Coal County, Oklahoma

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Coal County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,266.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Coalgate.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Coal County was formed at statehood from the former Shappaway County (later renamed Atoka County) of the Pushmataha District of the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory. A Template:Convert strip of Coal County was taken from the Pontotoc District of the Chickasaw Nation. Initially, the Oklahoma legislature named Lehigh as the county seat, but a special election held in 1908 resulted in the citizens choosing Coalgate as the county seat. Lehigh tried to sue because more people voted than were registered, but no court would hear the case.<ref name="EOHC-CoalCo">Milligan, James C. "Coal County," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, 2009. Accessed March 28, 2015.</ref>

Mining became a mainstay of the county's economy during the 1870s. The first coal mine opened on Chief Allen Wright's land. The industry activity peaked between 1910 and 1916 but declined sharply after World War I. Many of the mines closed by 1921, due to the refusal of mining companies of the area to unionize. Some mines reopened during World War II, but these closed by 1958, because of the rising cost of refining sulfur out of the coal mined.<ref name="EOHC-CoalCo"/>

Agriculture replaced mining as the main economic activity of the county. Even this business encountered severe difficulty in 1921–1923 when a boll weevil infestation wiped out the cotton crop. All five banks in the county failed as a result.<ref name="OTC">"Focus on Coal County." Template:Webarchive Oklahoma Ad Valorem Forum. Oklahoma Tax Commission. March 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2010.</ref>

Geography

Coal County is in southeastern Oklahoma, in a 10-county area designated for tourism purposes by the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation as Choctaw Country.<ref name="Department">Template:Cite web</ref> According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.9%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> It is the fifth-smallest county in Oklahoma by area. The eastern part of the county lies in the Ouachita Mountains, while the western part has open prairie and lies in the Sandstone Hills physiographic region. The county is drained by the Clear Boggy and Muddy Boggy creeks.<ref name="EOHC-CoalCo"/>

File:CoalCounty1909.jpg

Map of Coal County, 1909

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Hughes County (north)
Pittsburg County (northeast)
Atoka County (southeast)
Johnston County (southwest)
Pontotoc County (west)

Demographics

Template:US Census population Template:Stack

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 5,295 people, 2,350 households, and 1,604 families residing in the county.<ref name="Census-2010-DP-1">United States Census Bureau. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 - 2010 Demographic Profile Data - Coal County, Oklahoma," Template:Webarchive American Fact Finder, Accessed July 5, 2015.</ref> There were 2,810 housing units.<ref name="Census-2010-DP-1"/> The racial makeup of the county was 74.3% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 16.7% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 7.8% from two or more races.<ref name="Census-2010-DP-1"/> 2.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.<ref name="Census-2010-DP-1"/>

There were 2,350 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families.<ref name="Census-2010-DP-1"/> 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.<ref name="Census-2010-DP-1"/> The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.06.<ref name="Census-2010-DP-1"/>

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older.<ref name="Census-2010-QT-P1">United States Census Bureau. "QT-P1 Age Groups and Sex: 2010 2010 Census Summary File 1 - Coal County, Oklahoma," Template:Webarchive American Fact Finder, Accessed July 5, 2015.</ref> The median age was 41.0 years.<ref name="Census-2010-QT-P1"/> For every 100 females there were 97.7 males.<ref name="Census-2010-QT-P1"/> For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.<ref name="Census-2010-QT-P1"/>

According to the 2013 American Community Survey, the median income for a household in the county was $34,867, and the median income for a family was $44,888.<ref name="ACS-2013">United States Census Bureau. "DP03 Selected Economic Characteristics: 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates - Coal County, Oklahoma," Template:Webarchive American Fact Finder, Accessed July 5, 2015.</ref> Male full-time, year round workers had a median income of $36,442 compared to $26,450 for female full-time, year round workers.<ref name="ACS-2013"/> The per capita income for the county was $19,752.<ref name="ACS-2013"/> About 15.8% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.9% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="ACS-2013"/>

According to the 2000 census, 94.6% spoke English, 3.0% Spanish, 1.1% German and 1.1% Choctaw as their first language.

Politics

Coal County is in many respects typical of Oklahoma politics. Once a predominantly Democratic county, its elections have become dominated by the Republican Party in recent years, although even today, Republicans only have a plurality in party registration. In 1972, Richard Nixon became the first Republican to ever carry the county in a presidential election,<ref>Mendedez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004; pp. 281-283 Template:ISBN</ref> and was the only one to do so until the 2000 election. Coal County extremely narrowly supported two Democrats amidst national Republican landslides: James M. Cox by 24 votes in 1920 and Walter Mondale by 25 votes in 1984. The county swung 41 points Republican in the 2008 presidential election, the largest swing of any county in the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of April 30, 2025<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Party		Number of Voters	Percentage
Template:Party color cell	Democratic	1,354	35.93%
Template:Party color cell	Republican	1,897	50.35%
Template:Party color cell	Libertarian	20	0.53%
Template:Party color cell	Others	497	13.19%
Total		3,768	100.00%