City Profile

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

USA · Comprehensive city data and intelligence

Overall Score

Oklahoma City serves as the vibrant capital and largest municipality of Oklahoma, blending rich frontier heritage with modern economic revitalization. Founded during the Land Run of 1889, the city has evolved from a tent settlement into a major metropolitan hub driven by energy, aerospace, and logistics. Today, neighborhoods like Deep Deuce, the Paseo Arts District, and the Plaza District offer thriving cultural scenes, local dining, and creative communities. People increasingly move to Oklahoma City for its robust job market, friendly midwestern-southern hospitality, and exceptionally manageable cost of living relative to coastal metros.

About Oklahoma

Oklahoma, located in the South Central United States, is characterized by diverse landscapes ranging from plains to mountains and a rich Native American heritage. The state's economy has historically relied on oil and gas production and agriculture, though it has diversified to include aerospace, telecommunications, energy, and manufacturing. Living in Oklahoma generally offers a lower cost of living compared to the national average. The climate features hot summers and mild winters, with a propensity for severe weather, including tornadoes. The lifestyle is often described as hospitable and friendly, with a blend of cultural history and outdoor activities.

694,800

Population

$62K

Avg Salary

Cost Index

66.4

Quality Score

How this 66/100 was calculated five components, with every reading behind them

Component	Readings used	Points	Weight	Contributes
Safety	Safety score: 65 / 100	65.0	30%	19.5
Affordability	Cost of living index (100 = national baseline): 88.0	58.8	25%	14.7
Economy & jobs	Median household income: $65,300 Income needed to live here: $48,000 Unemployment rate: 3.4%	76.3	20%	15.3
Growth	Population growth rate: 1.4% Job growth rate: 2.4%	64.0	15%	9.6
Business climate assessment	Business climate assessment: 74 / 100	74.0	10%	7.4
Overall score				66.4

Provenance. These figures were produced by the research pass recorded as Tier 1 (fast) (q=52, partial — below threshold), last refreshed 17 October 2026. They are researched estimates drawn from public sources, not a licensed data feed.

Each component is scored against fixed published endpoints, so this number is comparable with any other city and does not move as the dataset grows. Scoring framework 2026.10 — full methodology, weights and accepted ranges.

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Local Directory

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Performance

Quality Scores

Business

Livability

Affordability

Growth

Expenses

Cost of Living

The cost of living in Oklahoma City sits comfortably below the national average, making it an attractive destination for families, young professionals, and retirees alike. Housing expenses, including both renting and purchasing real estate, are significantly more affordable than the US average, allowing residents to secure more space for their money. Everyday expenses such as groceries, utilities, and transportation also trend lower, contributing to an overall high standard of living without the financial strain common in major coastal cities.

Average Rent

$1,150/mo

Groceries

$380/mo

Transport

$115/mo

Utilities

$175/mo

Healthcare

$220/mo

Gym membership (monthly)

$40.00

Cinema ticket

$12.00

Restaurant meal (mid-range)

$20.00

Monthly groceries

$380.00

Doctor visit (without insurance)

$130.00

Income

Salary Insights

Oklahoma City boasts a diverse and resilient economy anchored by traditional energy sectors alongside rapidly expanding aerospace, healthcare, and technology industries. Major employers include Tinker Air Force Base, Devon Energy, OU Health, and major hospital systems, providing a stable foundation for professional growth. The city has also cultivated a supportive environment for entrepreneurs and small businesses, resulting in steady job creation and favorable employment metrics. Remote workers frequently choose Oklahoma City to take advantage of affordable housing while earning competitive regional or national wages.

The average salary in Oklahoma City is $62,000 per year. You would need approximately $48,000 to live comfortably.

Employment

Top Industries

Healthcare +2.80% Aerospace and Defense +2.20% Logistics and Distribution +3.00% Government and Public Administration +1.10% Energy and Oil & Gas +1.50%

Weather

Climate

🌡️

63°F

Avg Temp

☀️

89°F

Summer High

❄️

31°F

Winter Low

🌧️

34.70"

Annual Rain

💧

64.00%

Humidity

🌤️

273

Sunny Days

Mobility

Transport

Oklahoma City is primarily a car-dependent metropolis, featuring an expansive highway and grid system that allows for manageable commutes compared to larger US cities. The EMBARK transit system provides bus services and the modern OKC Streetcar, connecting downtown, Midtown, and Bricktown for commuters and visitors. While public transit continues to expand, most residents rely on personal vehicles, benefiting from ample parking and generally low traffic congestion indices.

22 min

Avg Commute

38.00/10

Transit Score

42.00/10

Walkability

High

Car Dependency

At a Glance

Pros & Cons

Advantages

Median home prices remain significantly below the national average per Zillow data, offering exceptional housing affordability.

A thriving arts scene anchored by the Paseo Arts District and world-class museums like the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

An expanding and diversified economy supported by aerospace, energy, healthcare, and logistics sectors.

Abundant recreational opportunities including Lake Hefner, Riversport OKC, and extensive urban park developments.

Consistently shorter commute times compared to the national average, reducing daily transit stress.

Drawbacks

High reliance on automobiles with limited public transit coverage outside core urban districts.

Vulnerability to severe weather events, including tornadoes and extreme seasonal temperature swings.

Property tax rates and localized utility costs can fluctuate based on regional infrastructure demands.

Air quality can occasionally be impacted by regional agricultural and industrial dust during specific seasons.

Pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure remains underdeveloped in several suburban corridors.

Head to Head

Compare Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City VS Ponca City Oklahoma City VS Cincinnati Oklahoma City VS Binghamton Oklahoma City VS Akron

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Nearby Cities

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Community Q&A

Questions about Oklahoma City

What people ask about living in and moving to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

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Gathering the most common questions about Oklahoma City…

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Urblytica benchmarks its Cost of Living Index against a United States national average baseline of 100. A score of 115 means a city is approximately 15% more expensive than the national average, while a score of 85 indicates it is 15% more affordable. This composite calculation is weighted across six primary expenditure categories: housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, healthcare, and miscellaneous goods.

Urblytica aggregates housing data from multiple authoritative sources, including Multiple Listing Service (MLS) feeds, municipal property tax registries, the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), and verified historical deed transactions. This multi-tier aggregation ensures precision in tracking median home values and rental rates.

A municipality must meet minimum data-density thresholds—including consistent reporting population samples from the U.S. Census and active residential or commercial real estate transaction feeds—to ensure statistical significance before a complete scoring profile is published.

When primary agencies (such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics or U.S. Census Bureau) issue historical data revisions or benchmark corrections, Urblytica's data pipeline automatically re-indexes affected historical archives to maintain longitudinal trend accuracy.

U.S. affordability calculations incorporate federal income tax brackets, state-specific income tax rates, and local municipal tax variations to evaluate the true net tax drag on median household earnings across different states and cities.

Local county and municipal property tax millage rates are factored directly into the housing component of the cost-of-living index to reflect recurring annual tax burdens for homeowners.

The platform aggregates state sales taxes alongside county and city surtaxes to measure consumer basket purchasing power parity accurately across different retail jurisdictions.

Utility calculations apply regional seasonal consumption weightings, incorporating high summer air conditioning loads in southern states and heavy winter heating demands in northern states.

The index tracks average out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, routine outpatient visit costs, and regional health insurance premium benchmarks published by federal health agencies.

Educational metrics aggregate state standardized testing benchmarks, student-to-teacher ratios, high school graduation rates, and per-pupil expenditure data published by state departments of education.

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