Counties with the highest unemployment rate in Oklahoma
Unemployment rates, while significantly lower than the alarming pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, remain a subject of concern, notably as economic experts bandy around the idea of a potential recession by 2023. The last economic recession—the Great Recession of 2008-2010—sent rates up to 10% as of October 2009. It was not until the spring of 2019 that unemployment finally went down to the same level it sits at now.
As of October of this year, national unemployment is at 3.7%, 0.2% higher than in September. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2.0% in Minnesota, to 4.5% in Illinois and 4.7% in the District of Columbia. Further breakdown by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows yet another county-based spectrum within each state.
To that end, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rate in Oklahoma using data from the BLS. Counties are ranked by unemployment rate in September 2022.
#50. Grady County
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: +0.6%
- Total labor force: 27,092 (841 unemployed)
#49. Payne County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: +0.8%
- Total labor force: 38,494 (1,180 unemployed)
#48. Beckham County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.2%
- Total labor force: 9,162 (292 unemployed)
#47. Ottawa County
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: +0.9%
- Total labor force: 14,668 (463 unemployed)
#46. Rogers County
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: +0.7%
- Total labor force: 46,155 (1,465 unemployed)
#45. Wagoner County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.5%
- Total labor force: 39,608 (1,282 unemployed)
#44. Coal County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: +0.3%
- Total labor force: 2,218 (74 unemployed)
#43. Craig County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: +0.6%
- Total labor force: 5,764 (192 unemployed)
#42. Delaware County
--- 1 month change: +0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.8%
- Total labor force: 19,042 (623 unemployed)
#41. Jefferson County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.5%
- Total labor force: 2,385 (78 unemployed)
#40. Mayes County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.6%
- Total labor force: 19,579 (653 unemployed)
#39. Oklahoma County
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: +0.5%
- Total labor force: 397,815 (12,986 unemployed)
#38. Tulsa County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.4%
- Total labor force: 330,381 (10,968 unemployed)
#37. Kiowa County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.7%
- Total labor force: 3,550 (121 unemployed)
#36. Lincoln County
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: +0.7%
- Total labor force: 16,026 (542 unemployed)
#35. Marshall County
--- 1 month change: +0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.6%
- Total labor force: 7,372 (249 unemployed)
#34. Tillman County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: -2.0%
- Total labor force: 2,743 (93 unemployed)
#33. Woodward County
--- 1 month change: +0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.4%
- Total labor force: 8,200 (282 unemployed)
#32. Adair County
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: +0.7%
- Total labor force: 8,352 (296 unemployed)
#31. Murray County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.8%
- Total labor force: 6,106 (211 unemployed)
#30. Washington County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.7%
- Total labor force: 22,090 (783 unemployed)
#29. Washita County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.2%
- Total labor force: 4,809 (170 unemployed)
#28. Caddo County
--- 1 month change: +0.2%
--- 1 year change: +0.9%
- Total labor force: 11,650 (420 unemployed)
#27. Cotton County
--- 1 month change: +0.3%
--- 1 year change: +0.7%
- Total labor force: 2,620 (94 unemployed)
#26. Cherokee County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: +0.6%
- Total labor force: 19,809 (742 unemployed)
#25. Stephens County
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: +0.4%
- Total labor force: 18,566 (691 unemployed)
#24. Carter County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.5%
- Total labor force: 21,511 (828 unemployed)
#23. Creek County
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: +0.7%
- Total labor force: 31,758 (1,209 unemployed)
#22. Osage County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.7%
- Total labor force: 20,690 (781 unemployed)
#21. Sequoyah County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.6%
- Total labor force: 16,495 (634 unemployed)
#20. Kay County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.7%
- Total labor force: 18,252 (709 unemployed)
#19. Muskogee County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.7%
- Total labor force: 28,136 (1,102 unemployed)
#18. Pawnee County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.9%
- Total labor force: 7,373 (284 unemployed)
#17. Pottawatomie County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: +1.0%
- Total labor force: 32,817 (1,272 unemployed)
#16. Comanche County
--- 1 month change: +0.1%
--- 1 year change: +1.0%
- Total labor force: 47,478 (1,930 unemployed)
#15. Hughes County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: +0.3%
- Total labor force: 5,009 (206 unemployed)
#14. McCurtain County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: +0.7%
- Total labor force: 15,687 (643 unemployed)
#13. Pushmataha County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +1.1%
- Total labor force: 4,462 (182 unemployed)
#12. Greer County
--- 1 month change: +0.2%
--- 1 year change: +0.6%
- Total labor force: 1,742 (73 unemployed)
#11. Johnston County
--- 1 month change: +0.3%
--- 1 year change: +0.6%
- Total labor force: 3,648 (152 unemployed)
#10. Atoka County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +0.9%
- Total labor force: 5,002 (215 unemployed)
#9. Le Flore County
--- 1 month change: +0.2%
--- 1 year change: +0.8%
- Total labor force: 19,245 (818 unemployed)
#8. Okfuskee County
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: +1.0%
- Total labor force: 4,402 (193 unemployed)
#7. Okmulgee County
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: +1.0%
- Total labor force: 15,707 (715 unemployed)
#6. Seminole County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: +1.0%
- Total labor force: 9,208 (425 unemployed)
#5. Choctaw County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: +0.8%
- Total labor force: 5,841 (276 unemployed)
#4. Haskell County
--- 1 month change: -0.1%
--- 1 year change: +1.1%
- Total labor force: 3,904 (192 unemployed)
#3. Pittsburg County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: +0.7%
- Total labor force: 15,979 (783 unemployed)
#2. McIntosh County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: +1.0%
- Total labor force: 7,200 (387 unemployed)
#1. Latimer County
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: +1.7%
- Total labor force: 3,061 (213 unemployed)