County outline
Where Stephens County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 97.6% of Stephens County’s measured area and water for 2.4%. Its combined area converts to 2,308.7 square kilometers or approximately 570,483 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 870.212 | 2,253.839 | 556,935.7 |
| Water | 21.168 | 54.825 | 13,547.5 |
| Total | 891.38 | 2,308.664 | 570,483.2 |
How Stephens County compares
By original Census land area, Stephens County ranks #34 of 77 in Oklahoma and #939 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.084 times the Oklahoma county-equivalent median of 802.7 square miles. It accounts for 1.3% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Oklahoma ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Stephens County
The Census Bureau estimates that 44,310 people lived in Stephens County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,130 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #22 of 77 in Oklahoma. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 42,856, the population has grown by 1,454 (+3.4%), compared with +4.1% for Oklahoma as a whole.
With 870.2 square miles of land, that is 51 people per square mile (20 per km²), placing Stephens County #1,526 nationally for density and #26 in Oklahoma. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Oklahoma median is 28. Put another way, there are about 13 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 42,835 | 43,150 | 43,699 | 44,134 | 44,225 | 44,310 |
| Change | — | +315 | +549 | +435 | +91 | +85 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Stephens County
8 incorporated places lie at least partly in Stephens County. Together they are home to 32,783 people (74%); the other 11,527 (26%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Duncan city, with 23,238 residents in the county. By land, Bray town is the largest at 61.6 mi². Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Central High town grew fastest since then (+4.8%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duncan cityCounty seat | 23,238 | +2.6% | 42.9 |
| Marlow city | 4,514 | +3.2% | 7.054 |
| Comanche city | 1,393 | +2.1% | 5.072 |
| Central High town | 1,229 | +4.8% | 52.9 |
| Bray town | 988 | +4.8% | 61.6 |
| Empire City town | 741 | +5% | 9.316 |
| Velma town | 570 | +3.4% | 1.369 |
| Loco town | 110 | +4.8% | 0.262 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Stephens County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Stephens County is a central county of the Duncan, OK Micropolitan Statistical Area. Stephens County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 870.2 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #235 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #282 by population. It belongs to the Lawton-Duncan, OK Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
10 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Stephens County; 7 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
73055734257343473442734817349173529735337354873573
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Stephens County
Stephens County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 4 of them. The largest neighbor is Grady County (1,100.5 mi²) and the smallest is Cotton County (632.6 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Stephens County forms a block of 6,056.1 mi² of land, of which it holds 14.4%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Stephens | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grady County | 1,100.5 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Comanche County | 1,069.3 | 1.2× larger | Compare |
| Carter County | 822.3 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Garvin County | 802.1 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Jefferson County | 759 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Cotton County | 632.6 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
How big is Stephens County compared with U.S. states?
Stephens County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.2 times as much. Oklahoma’s county land could hold about 79 areas the size of Stephens County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 29.5 miles (47.5 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Stephens County?
Stephens County has more land than 2,283 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Stephens County at #1,005 nationally by total area, 66 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 2.4%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 1.2 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Stephens County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #938 | Kearny County, Kansas | 870.5 | Compare |
| #939 | Stephens County, Oklahoma | 870.2 | This county |
| #940 | Hinds County, Mississippi | 869.8 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 34.481361, -97.855607. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 2,253,839,762 m²; AWATER: 54,824,269 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Stephens County?
Stephens County, Oklahoma has 870.2 square miles (2,253.8 km²) of land and 21.2 square miles of water, for a total area of 891.4 square miles. It ranks #939 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Stephens County the largest county in Oklahoma?
No. Stephens County ranks #34 of 77 in Oklahoma by land area. The largest is Osage County, with 2,246.7 square miles of land.
What counties border Stephens County?
Stephens County shares a land border with Jefferson County, Grady County, Garvin County, Carter County, Cotton County, and Comanche County.
What is the population of Stephens County?
The Census Bureau estimates Stephens County had 44,310 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,130 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 51 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Stephens County?
The county seat of Stephens County is Duncan.
What cities and towns are in Stephens County?
Stephens County has 8 incorporated places. The most populous five are Duncan city, Marlow city, Comanche city, Central High town, and Bray town; 11,527 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Stephens County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Duncan, OK Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Stephens County?
10 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Stephens County, and 7 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Stephens County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Stephens County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 556,936 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 570,483 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.