How many jobs were added in Oklahoma last month?
Refreshed monthly
Oklahoma gained 1,700 jobs in August 2026, ranking it 25th among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 2,400 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+1.7K
month to month change in number of jobs (August 2026)
25th
rank among states in monthly job growth (August 2026)
August 2026's gain of 1,700 jobs was the 6th consecutive month of positive job growth in Oklahoma. Monthly job growth was down from the 2,900 new jobs in July 2026.
During the latest five year period (September 2021 to August 2026), Oklahoma gained jobs in 46 out of 60 months. August 2026 had the 29th-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in July 2022 (+18,300) while job growth was weakest in June 2025 (-6,100).
There were 1,700 more jobs in August 2026 in Oklahoma than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, September 2021–August 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Oklahoma sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in August 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in August 2026 were health care and social assistance, local government, and professional, scientific, and technical services. Health care and social assistance added 1,300 jobs. Local government gained 1,000 jobs, while professional, scientific, and technical services added 900. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were durable goods, other services, and construction. Durable goods lost 700 jobs in August 2026, while other services lost 600 jobs and construction lost 500 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector gained 1,300 jobs during August 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Oklahoma (August 2026)
How has Oklahoma's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, Oklahoma lost an average of 283 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 1,758, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as fifth-lowest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 5,800 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 4,600 on average every month in 2022.
In 2025, Oklahoma lost an average of 283 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among four metro areas primarily in Oklahoma during August 2026 ranged from a loss of 100 jobs in the Tulsa, OK area to a gain of 2,100 jobs in the Oklahoma City, OK area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Oklahoma
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +2,100 | |
| 2. | +0 | |
| 3. | +0 | |
| 4. | -100 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
