Counties With the Highest Unemployment in Oklahoma

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Counties with the highest unemployment in Oklahoma

While today's unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.

Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Oklahoma using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in March 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

Experts have mixed views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession.

The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.

But as of April 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.9%—up slightly from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.

Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Oklahoma.

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#50. McClain County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,197 people (635 unemployed)

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#49. Rogers County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 48,525 people (1,385 unemployed)

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#48. Pontotoc County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,267 people (609 unemployed)

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#47. Bryan County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,275 people (761 unemployed)

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#46. Payne County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 41,619 people (1,237 unemployed)

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#45. Wagoner County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 41,776 people (1,273 unemployed)

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#44. Washita County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,220 people (162 unemployed)

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#43. Mayes County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,773 people (646 unemployed)

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#42. Tulsa County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 348,981 people (10,951 unemployed)

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#41. Oklahoma County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 429,299 people (13,249 unemployed)

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#40. Marshall County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,948 people (252 unemployed)

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#39. Caddo County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,930 people (377 unemployed)

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#38. Lincoln County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 17,265 people (557 unemployed)

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#37. Cotton County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,700 people (89 unemployed)

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#36. Pawnee County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,742 people (255 unemployed)

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#35. Coal County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,384 people (81 unemployed)

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#34. Craig County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,737 people (195 unemployed)

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#33. Murray County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,907 people (201 unemployed)

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#32. Stephens County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,338 people (687 unemployed)

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#31. Cherokee County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,241 people (719 unemployed)

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#30. Washington County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,603 people (791 unemployed)

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#29. Garfield County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,806 people (912 unemployed)

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#28. Creek County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 33,462 people (1,150 unemployed)

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#27. Pottawatomie County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 34,675 people (1,172 unemployed)

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#26. Greer County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 1,794 people (63 unemployed)

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#25. Jefferson County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,492 people (88 unemployed)

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#24. Sequoyah County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,425 people (627 unemployed)

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#23. Comanche County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 49,112 people (1,783 unemployed)

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#22. Kay County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,271 people (675 unemployed)

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#21. Delaware County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,072 people (745 unemployed)

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#20. Kiowa County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,628 people (138 unemployed)

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#19. Atoka County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,223 people (198 unemployed)

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#18. Adair County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,653 people (330 unemployed)

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#17. McCurtain County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,464 people (620 unemployed)

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#16. Osage County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,793 people (820 unemployed)

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#15. Carter County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 22,384 people (849 unemployed)

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#14. Choctaw County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,876 people (265 unemployed)

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#13. Le Flore County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,277 people (800 unemployed)

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#12. Muskogee County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 28,975 people (1,141 unemployed)

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#11. Tillman County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,797 people (112 unemployed)

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#10. Johnston County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,248 people (174 unemployed)

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#9. Okmulgee County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 16,477 people (669 unemployed)

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#8. Hughes County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,267 people (222 unemployed)

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#7. Okfuskee County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,740 people (203 unemployed)

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#6. Pushmataha County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,621 people (205 unemployed)

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#5. Pittsburg County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,777 people (773 unemployed)

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#4. Latimer County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,887 people (182 unemployed)

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#3. Haskell County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,520 people (219 unemployed)

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#2. Seminole County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,940 people (505 unemployed)

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#1. McIntosh County

- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,566 people (412 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.