The local economy of Oklahoma and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
4.3%
+0.9 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Dewey County 2.1%, highest Hughes County 6.4%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,235
+3.6%vs a year ago
1,700,570 jobs at 130,200 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
14,702
-5.5%this year vs last year
Most in Oklahoma County 6,319, Tulsa County 3,219.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+12,516
+4.3 per 1,000residents
86,935 moved in and 74,419 moved out. Most newcomers came from Texas.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Oklahoma gas price
$4.05
+$1.45vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Bryan County $3.85, highest Coal County $4.53. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Oklahoma, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
96K
+0.7%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
1.43M
+3.0%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (16.0%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$78.6B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$54,886
Highest sector: Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction $118,629.
Per employee per year
Share of Oklahoma's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 138,237 | $19,485 |
| Employment Services | 73,265 | $57,643 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 69,765 | $75,474 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 44,769 | $80,741 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 39,131 | $29,302 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 27,483 | $75,727 |
| Religious Organizations | 27,320 | $25,064 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 25,067 | $59,260 |
| Offices of Physicians | 22,696 | $105,151 |
| Grocery Stores | 21,550 | $26,457 |
| Support Activities for Mining | 20,762 | $88,710 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 19,252 | $34,336 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Oklahoma, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Oklahoma is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Oklahoma, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Oklahoma was 4.3% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 3.4% a year earlier. 1,912,849 people were employed out of a labor force of 1,998,019. Among its counties, Dewey County had the lowest rate (2.1%) and Hughes County the highest (6.4%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Oklahoma was $1,235 in Q1 2026, up 3.6% from a year earlier, across 1,700,570 jobs at 130,200 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 1,372 new homes in Oklahoma in August 2026 (1,003 single-family and 247 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 10,005, down 5.5% from the same months last year, and 14,702 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Oklahoma County (6,319), Tulsa County (3,219), Cleveland County (856) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 86,935 people moved to Oklahoma and 74,419 moved away, a net gain of 12,516 (+4.3 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Texas, California, Arkansas, and most people who left went to Texas, Arkansas, Kansas.
Regular gasoline in Oklahoma averaged $4.05 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.45 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $5.78. Among its counties, Bryan County had the lowest regular price ($3.85) and Coal County the highest ($4.53).
Health Care and Social Assistance (229,612 employees), Retail Trade (188,566 employees), Accommodation and Food Services (169,725 employees) were the largest sectors in Oklahoma in 2023. In all, 96,402 business locations employed 1,431,690 people at an average pay of $54,886 a year.