Rural Oklahoma's labor market splits sharply by county.
2.6%–7.0%
County unemployment range
Dewey (low) vs Love County (high), May 2026
4.3%
Statewide unemployment
vs 4.1% national rate, August 2026
$1,478
Top rural weekly wage
Dewey County; 73 of 74 counties below US average
>33%
Firms not planning wage increases
Up from 15% in 2023, Kansas City Fed survey
This Month's Takeaways
01
Nonmetropolitan Oklahoma lacks a single unified labor story.
County unemployment rates span from 2.6% in Dewey to 7.0% in Love County, a five-point gap that dwarfs the statewide move from 4.0% to 4.3% this year. Any metro-wide narrative risks masking sharply divergent local conditions relevant to site-specific economic development decisions.
02
Wage gains are concentrated, not broad-based, across rural counties.
Dewey County's $1,478 average weekly wage stands far above the norm in a landscape where 73 of 74 smaller counties trail the national average. This points to energy-sector concentration, not general wage strength, driving the outlier — a distinction worth confirming before citing it as a trend.
03
Energy activity offers a steadying, not booming, signal.
WTI crude averaged $83.90 in August with the state rig count at 51, conditions described as stronger activity rather than expansion. For energy-adjacent nonmetropolitan counties, this is consistent with stabilization rather than a renewed hiring wave.
04
Statewide wage caution is filtering down to rural employers.
Federal Reserve survey data shows over a third of Oklahoma firms do not plan 2026 wage increases, up sharply from 15% in 2023. Nonmetropolitan businesses, often with thinner margins, may be disproportionately represented in that more cautious cohort.
Local Economic Conditions
Oklahoma's nonmetropolitan counties continue to operate below both state and national wage benchmarks, with wages below the national average in 73 of 74 smaller counties even as the statewide unemployment rate climbed to 4.3% in August, a full percentage point above the national 4.1% rate. Nonmetropolitan labor conditions appear to track the state's broader cooling trend — gradual unemployment increases since spring 2026 alongside softening employer wage-increase intentions — rather than any distinct rural dynamic, though county-level dispersion remains wide, from 2.6% unemployment in Dewey County to 7.0% in Love County.
Open Threads in the Data
Wide county-to-county variation in both unemployment and wages (Dewey County's $1,478 average weekly wage versus sub-national-average pay nearly everywhere else) suggests nonmetropolitan Oklahoma is not one labor market but many, each shaped by its dominant local industry — a relevant distinction for commerce leaders weighing where to site or expand operations. Statewide softening in wage-increase plans, with over a third of Oklahoma firms signaling no 2026 pay increases, points to constrained local purchasing power that may temper consumer-facing business momentum in these communities. Commerce leaders and economic development officials should consider evaluating county-level data rather than statewide averages when assessing a specific nonmetropolitan community's economic trajectory.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the OK NONMETROPOLITAN AREA metro — median advertised pay, its recent trend, and the number of active postings behind each figure. Jobs are grouped for readability and are not the same as the 10 sector classifications on the next page. For additional job detail contact WageScape.
Retail Trade
| Retail Sales Associate |
$24,757 |
→ Stable |
5,873 |
| Retail Cashier |
$24,960 |
→ Stable |
3,814 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$33,772 |
↓ Moderate decline |
739 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$79,300 |
→ Stable |
11,744 |
| Delivery Driver |
$28,612 |
→ Stable |
5,813 |
| Warehouse Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$35,360 |
↑ Moderate increase |
385 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$68,000 |
↑ Significant increase |
814 |
| HVAC Technician |
$57,692 |
↑ Moderate increase |
93 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$35,360 |
↑ Moderate increase |
648 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$34,833 |
↑ Moderate increase |
835 |
| Operations Manager |
$108,374 |
↓ Moderate decline |
27 |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$28,080 |
→ Stable |
359 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$32,734 |
→ Stable |
4,120 |
| Registered Nurse |
$95,814 |
↑ Significant increase |
10,620 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$35,297 |
↓ Moderate decline |
767 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$120,636 |
→ Stable |
204 |
| Data Engineer |
$114,852 |
↓ Moderate decline |
91 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$59,175 |
→ Stable |
376 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$65,010 |
↑ Significant increase |
98 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$68,755 |
↑ Significant increase |
30 |
| Business Analyst |
$82,078 |
↓ Moderate decline |
87 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$81,004 |
↑ Significant increase |
105 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$47,367 |
↑ Significant increase |
2,853 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$71,488 |
↑ Moderate increase |
379 |
Industry Snapshot · OK NONMETROPOLITAN AREA
Advertised pay and job-posting trends across the whole metro economy, rolled up by employer industry — not just the bellwether roles above.
| Sector |
Median Pay Change |
Job Postings Change |
| Construction |
↑ +7.0% |
↑ +22.2% |
| Manufacturing |
↑ +6.3% |
↑ +24.9% |
| Retail Trade |
↑ +12.2% |
→ −2.0% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↑ +5.5% |
↓ −15.7% |
| Information |
↑ +14.3% |
↓ −21.1% |
| Financial Activities |
↓ −3.6% |
→ +0.7% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↑ +3.2% |
↑ +9.6% |
| Education & Health Services |
↑ +9.6% |
↑ +8.8% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
↓ −3.4% |
↑ +16.7% |
| Government |
↑ +25.1% |
↓ −28.9% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Worth watching
Love County's 7.0% unemployment rate, the state's highest as of May 2026, warrants a check for whether it reflects a one-time disruption or a persistent structural issue worth flagging to state economic development officials.
Early indicator
Continued claims statewide fell to 9,678 for the week ending September 5, a four-week average of 10,166 — watch whether this downward claims trend extends into nonmetropolitan counties specifically or remains concentrated in metro areas.
Potential inflection point
Rig count and WTI pricing will shape energy-dependent county wage trajectories; a pullback in either could quickly reverse the outperformance seen in counties like Dewey.
Expected
National wage-vs-inflation divergence (3.0% wage growth against 3.4% inflation) is likely to compound in nonmetropolitan Oklahoma, where wage growth already lags national figures — a dynamic relevant to local consumer spending forecasts.
Sources & Methodology
Pay and hiring data provided by WageScape. See every source cited in this report, with links →
Advertised pay reflects the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro, not survey or payroll data. Pay trends compare the current period with the prior period for the same metro and role. Sector figures group postings by the employer's industry classification; sectors with limited classified postings are marked as such rather than estimated. This briefing is independent of, and complements, official statistics from the BLS and state labor market information offices.
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