Thursday, Sep 10, 2026
Does Oklahoma have among the highest rates of rape?
Oklahoma had the third-highest forcible rape rate at 59.7 per 100,000 people in 2024, according to a Statista analysis of federal data.
That’s 1.6 times the national rate of 37.5 rapes per 100,000 people, but less than half of that of Alaska, which had the highest rate by far at 122.1.
The rate nationwide has decreased from 42.6 in 2019, the last year the FBI released its state-by-state Crime in the United States report. Oklahoma’s rate increased from 57.3.
Despite fluctuations, the 2024 national rape rate remains similar to what it was in 1995. It’s worth noting that due to underreporting, actual rates are likely different from reported rates.
Among the metropolitan areas with the ten highest rape rates were Lawton and Enid.
Nationwide, including in Oklahoma, four in every 10 rape victims were age 10 to 19.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Statista Forcible rape rate per 100,000 inhabitants in the United States in 2024, by state
- Statista Reported forcible rape rate in the United States from 1990 to 2024 (per 100,000 of the population)
- FBI - Criminal Justice Information Servies Division Crime in the United States - 2019
- Statista Metropolitan areas with the highest rape rate in the United States in 2024
- FBI - Crime Data Explorer Aggravated Assault Reported by Population
About fact briefs
Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by newsrooms in the Gigafact network.
See all fact briefs
Oklahoma Watch is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) corporation that produces in-depth and investigative journalism as a public service for the benefit of all Oklahomans. Through investigative, fact-driven journalism, we dig deep and examine significant issues facing our state. Our work engages all Oklahomans, amplifies the discussion of important issues and leads to change. We help develop the journalists and journalism of the future.
Learn MoreLatest Fact Briefs
Do Canadian investors own more agricultural land in Oklahoma than Chinese investors?
Tuesday, Sep 8, 2026
Are there maternity care deserts in Oklahoma?
Thursday, Sep 3, 2026