Sequoyah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,281. The county seat is Sallisaw. Sequoyah County was created in 1907 when Oklahoma became a state. It was named after Sequoyah, who created the Cherokee syllabary and its written language.

Sequoyah County is part of the Fort Smith metropolitan area.

History

Archaeological sites within the borders of the present county date to the Archaic Period (6000 BC to 1 AD). A slightly smaller number of sites date to the Plains Village period (1000 to 1500 AD).

The county is divided between the Ozark Plateau in the north and the Ouachita Mountains in the south. The Cookson Hills are in the northwest part of the county. The Arkansas River forms the southern border. Other major waterways are the Illinois River and Robert S. Kerr Reservoir.

| align-fn = center

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790-1960 1900-1990<br />1990-2000 2010-2019 Of the residents, 23.7% were under the age of 18 and 19.7% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 41.7 years. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.5 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 58.4% White, 1.6% Black or African American, 23.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, 1.8% from some other race, and 14.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.4% of the population. The population density was . There were 16,940 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 68.12% White, 1.86% Black or African American, 19.64% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 9.39% from two or more races. 2.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 95.8% spoke English, 2.1% Cherokee and 1.7% Spanish as their first language.

In 2000, there were 14,761 households, out of which 34.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.60% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.05. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.40% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $27,615, and the median income for a family was $32,673. Males had a median income of $26,613 versus $19,751 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,405. About 16.10% of families and 19.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.80% of those under age 18 and 18.10% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The county law enforcement is the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office. The department patrols all of the county's rural areas and provides at least three investigators in the department. The current sheriff is Larry Lane.

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 | 7,320

| align = center | 31.53%

|-

|

| Republican

| align = center | 12,292

| align = center | 52.94%

|-

|

| Others

| align = center | 3,607

| align = center | 15.53%

|-

! colspan = 2 | Total

! align = center | 23,219

! align = center | 100%

|}

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Communities

City

  • Sallisaw (county seat)

Towns

  • Gans
  • Gore
  • Marble City
  • Moffett
  • Muldrow
  • Paradise Hill
  • Roland
  • Vian

Census-designated places

  • Akins
  • Badger Lee
  • Belfonte
  • Blackgum
  • Box
  • Brent
  • Brushy
  • Carlisle
  • Dwight Mission
  • Evening Shade
  • Flute Springs
  • Hanson
  • Liberty
  • Long
  • Marble City Community (former)
  • McKey (former)
  • Nicut
  • Notchietown
  • Pinhook Corner
  • Redbird Smith
  • Remy
  • Short
  • Stoney Point
  • Sycamore (former)

Unincorporated communities

  • Cottonwood
  • Foreman
  • Redland

NRHP sites

The following sites in Sequoyah County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

{|

|

  • Baker "A" Archeological Site (34SQ269), Short
  • Citizen's State Bank, Marble City
  • Dwight Mission, Marble City
  • Ellison No. 2 Site (34SQ85), Short
  • Judge Franklin Faulkner House, Sallisaw
  • Fears Site (34SQ76), Nicut
  • First Presbyterian Church, Sallisaw

|

  • Hines Round Barn, Sallisaw
  • Kirby-Steely Archeological Site, Short
  • Lee's Creek Ceremonial Center Site, Short
  • Sallisaw High School, Sallisaw
  • Sequoyah's Cabin, Akins
  • Starr Pasture Archeological Site (34SQ224), Short
  • Tall Cane Archeological Site (34SQ294), Short

|}

Education

K-12 school districts include:

  • Braggs Public Schools
  • Central Public Schools
  • Gans Public Schools
  • Gore Public Schools
  • Muldrow Public Schools
  • Roland Public Schools
  • Sallisaw Public Schools
  • Vian Public Schools

Elementary school districts include: