thumb|Edmon Low Library, OSU
Payne County is the eighth-most populous county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, its population was 81,646. Its county seat is Stillwater. The county was created in 1890 as part of Oklahoma Territory and is named for Capt. David L. Payne, a leader of the "Boomers".
Payne County comprises the Stillwater, OK Micropolitan Statistical Area. The county lies northeast of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area although some consider it an extension of the Oklahoma City metro area due to commuter patterns and other indicators.
History
This county was established and named as the Sixth County by the Oklahoma Organic Act of 1890. It included land settled during the Land Run of 1889. The Organic Act settled a dispute between the towns of Stillwater and Perkins over which should be the county seat.
Eastern Oklahoma Railway built two lines in Payne County between 1900 and 1902, then immediately leased them to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The historic civil townships of the county were abolished by 1930. One north–south line ran between Pawnee, Stillwater, Ripley and Cushing before joining another north–south line that from Newark to Shawnee. Another line was built from Guthrie along the Cimarron River to Ripley. These lines were important in getting crops from farm to market.
Payne County is covered by rolling plains, mostly within the Sandstone Hills physiographic region, but with the western part of the county in the Red Bed plains. The county has two significant reservoirs: Lake McMurtry and Lake Carl Blackwell. The Cimarron River and Stillwater Creek drain most of the county.
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| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790–1960 1900–1990<br />1990–2000 2010–2019
2021 estimates
According to 2021 census estimates, its median household income was $43,686 with a poverty rate of 20.7%.
Of the residents, 18.6% were under the age of 18 and 13.3% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 29.2 years. For every 100 females there were 101.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.2 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 74.3% White, 3.9% Black or African American, 4.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.3% Asian, 2.3% from some other race, and 11.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.6% of the population. there were 68,190 people, 26,680 households, and 15,314 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 29,326 housing units at an average density of .
The racial makeup of the county was 84.33% White, 3.63% Black or African American, 4.58% Native American, 3.00% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 3.64% from two or more races. 2.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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! colspan = 2 | Party
! Number of Voters
! Percentage
|-
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| Democratic
| align = center | 11,814
| align = center | 27.46%
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| Republican
| align = center | 22,548
| align = center | 52.42%
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| Others
| align = center | 8,655
| align = center | 20.12%
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! colspan = 2 | Total
! align = center | 43,017
! align = center | 100%
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Economy
Agriculture was the basis of the county economy for more than fifty years. The primary crops were cotton, corn and wheat.