Best PlacesNorth McAlester, OK Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around North McAlester, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
North McAlester ranks 47,630th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in North McAlester
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
North McAlester's strengths and weaknesses
Where North McAlester ranks high
- Short commute15.5 minutes each way, better than 97% of towns
- Internet speedBetter than 92% of towns
- State fiscal healthBetter than 89% of towns
- Cell coverageBetter than 82% of towns
- Nice weatherabout 100 pleasant days a year, better than 68% of towns
Where North McAlester ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 2% of towns
- Health outlookBetter than only 2% of towns
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of towns
- Household income$38,775 median, better than only 3% of towns
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 4% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in North McAlester
A household needs to earn about $36,000 a year to comfortably buy the median North McAlester home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $38,775, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses North McAlester's effective rate of 0.60%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in North McAlester
North McAlester's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for North McAlester.
Who works in North McAlester, and how
Work in North McAlester centers on health care & social and hospitality & food. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in North McAlester
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across North McAlester.
What the weather is like in North McAlester, month by month
North McAlester sees roughly 100 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 53, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs March through May and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 41° | 31° |
| April | 75° | 62° | 52° |
| July | 94° | 82° | 73° |
| October | 77° | 64° | 53° |
Flying in and out of North McAlester
The nearest airport, Fort Smith Regional, is about 85 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Dallas Love Field, about 157 miles away.
The best schools in and around North McAlester
Schools across North McAlester average a C, better than 40% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Will Rogers EsB · 48% proficient
- Frink-chambers Public SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Crowder EsD+ · 22% proficient
Top middle schools
- Parker Intermediate CtrC+ · 36% proficient
Top high schools
- Mcalester HsC− · 28% proficient
- Savanna HsD · 21% proficient
- Crowder HsD− · 17% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every North McAlester school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
North McAlester measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare North McAlester against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in North McAlester
Is North McAlester a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, North McAlester ranks 47,630th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on short commutes, fast internet, and state finances, and lowest on a weak job market and health outcomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is North McAlester expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $141,032. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $38,775 median income, cost of living beats 3% of towns.
Is North McAlester safe?
North McAlester is safer than 19% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $558 per resident a year.
Compare North McAlester with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to North McAlester. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in North McAlester represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
North McAlester detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for North McAlester: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in North McAlester: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of North McAlester: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in North McAlester: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
North McAlester detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.