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

All states·Oklahoma·Stillwater

Payne County · Stillwater · population 50,138

First-time buyers
Stillwater, OK
Image: Wikipedia · Stillwater, Oklahoma
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
73
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Stillwater stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 4.4% in the last year. rents up 7.3% in the last year.

Median home $266,352
1-year +4.4%
5-yr CAGR +5.1%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population +0.9%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$266k$154k$195k$236k$277k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
35/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
85/100
Excellent for remote work
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
$1,443/mo$962$1,246$1,529202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent128140100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 15.4
Lean buy

At a 15.4 price-to-rent ratio, Stillwater is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
72 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
66 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
63 · w16%
Rent YoY
85 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
60 · w10%
Long thesis

Stillwater has held up across the cycle: home values at $266,352 with +5.1% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Stillwater'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 Stillwater

Stillwater is a city in Payne County, Oklahoma, with an estimated population of 50,138. The population grew 0.9% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Stillwater is $266,352 as of 2026-04, up 4.4% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.1% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Stillwater average $1,443 per month, up 7.3% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 73 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +5.1% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Quiet strength: +4.4% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
●Hot rental market: rents up 7.3% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.

▼ Bear case

●Rental squeeze: rents up 7.3% YoY — tenants face tough renewals. Affordability deteriorating fast.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Stillwater (Wikipedia)

Stillwater is the tenth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and the county seat of Payne County. It is located in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. Route 177 and State Highway 51. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 48,394. The Stillwater Micropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 78,399 according to the 2012 census estimate. Stillwater was part of the first Oklahoma Land Run held on April 22, 1889, when the Unassigned Lands were opened for settlement and became the core of the new Oklahoma Territory. The city charter was adopted on August 24, 1889, and the city operates under a council-manager government system.

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

City facts

MayorWill JoyceCite web
Area30.30 sq mi
Elevation948 ft
Founded1884
MottoStill Pioneering
Density1624.50/sq mi

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 Payne County right now.

NWS active alerts (OK)Oklahoma Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

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

Neighborhoods of Stillwater

1 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Westwood$264,583+0.4%

Cities like Stillwater

Sapulpa, OK72 · RisingAda, OK69 · RisingMcAlester, OK67 · RisingPonca City, OK66 · Rising

Run the numbers for Stillwater

ToolCan I afford Stillwater?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Stillwater rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Stillwater to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolStillwater 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 Stillwater listings on the major real-estate sites.

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

Local news & community

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

Local sports teams

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