Creek County

Creek County sits at a gross rent-to-price ratio of 6.89%, which lands it in the middle of the cash-flow spectrum for Oklahoma. At a 4.47% cap rate and a modeled cash-on-cash return of negative 7.89% on a 20% down conventional loan at 6.85%, the numbers tell a clear story: this is not a market where you buy at median price, put a tenant in, and pocket cash flow. The $1,255.75 median rent against a $1,147 monthly mortgage payment leaves almost no room before you add expenses, and the model shows a $331 monthly deficit after doing so. Where Creek overperforms relative to cash flow is on the appreciation side, scoring 86 out of 100 with a 5.01% year-over-year price gain on a median home price of $218,789. At rank 138 out of 1,000 counties nationally (82nd percentile), this is a market that earns its place on a watchlist through price momentum and affordability rather than immediate yield.

The investor who fits Creek County best is someone buying for medium-term appreciation with an eye toward either refinancing into better cash flow as rents grow, or adding value to compress the effective purchase price. The affordability index of 83 and median price under $220,000 mean entry costs are manageable and the buyer pool for eventual disposition is real. A cash-flow buyer running a strict debt-service coverage test at today's rates will struggle to make Creek pencil, full stop. A value-add operator who can acquire below median, force appreciation through renovation, and push rents above the $1,255 market median has a clearer path, since the rent-to-price math improves materially if purchase price drops to $180,000 to $190,000 on a property that can rent for $1,300 or more. The appreciation score of 86 suggests the underlying demand trend supports rent growth over time, but that thesis requires patience and a longer hold than a pure cash-flow buy.

No economic anchor or employer data was provided for this county, so no specific demand drivers can be cited here. What the data does show is a population of 72,076, which is a mid-sized rural or exurban county by Oklahoma standards, and a stability score of 50 out of 100, the weakest of Creek's five scored dimensions. That score warrants attention. It suggests the rental demand base may be less consistent or diversified than the appreciation trend implies, and an investor should conduct ground-level diligence on vacancy conditions and employment concentration before committing.

On carry costs, the modeled $295 per month in combined property tax and insurance is a real number to hold onto. At a 0.90% state-average effective property tax rate and a 0.72% insurance rate, neither figure is punishing on its own, and the property tax flag of "normal" means this is not a state that will quietly erode your returns the way high-tax markets do. That said, these are state-average estimates per Tax Foundation 2024 data, and actual Creek County or township-level rates may differ, so pull the county assessor data before finalizing your underwrite. Oklahoma's insurance rate of 0.72% reflects the state's tornado and severe weather exposure, and that figure is baked into the $1,575 annual insurance estimate in the model, but your actual quote on a specific property could run higher depending on age, construction, and location within the county.

The risk profile here centers on the stability score of 50. Without named economic anchors in the data, there is no way to assess employer concentration from the provided inputs, but a score that low relative to Creek's other dimensions, which range from 69 to 86, is a signal to stress-test occupancy assumptions. If a key employer or sector softens, a county of 72,000 people has limited absorption capacity for vacant rentals. Regulatory risk is not flagged by the data, and no vacancy or crime statistics are provided, so those factors cannot be addressed.

Compared to its neighbors, Creek offers the clearest combination of price momentum and affordability at a reasonable entry point. McIntosh County scores one point higher overall at 73 with a median price of $195,367, which is a cheaper entry but comes without the 5.01% appreciation data point Creek carries. Adair County at $168,812 median and a 72 overall score is the lowest-cost entry in the peer group, useful if capital preservation is the priority. Custer County at $178,537 median and a 6.39% rent-to-price ratio actually offers slightly weaker yield than Creek despite the lower price, and its 71 overall score matches Creek's exactly. Kingfisher County at $225,453 median and a 72 overall score is marginally more expensive than Creek for one less point on the overall score, making it a harder argument. Choose Creek over these neighbors when your thesis is appreciation-led, you have the capital reserves to carry a modest monthly deficit through the early years, and you believe rent growth in the $1,255 range has room to run as the county's affordability draw continues to attract demand from larger nearby metros.