Latimer County

Latimer County sits at a median home price of $153,619 with year-over-year appreciation of essentially zero, 0.16%. The affordability index of 97 out of 100 tells you prices are as accessible as they get anywhere in the country. The cash flow score of 0 is the number that demands attention, though: the investment estimate data carries no populated rent, cap rate, or cash-on-cash figures, which means underwriting this market with confidence requires pulling local rent comps directly before committing capital. What the data does confirm is that you are buying at the low end of the price spectrum, nationally ranked 253rd out of 1,000 counties at the 68th percentile overall, a positioning that historically favors cash flow over appreciation. The appreciation score of 52 and near-flat price growth confirm this is not a market where you are buying into a price-run thesis.

Given those numbers, this market suits a cash-flow-oriented buyer more than an appreciation buyer, but only if local rents pencil out against the $153,619 purchase price. At a 20% down payment of $30,724 and a 6.85% rate, the mortgage payment on the remaining $122,895 runs roughly $805 per month before carrying costs. For cash flow to work, gross rent needs to clear that mortgage plus the $207 monthly tax and insurance load discussed below, plus maintenance and vacancy reserves. The affordability index of 97 suggests tenant demand should hold at the lower end of the rent scale, which is exactly the profile that tends to keep occupancy steady in rural markets. A value-add operator who can buy a distressed asset below the $153,619 median has the best shot at creating margin here, because the price baseline is already low enough that forced appreciation through light rehab can move the needle on both rent and equity simultaneously.

No economic anchors or employer data were provided for Latimer County, so no conclusions about job concentration or demand drivers can be drawn from the available data. Population stands at 9,537, which places this squarely in small rural county territory. That scale matters for an investor: the renter pool is narrow, and a single vacancy in a small portfolio can hit occupancy metrics hard. Investors who have operated in similarly sized rural Oklahoma or Appalachian markets know that tenant turnover costs carry a proportionally larger weight when you cannot absorb vacancies across a larger unit count.

On carry costs, the combined monthly tax and insurance figure of $207 is based on Oklahoma's state-average effective property tax rate of 0.90% and an insurance rate of 0.72%, which together produce $1,383 in annual taxes and $1,106 in annual insurance on this price point. The tax flag is "normal," meaning neither a tailwind nor a headwind, though Oklahoma's insurance costs tied to hail and tornado exposure are real and worth verifying with a local carrier rather than relying on any state-average estimate. Per the underlying note, this is a state-average effective rate from the Tax Foundation's 2024 data, and actual Latimer County or township rates may differ. At $207 per month all-in for taxes and insurance, the carry cost is manageable, but get a binding insurance quote before close given Oklahoma's severe weather profile.

The primary risks here are scale and liquidity. A county of 9,537 people has limited transaction volume, which means comparable sales data is thin, refinancing timelines can stretch, and exit options are narrower than in larger markets. Demographic stagnation is a real concern in rural eastern Oklahoma broadly, and with price appreciation at 0.16% over the past year, there is no evidence of an inbound migration story. Regulatory risk appears minimal based on available data, but that absence of data cuts both ways: rural markets can have idiosyncratic landlord-tenant dynamics that only surface through direct conversations with local property managers.

Comparing Latimer to its neighbors, Muskogee County is the most interesting alternative, carrying a nearly identical median price of $150,587 but a documented rent-to-price ratio of 0.0857, which translates to roughly $1,075 monthly rent against a purchase price $3,000 lower than Latimer's median. That is a meaningful advantage: you have an actual yield benchmark in Muskogee, whereas Latimer's rent data is absent. Stephens County at $137,837 median and a 0.077 rent-to-price ratio offers the cheapest entry point with a visible cash flow signal. Pontotoc County at $179,944 runs a lower rent-to-price ratio of 0.066, making it a worse cash flow candidate despite a higher absolute rent of $984. Payne County at $232,536 median and $1,431 rent carries a 0.074 rent-to-price ratio and an overall score of 66, likely reflecting a university-driven demand base that supports higher rents but requires more capital to enter. Choose Latimer over these neighbors only if hyperlocal rent data confirms the yield is there and you have a specific asset or operator relationship in the market, because on the basis of visible data alone, Muskogee's documented rent-to-price ratio of 0.086 at a comparable price point makes a stronger case for the cash-flow buyer.