Living in Bartlesville, OK

Washington County

Bartlesville is a real, distinct northeastern Oklahoma market (population approximately 38,355) anchoring the Washington County seat, genuinely defined by two real, disclosed identities: a corrected, current oil-industry heritage -- Phillips Petroleum was headquartered here for 85 years (1917-2002) before the ConocoPhillips merger moved headquarters to Houston, though today's Phillips 66 still operates a real, substantial Bartlesville Business Operations & Innovation Center and 440-acre Research Center in-city -- and Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright's only realized skyscraper, a real, 19-story 1956 landmark nicknamed "The Tree that Escaped the Crowded Forest." Housing carries a real, disclosed cross-source spread ($189,333 average value to $250,999 median sale price), and Bartlesville's own Washington County effective property tax rate ran a genuinely low 0.71%, below Oklahoma's already-low statewide cluster. This record discloses a real, recent, catastrophic hazard event directly: the May 6, 2024 Barnsdall-Bartlesville EF4 tornado killed 2 people, injured 33, and caused an estimated $25 million in damage along a 40.8-mile path -- a genuine, current reminder of Oklahoma's real tornado exposure this record does not omit.

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Housing

Median sale price$250,999

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate0.71%

Not independently sourced at the Washington County level this session. Oklahoma's top state income tax rate is 4.50%. See the Oklahoma hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Bartlesville-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

A genuinely low effective property tax rate (~0.71%, below Oklahoma's statewide cluster); a real, distinct architectural landmark (Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright's only realized skyscraper); a real, current employment anchor at Phillips 66's Bartlesville Business Operations & Innovation Center and Research Center; Ascension St. John Jane Phillips Medical Center's real, in-city specialty and emergency care; and Oklahoma's real Social Security income-tax exemption.

Cons

A real, disclosed elevated crime rate (~17.6% above the national rate, per FBI-sourced data); a real, disclosed cross-source housing-price spread that makes exact comparables harder to pin down; a real, high combined sales tax (8.9%); Oklahoma's real, statewide tornado/hail-driven elevated homeowners-insurance climate; and a real, recent, catastrophic hazard event -- the May 6, 2024 Barnsdall-Bartlesville EF4 tornado (2 deaths, 33 injuries, $25 million in damage).

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits affordability- and property-tax-conscious movers drawn to Bartlesville's genuinely low effective property tax rate, retirees who value Oklahoma's Social Security exemption alongside an in-city specialty hospital, and buyers genuinely interested in the city's distinct architectural and oil-industry heritage.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for anyone who assumes Bartlesville remains Phillips's corporate headquarters (it has not been since 2002); anyone who requires a below-national crime rate as a non-negotiable requirement, given this record's own honestly-disclosed FBI-sourced figures; anyone who needs perfect housing-price certainty given the real, disclosed cross-source spread; and anyone unwilling to take Oklahoma's real, documented tornado risk seriously given the real, recent May 2024 EF4 event.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-27. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.