Labor Market Pulse · Human Resources · September 2026
Human Resources Labor Market Report: OK NONMETROPOLITAN AREA — September 2026
Nonmetro Oklahoma cools as wage plans stall statewide.
Oklahoma's statewide unemployment rate climbed to 4.3% in August while over a third of firms now plan no 2026 wage increases, up from just 15% in 2023.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Oklahoma unemployment rate: 4.3% — Up from 4.0% in April 2026; above 4.1% national rate
- Firms planning no wage increase: 35%+ — Up from 15% in 2023 (KC Fed survey)
- County unemployment spread: 7.0% vs 2.6% — Love County high vs Dewey County low, May 2026
- Rural counties below national wage: 73 of 74 — Dewey County highest at $1,478 weekly wage
Key takeaways
Rural Oklahoma wages trail the nation almost everywhere.
73 of 74 smaller counties report average wages below the national benchmark, with only Dewey County ($1,478/week) standing out on energy-sector strength. Compensation strategy outside energy and healthcare should assume a persistent structural pay gap, not a temporary lag.
Unemployment is rising everywhere, but unevenly.
Love County's 7.0% unemployment contrasts sharply with Dewey County's 2.6%, underscoring that nonmetro labor supply is not uniform across the region. Hiring plans and turnover assumptions should be localized to county-level conditions rather than treated as a single regional market.
Employer wage plans are pulling back faster than the data shows.
Kansas City Fed surveys show over a third of Oklahoma firms now expect no wage increases in 2026, up from 15% in 2023. This signals compensation budgets tightening before unemployment fully reflects the shift — a leading indicator worth tracking ahead of 2027 planning cycles.
Healthcare remains the one durable growth lane.
Education and health services are projected to add 22,310 jobs statewide through 2034, nearly all in healthcare and social assistance. Nonmetro employers outside this sector should not expect external hiring tailwinds and may need to lean more heavily on internal mobility and retention to fill critical roles.
Median advertised pay by role — OK NONMETROPOLITAN AREA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation Analyst | $55,969 | $62,695 | $64,264 | Significant increase | $101,727 |
| HR Business Partner | $53,980 | $69,429 | $77,459 | Stable | $83,766 |
| Benefits Manager * | $80,119 | $118,692 | $119,077 | Significant increase | $117,888 |
| HRIS Analyst * | $72,292 | $83,200 | $98,968 | Significant increase | $97,555 |
| HR Coordinator | $32,282 | $40,163 | $47,485 | Stable | $50,000 |
| Recruiter | $42,687 | $54,653 | $58,043 | Stable | $68,167 |
| Payroll Specialist | $46,855 | $54,151 | $56,388 | Significant increase | $59,855 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Nonmetropolitan Oklahoma counties are cooling in step with the rest of the state, with every one of Oklahoma's 77 counties posting higher unemployment than a year earlier and rural wage levels sitting below the national average in 73 of 74 smaller counties. Energy-sector stability — WTI near $83.90 and a 51-rig count — is propping up pockets of demand, but statewide hiring intentions have softened sharply, with over a third of Oklahoma firms now planning no wage increases heading into 2026.
What it means
Loosening labor supply across nonmetro counties reduces the urgency behind aggressive signing bonuses and off-cycle pay adjustments, but softening wage plans among employers raise real retention risk for mid-skill and hourly workers who feel increasingly left behind. Workforce planning should pivot from headcount growth toward backfill discipline and targeted retention for roles tied to healthcare and energy, the two sectors showing structural rather than cyclical demand. Consider reviewing compensation bands for hourly and mid-skill roles specifically, where wage compression risk appears highest even as overall market tightness eases.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: County-level unemployment divergence — Love County at 7.0% versus Dewey at 2.6% — suggests labor availability will vary widely by location even within the same nonmetro designation. Track local claims data before finalizing regional hiring or pay strategies.
Emerging pressure point: Over a third of Oklahoma firms report no planned wage increases for 2026, a sharp jump from 2023 levels. Watch whether this softens further into Q4, which would strengthen the case for flat or modest 2027 merit budgets.
Expected: Energy sector activity (WTI near $84, 51 active rigs) remains a stabilizing force for nonmetro wages in producing counties. Monitor rig count and crude price trends as leading signals for localized pay pressure in energy-adjacent roles.
Early indicator: Statewide unemployment has risen every month since April 2026 (4.0% to 4.3%), with nonmetro counties uniformly higher year-over-year. A continued climb into Q4 would further ease hiring urgency but could also pressure retention of top performers seeking stability elsewhere.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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