Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · September 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Oklahoma City, OK MSA — September 2026
Oklahoma City's jobless streak ends as growth cools, wages hold firm.
Oklahoma City unemployment climbed to 4.2% — nearly a point above a year ago and ending 52 months under 4% — even as statewide wages rose 3.6%, outpacing large-county peers.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro unemployment rate: 4.2% — Up from sub-4% for 52 straight months prior
- Statewide wage growth: 3.6% YoY — Vs 1.2% Tulsa, 2.5% Cleveland County
- County-level job growth divergence: Tulsa +1.4% — Vs Oklahoma County -0.8%, Cleveland -0.9%
- Metro real GDP growth: 0.9% — To $81.7B, ranked 338th nationally
Key takeaways
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.
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.
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.
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.
Median advertised pay by role — Oklahoma City, OK MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $22,834 | $28,070 | $32,168 | Stable | $33,325 |
| Retail Cashier | $22,880 | $24,960 | $27,040 | Moderate decline | $31,200 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $29,823 | $33,972 | $36,413 | Moderate decline | $38,000 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $57,054 | $79,300 | $92,300 | Moderate increase | $78,000 |
| Delivery Driver | $27,467 | $30,836 | $33,642 | Moderate decline | $34,344 |
| Construction Laborer | $32,277 | $35,360 | $37,960 | Moderate increase | $40,560 |
| Electrician | $57,200 | $67,677 | $75,920 | Moderate increase | $71,404 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $29,683 | $36,400 | $38,480 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $30,160 | $35,360 | $37,857 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $25,017 | $29,120 | $32,676 | Stable | $33,756 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $30,687 | $33,432 | $35,872 | Stable | $41,106 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $31,200 | $37,943 | $42,000 | Stable | $43,680 |
| HVAC Technician | $52,000 | $63,988 | $67,500 | Moderate increase | $70,720 |
| Registered Nurse | $89,472 | $111,912 | $119,869 | Significant increase | $102,581 |
| Software Engineer | $101,328 | $140,400 | $157,664 | Moderate increase | $153,652 |
| Data Engineer | $96,333 | $127,026 | $139,774 | Moderate decline | $139,500 |
| Accountant | $57,376 | $69,120 | $78,750 | Stable | $72,182 |
| Financial Analyst | $72,515 | $87,132 | $101,281 | Moderate increase | $94,782 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $57,637 | $83,637 | $91,786 | Significant increase | $75,000 |
| Marketing Specialist | $46,800 | $61,500 | $69,822 | Significant increase | $62,354 |
| Operations Manager | $56,591 | $74,397 | $82,492 | Significant increase | $85,216 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $30,882 | $48,274 | $52,795 | Significant increase | $56,731 |
| Account Manager | $64,602 | $91,260 | $117,858 | Significant increase | $92,749 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $44,124 | $48,919 | $52,774 | Significant decline | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $72,815 | $86,633 | $95,143 | Moderate increase | $98,279 |
* 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
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $61,360 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $104,500 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $40,653 | Moderate increase | Moderate increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $61,973 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $136,168 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $65,896 | Moderate increase | Moderate increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $87,440 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $80,000 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $30,123 | Moderate decline | Stable |
| Government | $61,228 | Significant increase | Significant decline |
Local market 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.
What it means
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.
Looking ahead
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.
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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