| | Van Buren, AR | McAlester, OK | United States |
| Population | 23,213 | 18,225 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 52.8% | 46.4% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 47.2% | 53.7% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 35.1 | 35.4 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 22,839 | 18,395 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 18,986 | 17,783 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 14,979 | 16,370 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 25.4% | 0.0% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 59.0% | 8.7% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 1,511.1 | 1,125.2 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 15.4 | 16.2 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.9 | 0.1 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Van Buren, AR | McAlester, OK | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 6.8% | 6.3% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 5.5% | 7.7% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 7.2% | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 3.9% | 3.5% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 2.6% | 3.1% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 5.6% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 18.4% | 17.7% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 9.4% | 13.7% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 13.0% | 9.4% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 5.9% | 6.5% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 5.4% | 6.1% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 9.5% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 5.4% | 4.1% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 1.4% | 3.2% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Van Buren, AR | McAlester, OK | United States |
| White | 74.4% | 66.7% | 59.4% |
| Black | 2.1% | 4.4% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 2.7% | 0.7% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 1.2% | 6.7% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 5.0% | 14.1% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 14.1% | 7.2% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Van Buren, AR | McAlester, OK | United States |
| Married Population | 52.3% | 44.0% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 49.6% | 41.5% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 2.8% | 2.5% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 47.7% | 56.0% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 24.3% | 31.6% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 16.6% | 15.5% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 6.8% | 8.8% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.57 | 2.37 | 2.60 |
| Households | 8,909 | 6,920 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 6,332 | 4,172 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 24.2% | 29.7% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 42.2% | 38.6% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 2,577 | 2,748 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 22.0% | 21.3% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 11.6% | 10.4% | 10.8% |