Report: Oklahoma Ranks 27th in Livable Salaries, Averaging $56,102 Yearly
KTUL - February 8, 2024 6:32 am
A new report from ZipRecruiter says Oklahoma ranks 27 out of 50 states for Livable salaries.
“The average is a very terrible metric of earnings in our state,” University of Central Oklahoma economics professor Travis Roach said.
The report says as of Jan. 31, 2024, the average annual pay for a Livable salary in the state is $56,102 a year, which is approximately $26.97 an hour.
“What stands out to me is the use of the average here,” Roach said. “So we’re in the mid-20s for the average wage, but really that’s a number that also includes, for instance, Mark Daigneault’s salary. We have a bulk of our earners that are earning closer to $0 than close to a million dollars.”
The nationwide average, according to ZipRecruiter, is $61,362.
“That makes it a very thin margin. There’s not much room for error. You don’t have much chances for something to go wrong in your life, and to still be getting okay.”
ZipRecruiter says it scans its database of active jobs published locally throughout America to estimate annual salary ranges.
Amber England, who’s been working to raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage, also read the ZipRecruiter report.
“I don’t really need a study to tell me what we should be doing in Oklahoma, which is trying to make every Oklahoma family earn a living,” England said. “If you work for a living, you should be able to earn a living.”
She helped write State Question 832, which is a petition to raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2029.
“I think what the study confirms is that we have a lot of work to do to make sure we are increasing wages in Oklahoma.”
The report also listed three cities in Oklahoma where the average salary for a Livable job is above the state’s average.
At the top of the list is Lawton, with an average Livable salary of $64,754, followed by Edmond with $58,468, and Norman with $57,470.
ZipRecruiter’s report has Tulsa’s average Livable salary at $52,952, and Bartlesville at $48,867.
You can read the full report here.
