[2] The county was created in 1890 as part of Oklahoma Territory and is named for Capt.

[3] Payne County comprises the Stillwater, OK Micropolitan Statistical Area.

The Organic Act settled a dispute between the towns of Stillwater and Perkins over which should be the county seat.

[4] In 2010, the Keystone-Cushing Pipeline (Phase II) was constructed into Payne County.

As of 2022, it had an estimated population of 82,794; according to census estimates in 2021, its racial makeup was 76.1% non-Hispanic white, 3.9% African American, 5.7% Native American, 4.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 6.0% multiracial, and 5% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Since 1968, Southerners Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton are the only Democrats to cross the 40 percent mark.

[4] World War II caused hundreds of students at Oklahoma A & M to leave school for military service.

To offset this loss to the local economy, civic and college leaders lobbied military officials and Oklahoma Senator Mike Monroney to have the school designated as a war training center.

This resulted in the establishment of twelve training programs for the Navy, with nearly 40,000 people.

[4] The wartime experience showed local political leaders that it would be essential to diversify the county's economic base.