The rate was unchanged from July but remains nearly a percentage point above where it stood a year ago.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s unemployment rate held steady in August, but the number of unemployed Oklahomans remains substantially higher than a year ago.
The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3% in August, unchanged from July, according to data released Friday by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission. The national rate also was unchanged, at 4.1%.
Oklahoma’s rate has climbed from 3.4% in August 2025. The state had more than 85,000 unemployed people last month, up almost 16,000 from a year earlier.
Oklahoma employers added a seasonally adjusted 1,700 nonfarm jobs during August and 12,700 jobs over the past year.
Education and health services led the monthly gains with 1,300 jobs, followed by government with 1,200. Manufacturing and other services each lost 600 jobs during the month, while construction declined by 500.
Oklahoma’s average private-sector hourly wage rose to $31.76 in August, compared with $31.66 in July and $30.73 a year earlier.
