Lawton, OK — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Oklahoma·Lawton

Comanche County · Lawton · population 90,027

Affordability

Image: Wikipedia · Lawton, Oklahoma

Overview Cost of living Moving guide

View watchlist →

Rising

Momentum score · 0–100

Where Lawton stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 5.6% in the last year.

Median home $141,667

1-year +5.6%

5-yr CAGR +5.8%

vs 5-yr peak -0.3%

Population -0.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly

Lifestyle scores

🚶

Walkability

25/100

Very car-dependent

Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.

🚉

Public transit

30/100

Minimal transit

Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.

💻

Remote work fit

74/100

Strong remote-work fit

Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 11.0

Buy

At a 11.0 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Lawton on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 11.0 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →

Home YoY

77 · w22%

Home 5-yr CAGR

68 · w22%

Distance from peak

88 · w18%

Population growth

44 · w16%

Rent YoY

64 · w12%

Home 10-yr CAGR

56 · w10%

Long thesis

Lawton offers a $141,667 median home with +5.8% annualized 5-year appreciation. Affordability + positive trend is one of the better risk/reward setups in US residential — small downside, room to compound.

Short thesis

Lawton's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Lawton

Lawton is a city in Comanche County, Oklahoma, with an estimated population of 90,027. The median home value in Lawton is $141,667 as of 2026-04, up 5.6% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.8% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Lawton average $1,075 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+2.8%). The composite momentum score is 68 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Affordable AND rising: median home $141,667 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.

●Healthy 5-year run: +5.8% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.

●Quiet strength: +5.6% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.

●Held the highs: currently -0.3% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Lawton (Wikipedia)

Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Located in western Oklahoma, approximately 87 mi (140 km) southwest of Oklahoma City, it is the principal city of the Lawton, Oklahoma, metropolitan statistical area. According to the 2020 census, Lawton's population was 90,381, making it the sixth-largest city in the state, and the largest in Western Oklahoma.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorStan BookerCite news

Area81.47 sq mi

Elevation1145 ft

FoundedAugust 6, 1901

Density1109.85/sq mi

Named forHenry Ware Lawton

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Comanche County right now.

NWS active alerts (OK)Oklahoma Emergency Management How to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Comanche County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Lawton

Bartlesville, OK70 · Rising Stillwater, OK73 · Rising Sand Springs, OK71 · Rising Elk City, OK67 · Rising

Run the numbers for Lawton

ToolCan I afford Lawton?Income → city shortlist ToolROI on a Lawton rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCR ToolCompare Lawton to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 cities ToolLawton cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)

50° / 28°

avg high / low

Summer (Jul)

93° / 70°

avg high / low

Sunny days/yr

234

~64% of year

Annual precip

36″ rain

7″ snow

Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)

Hurricane

Very low

Tornado

Very high

Wildfire

Moderate

Earthquake

High

Flood

Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Lawton listings on the major real-estate sites.

For rent

Zillow rentals → Apartments.com → Trulia rentals →

For sale

Zillow for sale → Realtor.com →

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Latest news

City of Lawton Memorial Day Closures
City of Lawton, OK (.gov) · 2d ago
McMahon Foundation discusses grant process changes, upcoming orientation
KSWO 7News · 15h ago
1808 SW Washington Ave, Lawton, OK 73501
Realtor.com · 2d ago
Weekend Weather Forecast for Lawton, Oklahoma 73501 – The Weather Channel | weather.com
The Weather Channel · 2w ago
OSBI investigating officer-involved shooting in Lawton
News On 6 · 2w ago
Rep. Caldwell recognized by Care Providers Oklahoma
The Lawton Constitution · 5h ago

Local chatter (Reddit)

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Lawton area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

NBAOklahoma City Thunder →

Local economy & environment

Humidity

64%

Moderate climate

Median household income

$61,400

Oklahoma state median

Top industries (state-level)

Oil & GasAerospaceHealthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.