Pottawatomie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,454.^[1] Its county seat is Shawnee.^[2]

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Pottawatomie County
County
Pottawatomie County Courthouse in Shawnee
Location within the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°12′N 96°56′W
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
Founded	1891
Named for	Potawatomi people
Seat	Shawnee
Largest city	Shawnee
Area
• Total	793 sq mi (2,050 km2)
• Land	788 sq mi (2,040 km2)
• Water	5.7 sq mi (15 km2)  0.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	72,454
• Density	91/sq mi (35/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	5th
Website	pottawatomiecountyok.com

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Pottawatomie County is part of the Shawnee, OK micropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Oklahoma City–Shawnee, OK combined statistical area.

Pottawatomie County was carved out of land originally given to the Creek and Seminole after their forced removal from Georgia and Florida. After the Civil War, the Creek and Seminole were forced to cede their lands back to the federal government, and the area of Pottawatomie County was used to resettle the Iowa, Sac and Fox, Absentee Shawnee, Potawatomi and Kickapoo tribes.^[3]

Non-Indian settlement began on September 22, 1891, when all the tribes except the Kickapoo agreed to land allotment, where communal reservation land was divided and allotted to individual members of the tribes. The remaining land was opened to settlement.^[3]

During the land run, Pottawatomie County was organized as County "B" with Tecumseh as the county seat. In 1892, the voters of the county elected to rename County "B" as Pottawatomie County after the Potawatomi Indians.

In 1895, the Kickapoo gave up their land rights and their land was given away to white settlers in the last land run in Oklahoma.

In 1930, Shawnee, now bigger in size than Tecumseh, was approved by the voters to become the new county seat. The Pottawatomie County Court House was built in 1934 by the Public Works Administration. The court house project cost $250,000 to complete.^[3]

On May 19, 2013, during an outbreak of tornadoes, a mobile home park was nearly destroyed, killing a 79-year-old man and injuring at least six others as well as damaging at least 35 structures. Frame and brick homes west of Shawnee were also affected.^[4]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 793 square miles (2,050 km²), of which 788 square miles (2,040 km²) is land and 5.7 square miles (15 km²) (0.7%) is water.^[5]

As of the census of 2010,^[11] there were 69,442 people, 25,911 households, and 18,227 families residing in the county. The population density was 34/km² (88/sq mi). There were 29,139 housing units at an average density of 14/km² (36/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 76.3% white, 2.9% black or African American, 12.9% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from other races, and 6.3% from two or more races. About 4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race, while 9% were of American, 17% German, 14% Irish and 10% English ancestry. About 90.6% spoke English and 4.2% Spanish as their first language. At the 2020 census, its population grew to 72,454.^[1]

As of 2010, there were 25,911 households, out of which 34.5% included children under the age of 18, 51.9% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.7% were non-families. About a quarter of households consisted of a single individual and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88 males.

As of 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $41,332, and the median income for a family was $50,399. Males had a median income of $39,580 versus $27,495 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,700. About 14% of families and 18% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.4% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over. According to 2021 census estimates, its median household income was $54,896 and the county had a poverty rate of 14.4%.^[1]

The Pioneer Library System operates branch libraries in nine cities in Pottawatomie, Cleveland, and McClain counties.^[12]

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections operates the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in an unincorporated area in the county, near McLoud.^[13]

School districts include:^[16]

K-12:

Elementary only:

• Grove Public School
• Pleasant Grove Public School
• South Rock Creek Public School

The following sites in Pottawatomie County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: