Oklahoma City's jobless streak ends as growth cools, wages hold firm.
4.2%
Metro unemployment rate
Up from sub-4% for 52 straight months prior
3.6% YoY
Statewide wage growth
Vs 1.2% Tulsa, 2.5% Cleveland County
Tulsa +1.4%
County-level job growth divergence
Vs Oklahoma County -0.8%, Cleveland -0.9%
0.9%
Metro real GDP growth
To $81.7B, ranked 338th nationally
This Month's Takeaways
01
Unemployment ticked up even as the state's wage floor stayed flat.
Oklahoma City's 4.2% rate sits nearly a point above last September despite voters rejecting a minimum-wage increase in June, leaving the $7.25 federal floor in place. Rising joblessness alongside an unchanged wage floor is consistent with softening labor demand rather than a policy-driven cost shock.
02
Healthcare is the metro's most reliable growth engine.
Statewide health and social assistance employment grew 2.1% in 2026 with projections for 17,840 new jobs by 2034, while Registered Nurse advertised pay in the metro rose significantly to a median of $111,912 — above the national figure. That combination signals durable, demographically driven demand rather than a cyclical hiring spike.
03
Oklahoma County and Cleveland County are losing jobs while Tulsa gains.
Oklahoma County payrolls fell 0.8% and Cleveland County 0.9% even as Tulsa grew 1.4%, pointing to uneven momentum within the state rather than a uniform slowdown. Commerce leaders comparing regional competitiveness should treat intrastate divergence as seriously as state-versus-national comparisons.
04
Wage gains are real, but participation erosion may be the bigger story.
Average weekly wages rose 3.6% statewide, ahead of large-county peers nationally, yet that gain coincides with a cooling labor market and softer firm-level wage-raise intentions heading into 2026. Wage growth without matching job growth often reflects a shrinking, more selective labor pool rather than broad economic strength.
Local Economic Conditions
Oklahoma City's unemployment rate held at 4.2% in September, nearly a full point above year-ago levels and ending a 52-month streak of sub-4% readings, as manufacturing, professional services, and government payrolls each contracted slightly. Statewide wage growth of 3.6% year-over-year is outpacing the local inflation backdrop even as fewer than two-thirds of surveyed Oklahoma firms report plans to raise pay in 2026, suggesting the metro's labor market is cooling in volume while remaining comparatively tight on price.
Open Threads in the Data
Slowing payroll growth alongside still-positive wage momentum points to a metro economy that is neither contracting sharply nor expanding briskly — a holding pattern that favors steady, selective investment over aggressive expansion or retrenchment. Sector divergence matters for site-selection and workforce-development planning: healthcare and transportation/warehousing are adding jobs locally while manufacturing and government soften, mirroring the national white-collar/blue-collar split. Current conditions suggest commerce leaders and economic development officials consider monitoring sector-specific momentum before committing to broad-based growth narratives in public messaging.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Oklahoma City, OK MSA 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 |
$28,070 |
→ Stable |
5,344 |
| Retail Cashier |
$24,960 |
↓ Moderate decline |
2,983 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$33,972 |
↓ Moderate decline |
1,330 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$79,300 |
↑ Moderate increase |
9,677 |
| Delivery Driver |
$30,836 |
↓ Moderate decline |
3,828 |
| Warehouse Manager |
$48,919 |
↓ Significant decline |
4 |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$35,360 |
↑ Moderate increase |
391 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$67,677 |
↑ Moderate increase |
1,063 |
| HVAC Technician |
$63,988 |
↑ Moderate increase |
260 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$36,400 |
→ Stable |
1,071 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$35,360 |
→ Stable |
2,130 |
| Operations Manager |
$74,397 |
↑ Significant increase |
16 |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$29,120 |
→ Stable |
267 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$33,432 |
→ Stable |
4,359 |
| Registered Nurse |
$111,912 |
↑ Significant increase |
15,515 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$37,943 |
→ Stable |
1,522 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$140,400 |
↑ Moderate increase |
2,380 |
| Data Engineer |
$127,026 |
↓ Moderate decline |
460 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$69,120 |
→ Stable |
1,265 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$83,637 |
↑ Significant increase |
289 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$61,500 |
↑ Significant increase |
104 |
| Business Analyst |
$86,633 |
↑ Moderate increase |
671 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$87,132 |
↑ Moderate increase |
320 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$48,274 |
↑ Significant increase |
5,635 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$91,260 |
↑ Significant increase |
1,187 |
Industry Snapshot · Oklahoma City, OK MSA
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 |
→ +1.7% |
↑ +53.0% |
| Manufacturing |
↑ +25.2% |
↑ +74.4% |
| Retail Trade |
↑ +7.1% |
↑ +8.4% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↑ +8.2% |
↑ +13.4% |
| Information |
↑ +23.0% |
↑ +16.5% |
| Financial Activities |
↑ +4.1% |
↑ +4.8% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↑ +9.8% |
↑ +40.1% |
| Education & Health Services |
↑ +33.1% |
↑ +44.6% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
↓ −5.5% |
→ −1.6% |
| Government |
↑ +10.8% |
↓ −14.1% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Potential inflection point
Watch whether Oklahoma City's unemployment rate stabilizes near 4.2% or continues climbing toward the statewide 4.3% figure; a third consecutive monthly increase would mark a clearer break from the metro's multi-year streak of sub-4% readings.
Early indicator
Initial unemployment claims have stayed low (1,100 for the week of September 5) even as the unemployment rate rises, a divergence worth tracking since low claims paired with rising joblessness often reflects reduced hiring rather than active layoffs.
Worth watching
Energy-sector activity, with WTI averaging near $84 and rig counts near 51, has historically provided a counterweight to metro-wide softness; sustained oil price strength into Q4 could buffer the Oklahoma City and broader state labor market.
Emerging pressure point
County-level divergence between Tulsa's growth and Oklahoma/Cleveland County contraction may widen if current sector trends persist, a pattern economic development officials should track when benchmarking the metro against peer regions.
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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