91.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,964, and the median income for a family was $31,990. Males had a median income of $27,998 versus $19,030 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,410. About 13.50% of families and 18.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.80% of those under age 18 and 13.30% of those age 65 or over.

The most common self-identified ancestry groups in McIntosh County are:

24.9% English
19.8% Irish
15.8% German
2.7% French

Politics

Despite a Democratic registration advantage as recently as the late 2010s, the county has not voted that way in presidential elections in the 21st century. Although Republican margins in the county have grown at a slower pace than in many other Oklahoma counties of this size, the party has nonetheless won greater than 60% of the county's vote in every election since 2012. In 2024, Donald Trump won over 75% of the county's vote, the strongest Republican performance in the county's history.

{| class=wikitable

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

! colspan = 2 | Party

! Number of Voters

! Percentage

| Democratic

| align = center | 4,949

| align = center | 40.81%

| Republican

| align = center | 5,512

| align = center | 45.45%

| Others

| align = center | 1,666

| align = center | 13.74%

! colspan = 2 | Total

! align = center | 12,127

! align = center | 100%

Economy

The county economy has been based primarily on farming and ranching. Corn was the principal crop until 1900, when cotton superseded it (as measured by acreage) around the middle of the 20th century. Other crops such as sorghum, oats and wheat also became important. However, construction of a dam and the resulting Eufaula Lake inundated much of the best cropland, causing a large-scale decline in agriculture. Cotton farming essentially ceased in the county by the mid-1970s. Cattle ranching has remained important, continuing to rise throughout the century. By 2000, the county reported 55,000 head of cattle.