Oklahoma by the numbers
In Oklahoma, the median worker earns $43,950 a year, the typical home is worth $185,900 and carries $1,520 of property tax, and the average household pays $141 a month for electricity at 13.38¢ per kilowatt-hour.
South SPP Regulated monopoly
Energy
Oklahoma sits on top of both its fuels. It is a major natural gas producer, so gas reaches its power plants without long-haul transport cost, and it has one of the strongest wind resources in North America with a large installed fleet. Those two resources cover most of the state's generation between them.
The state also avoids most of the cost drivers that raise rates elsewhere. There is no renewable mandate, no early-retirement schedule, limited wildfire mitigation obligation, and a flat, inexpensive distribution geography.
The one significant recent event was the February 2021 winter storm, which produced extraordinary gas costs. Oklahoma responded by securitising them, issuing bonds to spread the cost over many years rather than putting it on one bill. That is why a very large one-time cost appears as a small, long-lived surcharge instead.
Averaged across the twelve months to May 2026, Oklahoma households used 1,043 kilowatt-hours a month and paid $141. At the state median wage that is about 6.7 hours of work a month to keep the lights on. For heating, a heat pump costs less to run than gas here, by about $1.92 per million BTU.
Work and pay
The median Oklahoma worker earned $43,950 in 2024, 11.2% below the national median. What distinguishes a state's labour market is rarely its biggest occupations, which are retail and food service everywhere, but what it has disproportionately.
| Occupation | Concentration | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Gambling Surveillance Officers and Gambling Investigators | 12.17× | $37,700 |
| Gambling Cage Workers | 11.34× | $29,210 |
| Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas | 10.96× | $65,080 |
| Tire Builders | 8.11× | $66,710 |
| Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians | 7.01× | $44,640 |
Property tax
The median Oklahoma homeowner pays $1,520 a year on a home worth $185,900, an effective rate of 0.82% against a national 0.98%. Nobody sets that rate. It is what falls out of county, city, school district and special district levies applied to an assessed value, so the state figure is a weighted average of 70 counties rather than a posted number.
Cost of living
Prices in Oklahoma run at 87.8 where the national average is 100, ranking it #49 of 51. Goods sit at 93.8, which is close to national almost everywhere because most goods are shipped and priced nationally. Rents sit at 62.8, and that is where states actually separate from one another. A median wage of $43,950 therefore buys what $50,057 buys nationally.
Metro areas priced separately: Oklahoma City (90.4) , Tulsa (89.2) , Fort Smith (85.9) , Lawton (85.9) .
Housing
House prices in Oklahoma rose 1.9% over the year to 2026 Q2, against a median across all states of +2.7%. Over ten years the index is +75.5%. Prices are at or near their record level.
Metro areas tracked here: Oklahoma City (+2.3%) , Tulsa (+1.8%) .
Who supplies the power
32 utilities report residential service in Oklahoma, together serving 1.8 million customers. Regulated monopoly.
Oklahoma: common questions
What does it cost to live in Oklahoma?
Prices overall run at 87.8 against a national average of 100, with rents at 62.8. The typical home is worth $185,900 and carries $1,520 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.82% against a national 0.98%. Electricity averages $141 a month at 13.38¢ per kilowatt-hour. Against that, the median wage is $43,950.
What is the property tax rate in Oklahoma?
The effective rate is 0.82% of home value, from a median bill of $1,520. It is set locally rather than by the state, so the figure is a weighted outcome across 70 counties. County by county rates.
Does a salary go further in Oklahoma?
The median wage of $43,950 buys what $50,057 buys nationally, once local prices are taken out. A state paying above the national median while charging above it for housing can leave a household no better off, and this is the arithmetic that shows which side of that line Oklahoma falls on.
Is Oklahoma expensive for electricity?
It ranks #49 of 51 jurisdictions on price at 13.38¢ per kilowatt-hour, -27.4% against the U.S. average. On the actual bill it ranks 31 of 51, because households there use 1,043 kWh a month against a national 871.
What is the median salary in Oklahoma?
$43,950 across all occupations, about $21.13 an hour, covering 1,691,930 wage and salary workers as of 2024.
Who supplies electricity in Oklahoma?
32 utilities report residential service, the largest being Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co with 710,123 customers. Regulated monopoly.
Electricity May 2026, gas 2024, utilities 2024, wages 2024. All figures from federal statistical agencies. Methodology · Sources