Pocola is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, Pocola had a population of 4,255. Pocola is a Choctaw word meaning "ten", the approximate distance in miles from Fort Smith, Arkansas.
History
The Battle of Devil's Backbone took place nearby on September 1, 1863, and resulted in a victory for the Union Army. At the time of its founding the settlement was located in Skullyville County, a part of the Moshulatubbee District of the Choctaw Nation.
Will Hartshorne began operating a small coal mine in this area during the 1880s. By 1895, he employed six men, and sold the mine to the Fort Smith and Western Coal and Railway in the following year. The population of Pocola was estimated at 200 in 1900, but the number declined to about 75 in 1918. The post office closed in 1916.
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2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Pocola had a population of 4,255. The median age was 42.5 years. 21.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.7 males age 18 and over.
There were 1,717 households in Pocola, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.2% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 3,113 || 73.2%
|-
| Black or African American || 106 || 2.5%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 470 || 11.0%
|-
| Asian || 32 || 0.8%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 1 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 59 || 1.4%
|-
| Two or more races || 474 || 11.1%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 174 || 4.1%
|}
2000 census
As of the census The town is also served by Oklahoma State Highway 112.
Commercial air transportation is available out of Fort Smith Regional Airport, just to the northeast.