Oklahoma’s Workforce
Households with children
According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, in 2022 it was estimated that out of a total of 276,038 children under the age of 6 years, 177,967 (64.5%) had all parents in the workforce. This number increased to 70.7% for children aged 6-17 years. The Center for American progress estimates that 55% of Oklahomans live in a childcare desert with that number increasing to 57% for Hispanic/Latino families and 68% for rural families. A childcare desert is defined as: Any census tract with more than 50 children under age 5 that contains either no childcare providers or so few options that there are more than three times as many children as licensed childcare slots. – Center for American Progress
Utilizing data from the Department of Oklahoma Human Services, Table 1 outlines the changes in childcare facilities and capacity from 2017-2023.
Table 1
Year
Total Facilities
Total all capacity
2017
3,317
122,253
2018
3,185
120,930
2019
3,038
117,031
2020
2,986
115,771
2021
2,825
113,360
2022
2,841
116,591
2023
3,108
124,186
Table 1. Source: https://childcaredeserts.org/2018/?state=OK
WorkTrends 2024
09
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