Oklahoma employers added an estimated 1,700 nonfarm payroll jobs in August while the state’s unemployment rate held at 4.3% for a second month, according to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission. The monthly figures show modest job growth, but the state’s labor market remains weaker than it was a year ago by several household measures.
The civilian labor force increased by 729 people from July to 1,998,019. Resident employment rose by 954 to 1,912,849, while unemployment decreased by 225 to 85,170. Those relatively small movements left the rounded jobless rate unchanged, according to the commission’s August statewide report.
The annual comparison is less favorable. Oklahoma’s unemployment rate was nine-tenths of a percentage point higher than in August 2025. The labor force was 24,700 smaller, resident employment declined by 40,384, and the number of unemployed residents increased by 15,684, or 22.6%. The federal household estimates show Oklahoma’s annual rate increase was among the largest statistically significant increases recorded by any state.
Health services lead payroll growth
Nonfarm payroll employment reached 1,799,600 in August, up 0.1% over the month and 0.7% over the year. Education and health services added 1,300 jobs from July and 10,200 from a year earlier. Government added 1,200 jobs during August, driven mainly by a 1,000-job increase in local government employment.
Several industries moved in the opposite direction. Manufacturing lost 600 jobs over the month and 1,100 over the year. Construction declined by 500 in August, though it remained 3,800 above its August 2025 level. Other services also lost 600 jobs over the month, while trade, transportation and utilities decreased by 100.
The overall gain was concentrated in service-providing work, which added 2,700 jobs during August. Goods-producing industries lost 1,000 positions, while total private employment increased by only 500. That distribution shows why the headline payroll increase did not translate into gains across every major part of the state economy.
Private-sector average hourly pay, measured as a 12-month average, rose to $31.76 from $31.66 in July and $30.73 a year earlier. The wage increase provides some support for household income, although it does not resolve the separate decline in the number of employed Oklahoma residents over the past year.
Why employment measures diverge
The resident and payroll counts come from separate surveys. Household-based labor-force data measure people where they live and include self-employed workers. The employer survey counts jobs where workplaces are located, so someone with two payroll jobs can be counted twice. The Bureau of Labor Statistics methodology also notes that preliminary state estimates are subject to sampling and modeling error.
Nationally, unemployment remained at 4.1% in August, two-tenths below Oklahoma’s rate. BLS reported that Oklahoma’s payroll increase was not statistically significant, placing the state among 46 where employment was essentially unchanged for the month. The next state report, covering September, is scheduled for October 20.
