Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety15#786/924
Economy69#292/925
Housing63#339/925
Health33#620/925
Healthcare61#359/923
Environment2#900/917
Education59#379/925
Infrastructure66#313/925
Community33#617/925
Leisure & amenities55#417/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Tulsa, OK metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Distance to an airport · low14 mi
92/100Oklahoma 36 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Income adjusted for local prices · high$82,108
91/100Oklahoma $72,525United States $73,2042024U.S. Bureau of Economic AnalysisAggregated from counties
Distance to an emergency room · low4.4 mi
85/100Oklahoma 5.8 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Unemployment rate · low3.3%
82/100Oklahoma 3.4%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Job growth · high1.1%
81/100Oklahoma 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Average weekly wage · high$1,243
79/100Oklahoma $1,173United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Weaknesses

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.2 µg/m³
4/100Oklahoma 8.8 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
High ozone days · high6 days
6/100Oklahoma 4 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Median Air Quality Index · high51
12/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Property crime rate · high1,970 /100k
13/100Oklahoma 1,814 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Violent crime rate · high441 /100k
15/100Oklahoma 408 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Distance to an Amtrak station · high101 mi
16/100Oklahoma 61 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
1,017,349 (2020) → 1,069,273 (2025)
+5.1%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
High ozone daysWorsening
1 days (2017) → 6 days (2022)
+731%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Drought exposureWorsening
19% (2021) → 59% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+41 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.2% (2015-2019) → 90.7% (2020-2024)
+8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child care cost burdenWorsening
24.2% (2020 & 2021) → 32.3% (2023 & 2024)
+8.1 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Flu vaccinationsWorsening
50.7% (2019) → 42.7% (2023)
−8.1 pts4 yearsUS 48.0% → 44.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Tulsa, OK metro area improved on 19 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 4 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved19

Firearm deaths−21%21.7 /100k → 17.1 /100k
Arts & recreation+21%3.1 /10k → 3.8 /10k
Suicides−9.4%20.3 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Real income+35%$60,758 → $82,108
Grocery stores+6.6%1.1 /10k → 1.1 /10k

Declined5

Overdose deaths+31%18.7 /100k → 24.3 /100k
Libraries−7.8%0.5 /10k → 0.4 /10k
Pharmacies−18%2.2 /10k → 1.8 /10k
Traffic deaths+14%12.9 /100k → 14.6 /100k
Price / income+0.5×2.7× → 3.2×

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Tulsa, OK metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.1 /10k2020	3.8 /10k2025	+21%	Improved	76%
Average commute time	21.8 min2015-2019	22.1 min2020-2024	+0.2 min	Within the margin of error	56%
Average weekly wage	$1,0132020	$1,2432025	+23%	Improved	45%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.7%2015-2019	30.5%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Improved	49%
Broadband subscriptions	82.2%2015-2019	90.7%2020-2024	+8.5 points	Improved	46%
Child poverty rate	20.9%2015-2019	18.7%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Improved	48%
Distance to an airport	14 mi2020	14 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	18%
Drug overdose deaths	18.7 /100k2020	24.3 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+31%	Declined	14%
Effective property tax rate	1.00%2015-2019	0.88%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	50%
Firearm deaths	21.7 /100k2020	17.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−21%	Improved	83%
Grocery stores	1.1 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	+6.6%	Improved	71%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.2 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	+13%	Improved	62%
High school diploma or higher	89.4%2015-2019	90.4%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Improved	27%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.5×	Declined	44%
Homicide rate	9.9 /100k2020	5.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−41%	Improved	68%
Income adjusted for local prices	$60,7582019	$82,1082024	+35%	Improved	73%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4712015-2019	0.4692020-2024	−0.002	Within the margin of error	62%
Median household income	$55,7392015-2019	$69,3592020-2024	+24%	Improved	35%
New business applications	12.1 /1k2020	14.3 /1k2025	+18%	Improved	14%
Pharmacies	2.2 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	−18%	Declined	24%
Poverty rate	14.3%2015-2019	13.8%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Improved	41%
Property crime rate	3,141 /100k2020	1,970 /100k2025	−37%	Improved	59%
Public libraries	0.5 /10k2019	0.4 /10k2024	−7.8%	Declined	15%
Public transit commuters	0.5%2015-2019	0.3%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	60%
Rent as share of income	27.6%2015-2019	28.1%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Rent-burdened households	44.8%2015-2019	45.3%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Restaurants and bars	8.9 /10k2020	8.7 /10k2025	−2.9%	Little change	32%
Suicide rate	20.3 /100k2020	18.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−9.4%	Improved	78%
Traffic deaths	12.9 /100k2015-2019	14.6 /100k2020-2024	+14%	Declined	38%
Unemployment rate	6.5%2020	3.3%2025	−3.2 points	Improved	56%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.6%2015-2019	14.9%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Improved	65%
Violent crime rate	599 /100k2020	441 /100k2025	−26%	Improved	69%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Tulsa, OK metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Tulsa, OK metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Tulsa, OK metro area itself moved +0 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,037,534 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

406,447 households (±834)

Tulsa, OK metro area
United States share

Under $25k15%62,807
$25k–50k20%81,499
$50k–75k18%72,949

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

406,447 households (±834)

Tulsa, OK metro area
United States share

Own65%266,029
Rent35%140,418

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+0.7 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

481,489 workers (±2,254)

Tulsa, OK metro area
United States share

Drive alone77%371,034
Carpool9.2%44,480
Public transit0.3%1,300

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Tulsa, OK employ 102,020 people. 10 pay a median below the US median.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Tulsa, OK by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Fast Food and Counter Workers12,760 jobs	12,760	$26,460US $31,200	−15%	1.12×
Retail Salespersons12,110 jobs	12,110	$29,810US $35,410	−16%	1.05×
General and Operations Managers11,840 jobs	11,840	$96,150US $105,770	−9%	1.15×
Registered Nurses10,880 jobs	10,880	$84,790US $97,550	−13%	1.09×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand9,990 jobs	9,990	$36,980US $40,240	−8%	1.15×
Customer Service Representatives9,800 jobs	9,800	$38,560US $44,770	−14%	1.28×
Cashiers9,770 jobs	9,770	$29,180US $32,880	−11%	1.07×
Stockers and Order Fillers9,400 jobs	9,400	$35,270US $37,330	−6%	1.12×
Office Clerks, General8,010 jobs	8,010	$40,380US $45,010	−10%	1.1×
Waiters and Waitresses7,460 jobs	7,460	$18,350US $35,230	−48%	1.11×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Tulsa, OK.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Tulsa, OK has 25,565 employer establishments, 244 for every 10,000 residents (0.98× the US rate of 248), with 402,255 paid employees at an average annual pay of $58,251. The Census Bureau also counts 91,545 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 25,565; 91,545 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 244; US 248
Paid employees: 402,255
Average annual pay: $58,251; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Tulsa, OK by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	2,183	20.8	1.00×About typical	24,679	$73,992	3,556
Restaurants and other eating places	1,795	17.1	0.93×About typical	37,575	$20,135	479
Specialty trade contractors	1,742	16.6	1.07×About typical	15,873	$60,200	6,965
Lessors of real estate	1,171	11.2	0.91×About typical	3,875	$51,570	8,867
Religious organizations	799	7.6	1.37×More than typical	7,959	$28,332	—
Limited-service restaurants	789	7.5	0.94×About typical	17,279	$17,538	174
Full-service restaurants	752	7.2	0.93×About typical	17,476	$22,879	217
Building equipment contractors	746	7.1	1.18×About typical	7,712	$62,605	1,186
Offices of physicians	718	6.8	1.06×About typical	8,063	$116,445	710
Offices of other health practitioners	680	6.5	1.07×About typical	3,480	$47,440	1,795
Services to buildings and dwellings	644	6.1	0.91×About typical	5,138	$38,129	5,726
Legal services	640	6.1	1.14×About typical	3,714	$84,053	976

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,048,254 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $302.7M on contracts performed in Tulsa, OK metro area: $283 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $302.7M; −74% vs FY2025
Per resident: $283; US $1,994
Sole-source: 41%; US 30%
Single offer: 9.9%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$83.3M28%
Department of Housing and Urban Development$47.6M16%
Department of the Air Force$39.3M13%
Department of the Army$33M11%
Missile Defense Agency$22.9M7.6%
Bureau of Land Management$14M4.6%
Department of Veterans Affairs$13.9M4.6%
USTRANSCOM$10M3.3%

Top recipients

MAGELLAN TERMINALS HOLDINGS LP$54.5M18%
COMPU-LINK CORP$47.6M16%
CYMSTAR LLC$32.6M11%
CHEROKEE NATION INTEGRATED HEALTH, L.L.C.$26.8M8.9%
L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES INTEGRATED SYSTEMS L.P.$22.9M7.6%

Spending by fiscal year

456.3MFY2017
631.7MFY2018
706.6MFY2019
749.3MFY2020
738.4MFY2021
501.4MFY2022
519.4MFY2023
485.2M

Top industries (NAICS)

Warehousing and storage · 4931$56.1M19%
Activities related to credit intermediation · 5223$47.6M16%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$41.7M14%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$36.5M12%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$15.6M5.1%
Support activities for animal production · 1152

Largest awards

HUMANITARIAN AFGHANISTAN REFUGEE$287M
CHEROKEE NATION MANAGEMENT & CONSULTING, L.L.C..· Wagoner County, OK· Professional services· Sep 22, 2021 – Dec 2, 2025· 19AQMM21F3648
TRAINING SYSTEM ACQUISITIONS III TASK ORDER, C-5 AIR CREW TRAINING SYSTEM.$267.8M
CYMSTAR LLC· Tulsa County, OK· Equipment maintenance· Sep 11, 2017 – Apr 30, 2026· FA862117F6255
A-10 AIRCREW TRAINING SYSTEM$123.8M
CYMSTAR LLC· Tulsa County, OK· Equipment maintenance· Jul 31, 2020 – May 27, 2026· FA862120F6259
MANUFACTURE OR LEFT, RIGHT AND CENTER HORIZONTAL STABLIZERS FOR THE KC-135 AIRCRAFT.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $7.1B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Tulsa, OK metro area: $6,597 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $7.1B; −5.2% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,597; US $12,955
Loan face value: $3.1B; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.2%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$3.9B55%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$701.1M9.9%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$495.5M7.0%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$385.2M5.5%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$311M4.4%
93.773 · Medicare Hospital Insurance$198.3M2.8%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$186.9M2.6%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$100.7M1.4%

Top recipients (organizations)

OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$174.4M2.5%
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
MUSCOGEE CREEK NATION$72.1M1.0%
OKMULGEE, OK
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF TULSA$62.5M0.9%
TULSA, OK
TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGE$33.7M0.5%
TULSA, OK
OSAGE NATION$30.5M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$4.9B70%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$802.7M11%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$567.3M8.0%
Department of Health and Human Services
Federal Highway Administration$181.4M2.6%
Department of Transportation
Department of Education

Assistance by fiscal year

6BFY2021
6.1BFY2022
6.4BFY2023
6.9BFY2024
7.4BFY2025
7.1BFY2026

County aggregates

90%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Tulsa, OK

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

TulsaPrincipal city413,794

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Oklahoma

Areas based in Oklahoma, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M46140

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved19

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Tulsa, OK metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Tulsa, OK

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Oklahoma

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved19

Declined5

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought