Oklahoma’s Workforce
Poverty by Age
Figure 6. Source: OSU Center for the Future of Work, 2023 Voice of the Workforce study
Poverty by Race
Figure 7. Source: OSU Center for the Future of Work, 2023 Voice of the Workforce study
Individuals facing poverty often face additional barriers to employment like illness, disability, affordable housing or caring for other family members. With children under the age of 5 experiencing the highest rate of poverty in our state, a focus on access to affordable childcare should remain a high priority. In addition, marginalized populations as a percentage experience poverty significantly more than white or all Oklahomans combined. Oklahoma has a homeownership rate of approximately 65.4%, which is right in line with the national rate of 65.2%. However, rent affordability is a current challenge that can impact poverty levels. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, 34% percent of households in Oklahoma are renters with 41% of renter households earning below 50% of the area median income and 25% of households earning below 30% of the area median income. The snapshot report also indicated that in 2022, 24% of all renters in the state paid rent which was more than half of their income.
WorkTrends 2024
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