McAlester is a medium-sized city located in the state of Oklahoma. With a population of 18,140 people and six associated neighborhoods, McAlester is the 29th largest community in Oklahoma.

A relatively large number of people in McAlester telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 7.69% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Residents of the city have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 16.35 minutes getting to work every day.

The education level of McAlester citizens, measured as those with bachelor's degrees or advanced degrees, is similar to the national average for all American cities and towns. 20.49% of adults 25 and older in McAlester have a college degree.

The per capita income in McAlester in 2022 was $27,243, which is middle income relative to Oklahoma, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $108,972 for a family of four. However, McAlester contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

McAlester is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call McAlester home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of McAlester residents report their race to be White, followed by Native American. Important ancestries of people in McAlester include Irish, German, English, Italian, and Dutch.

The most common language spoken in McAlester is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Native American languages.