County-by-county data point to a broad-based softening of the state’s labor market.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission’s latest county employment report found a trend that extended across the entire state: Unemployment rates in June were higher than a year earlier in all 77 counties.
The report showed Oklahoma’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged up to 4.2 percent in June from 4.1 percent in May, while county data indicated the labor market has softened across the state over the past year.
Among the state’s three largest counties, Oklahoma County’s unemployment rate rose to 4.4 percent from 3.4 percent in June 2025. Cleveland County increased from 3.1 percent to 4.1 percent, while Canadian County climbed from 2.9 percent to 3.9 percent.
The highest unemployment rates in June were reported in Hughes County at 7.1 percent, Love County at 6.9 percent and Seminole County at 6.5 percent. The lowest rates were in Dewey County at 2.8 percent, Harmon County at 2.9 percent and Texas County at 3.0 percent.
The report also highlighted differing employment trends in Oklahoma’s two largest metropolitan areas.
The Oklahoma City metropolitan area added an estimated 1,100 nonfarm jobs over the year, led by gains in education and health services and construction. The Tulsa metropolitan area, meanwhile, lost an estimated 900 jobs compared with June 2025, as declines in manufacturing and leisure and hospitality outweighed gains in construction.
Although unemployment rates increased from a year earlier in every county, most remained below 5 percent in June, suggesting the slowdown has been broad but relatively gradual rather than the result of widespread job losses.
The monthly county report supplements the commission’s statewide employment release by providing labor force, employment and unemployment estimates for each of Oklahoma’s 77 counties. According to the report, Oklahoma County had an estimated labor force of 425,670 in June, including 407,002 employed residents and 18,668 unemployed.
