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Labor Market Pulse
OK NONMETROPOLITAN AREA Edition
Focus: FINANCE
Nonmetro Oklahoma cools faster than the state — but not evenly.
Up in all 77 counties
Nonmetro county unemployment trend
Year-over-year through June 2026
4.3%
Oklahoma statewide unemployment
Above 4.1% national rate, August 2026
33%+
Firms not planning wage increases
Up from 15% in 2023 (KC Fed survey)
-129,000 jobs since May 2025
National financial activities job losses
Concentrated in insurance carriers (-90,000)
This Month's Takeaways
Nonmetro unemployment now outpaces both state and national rates.
All 77 Oklahoma counties posted year-over-year unemployment increases through June 2026, with county-level softening exceeding the statewide 4.3% and national 4.1% rates. This supports a low-hire, low-fire posture for finance roles outside OKC and Tulsa — budget planning should assume slower backfill timelines, not urgency.
Financial Analyst pay is diverging sharply from the rest of finance.
Local Financial Analyst advertised pay rose significantly to $81,004 even as Credit Analyst ($56,047) and FP&A Manager ($95,669) pay both declined significantly. Consider this a signal that analytical and forecasting skill sets are being bid up locally while credit and planning functions face softer demand.
Wage-increase intentions are retreating statewide, not just locally.
Kansas City Fed survey data shows over a third of Oklahoma firms do not intend to raise wages heading into 2026, up from 15% in 2023. This is consistent with national wage deceleration (0.13% monthly earnings growth in September) and should temper assumptions built into FY2027 merit budgets.
Energy sector stability offers a partial counterweight to cooling.
Rig count held at 51 with WTI near $83.90 in August, providing some income stability in nonmetro counties tied to energy activity. Finance functions supporting energy-adjacent operations may see less labor softening than the broader nonmetro trend implies.
Local Labor Conditions
Nonmetropolitan Oklahoma counties show unemployment rates running above both state (4.3%) and national (4.1%) levels, with all 77 counties posting year-over-year increases as of June 2026 — consistent with a gradual statewide cooling rather than a localized shock. Energy sector activity (WTI averaging $83.90, 51 active rigs) and modest Finance & Insurance sector growth (1.0% statewide) are providing some offsetting demand, but over a third of Oklahoma firms now report no plans to raise wages in 2026, signaling a low-hire, low-fire posture across rural labor markets.
Leadership & Talent Implications
Softening wage-increase intentions statewide, paired with county-level unemployment running above both state and national averages, suggest Finance leaders in nonmetro Oklahoma have more hiring leverage than peers in Oklahoma City or Tulsa — but advertised pay data tells a mixed story, with Financial Analyst pay up significantly locally ($81,004) while Credit Analyst and FP&A Manager pay have both fallen significantly, pointing to uneven, role-specific demand rather than broad-based market tightness. Tighter internal approval cycles reported by Oklahoma firms mean headcount requests likely face more scrutiny this budget cycle, even where market conditions favor the employer. Consider reviewing role-specific advertised pay trends before assuming uniform wage restraint applies across the finance function.
