Oklahoma Ranks 7th in Lowest Unemployment Rate in the U.S.

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — New figures released by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) and the U.S. Department of Labor show Oklahoma’s unemployment rate continuing to decline.

According to Governor Stitt’s office, the unemployment rate has dropped to 3.0% in September, ranking Oklahoma the seventh lowest in the country.

The September rate is the state’s lowest since before the pandemic in February 2020, when unemployment was at 3.1%, the news release says.

The rate is an improvement from 3.2% in August when Oklahoma had the eighth lowest unemployment rate in the country.

“I am thrilled to see Oklahoma continue to be a Top Ten state with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation,” said Governor Kevin Stitt. “The decisions we made over the past 19 months, including being one of the first states to fully reopen last June, have created jobs and helped get Oklahomans back to work.”

Stitt’s office reports that employers around the state added 13,400 jobs in September, more than double the jobs created (6,400) in August.

“I’m not surprised to see Oklahoma’s unemployment rate fall below pre-pandemic levels, and reach that milestone before many other states in the nation.” said OESC Executive Director Shelley Zumwalt. “The strength in our economy is a true testament to the great work our administration is doing and I look forward to continuing to work together to grow Oklahoma’s workforce and see our state prosper.”