Oklahoma Senate
"Oklahoma Pride "
A Weekly Update on all of the Good News about Oklahoma
Because much of the good news about our state is sometimes overlooked by state leaders and others, many positive developments and success stories in Oklahoma go unreported. It is our hope that "Oklahoma Pride," a weekly publication of the Oklahoma Senate, will ensure that the best stories about Oklahoma are told.
For example, this week in Oklahoma, did you know that......
When it comes to producing high-paying manufacturing jobs, Oklahoma is number two in the nation, trailing only Washington state. According to the The Blue Chip Job Growth Update produced by Arizona State University, Oklahoma's manufacturing job growth increased by 5.19 percent in January.
Not only did we outgrow 48 other states, we beat the pants off of our regional competitors. Texas ranked 13th, Arkansas 45th, Kansas 5th, New Mexico 20th and Colorado 23rd.
What is especially significant about the manufacturing ranking is the level of pay those industries provide their workers. Manufacturers traditionally have the highest payrolls and can help boost the personal income of the states in which they locate.
Oklahoma also scored well in overall employment growth, ranking 11th nationally in the Blue Chip report. It scored highly in the service job growth, ranking 5th. It ranked the lowest in government job growth at 34th.
Our challenge now is not only to keep up the good work, but to accelerate our economic development efforts so next time we'll be second to none!
