State salary profile · Oklahoma

Oklahoma Salaries

Oklahoma wages where BEA prices sit below the national average (RPP 87.8), from BLS OEWS May 2025. Published local OEWS areas include Enid, OK, Lawton, OK, Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Oklahoma City, OK, Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, then Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Tulsa, OK.

$180,309
Mean of top 50 medians
709
Occupations
8
Local wage areas
57,280
Estimated jobs (top tier)

The equal-weighted mean of the top 50 published occupation medians in Oklahoma is $180,309.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, The May 2025 release has a published median for 709 occupations in Oklahoma; percentile boundaries and local-area rows are available only where BLS publishes them. The highest-paying reported occupation, Surgeons, All Other, earns $553,790, versus $17,910 for Waiters and Waitresses at the bottom of the range. Detail is available for 4 metro areas and 4 nonmetropolitan areas. Published local OEWS areas include Enid, OK, Lawton, OK, Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Oklahoma City, OK, Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, then Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Tulsa, OK.

Oklahoma · employment ≠ wage

In Oklahoma, Fast Food and Counter Workers lead by published employment (52,520 jobs, #1 of 690) but rank #686 of 690 on median wage ($23,430), while Surgeons, All Other top the wage list at $553,790 (#1 of 690) with 80 jobs (#626 of 690). The largest payroll is not the highest published median.

52,520
Fast Food and Counter Work... employment #1
$553,790
Surgeons wage #1
#626
Employment rank of wage leader
#686
Wage rank of employment leader

Employment is OEWS tot_emp inside this state; pay is the occupation median. Same detailed-occupation pool, two rankings.

Employment of Oklahoma's #1 occupations by headcount vs median wage

Same unit (published jobs) for both named leaders. BLS OEWS May 2025.

jobs

What this shows Fast Food and Counter Workers lead Oklahoma by employment; Surgeons, All Other lead on median wage at $553,790.

Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS As of May 2025

Oklahoma, the picture in one line

Oklahoma ranks #47 of 54 states and territories by BLS-published All Occupations annual mean wage; its highest published occupation median is Surgeons, All Other at $553,790. Published local OEWS areas include Enid, OK, Lawton, OK, Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Oklahoma City, OK, Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, then Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Tulsa, OK.

#47
of 54 states by published mean wage
$553,790
top-paying: Surgeons, All Other
13th
percentile among all states
Enid, OK
local OEWS: Enid, OK and Lawton, OK

The state rank uses BLS's All Occupations mean. Occupation rows below use occupation-specific medians; the two statistics are not interchangeable. Start local checks in Enid, OK.

Where Oklahoma already employs the upper wage tier

Software Developers and Financial Managers lead Oklahoma's published employment inside this top-pay sample, order follows OEWS job counts, not median wage.

  1. 1. Software Developers 6,880 jobs · $118,100
  2. 2. Financial Managers 6,670 jobs · $132,460
  3. 3. Computer and Information Systems Managers 3,790 jobs · $137,280
  4. 4. Nurse Practitioners 3,620 jobs · $133,390
  5. 5. Pharmacists 3,610 jobs · $135,140
  6. 6. Sales Managers 3,250 jobs · $128,920
  7. 7. Physicians, All Other 2,520 jobs · $259,220
  8. 8. Chief Executives 2,390 jobs · $163,790
  9. 9. Family Medicine Physicians 2,170 jobs · $361,350
  10. 10. Industrial Production Managers 2,140 jobs · $120,570
  11. 11. Architectural and Engineering Managers 2,070 jobs · $157,330
  12. 12. Physician Assistants 1,770 jobs · $136,550
  13. 13. Human Resources Managers 1,750 jobs · $116,080
  14. 14. Petroleum Engineers 1,450 jobs · $153,020
  15. 15. Marketing Managers 1,420 jobs · $126,920
  16. 16. Managers, All Other 1,340 jobs · $131,870
  17. 17. Aerospace Engineers 1,090 jobs · $125,470
  18. 18. Nurse Anesthetists 990 jobs · $156,830
  19. 19. Dentists, General 980 jobs · $166,170
  20. 20. Engineers, All Other 860 jobs · $119,810

Local BLS wage areas inside Oklahoma

Published local OEWS areas include Enid, OK, Lawton, OK, Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Oklahoma City, OK, Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, then Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Tulsa, OK.

Enid, OK Lawton, OK Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Oklahoma City, OK Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Tulsa, OK

Observed statewide pay change

What changed, BLS OEWS 2024–2025

May 2024 → May 2025
  • BLS's published All Occupations median in Oklahoma moved from $43,950 in May 2024 to $45,600 in May 2025 (+3.8%).
  • Across the 54 states and territories priced in both releases, the median place changed +2.7%.
  • Oklahoma sits +1.0 pp ahead of that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.

Waiters and Waitresses shows the widest statewide vs national median gap in Oklahoma

Waiters and Waitresses publishes $17,910 here versus $35,230 nationally (-49.2%; 27,000statewide jobs). Next is Lawyers at $103,060 locally versus $159,670 nationally (-35.5%).

  1. Waiters and Waitresses$17,910 in Oklahoma sits 49.2% below the national Waiters and Waitresses median of $35,230 (27,000 published local jobs).
  2. Lawyers$103,060 in Oklahoma sits 35.5% below the national Lawyers median of $159,670 (6,980 published local jobs).
  3. Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$48,710 in Oklahoma sits 32.4% below the national Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education median of $72,040 (15,480 published local jobs).
  4. Bartenders$24,790 in Oklahoma sits 27.8% below the national Bartenders median of $34,340 (5,860 published local jobs).

Waiters and Waitresses and the other occupations above are descriptive OEWS endpoints for Oklahoma; they are not findings about taxes, employers, or worker experience.

· Source: BLS OEWS May 2025

The Oklahoma OEWS table has a published median for 709 occupations. The displayed top 50 rows have summed published employment of approximately 57,280; that sum does not include the bottom table or rows whose employment is suppressed. BLS publishes means and percentile boundaries only where the corresponding estimate meets its publication standards. Averaging the medians of the top 50 highest-paying occupations gives $180,309 per year. That is only a mean of the displayed upper-tier occupation medians; it is not the BLS All Occupations mean or median and does not describe a typical worker. Published local OEWS areas include Enid, OK, Lawton, OK, Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Oklahoma City, OK, Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, then Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Tulsa, OK. Local OEWS areas in this extract include Enid, OK, Lawton, OK, Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Oklahoma City, OK, Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Tulsa, OK.

At the top of the ranking, Surgeons, All Other pays a Oklahoma median of $553,790, the highest-paying reported occupation in the state. The number-two spot goes to Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric at $530,070, followed by Obstetricians and Gynecologists at $370,260. At the bottom of the published range, Waiters and Waitresses has a median of $17,910, making the displayed endpoint ratio 30.9×. The endpoints do not establish a cause or career stage. WageDex has BLS occupation rows for 4 metro areas and 4 nonmetropolitan areas assigned to Oklahoma, allowing comparisons below the statewide estimate without treating nonmetropolitan areas as MSAs.

Oklahoma's lower BEA price level (RPP 87.8) lifts the national-price reading of the published mean to about $64,863. Even then, compare Surgeons, All Other and Waiters and Waitresses inside a local OEWS area before treating either median as an offer. Published local OEWS areas include Enid, OK, Lawton, OK, Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Oklahoma City, OK, Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, then Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Tulsa, OK. Local OEWS area names are state-specific; statewide means are not metro offers.

Top-Tier Sample

75

occupations shown below

Avg. Median Salary

$180,309

top 50 occupations

Top Salary

$553,790

Surgeons, All Other

Where Oklahoma ranks by published mean wage

BLS All Occupations annual mean vs. 54 states & territories; local OEWS includes Enid, OK and Lawton, OK, Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area

$56,950 Bottom 13% higher than 13% of 54 states & territories

$0–$5,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $5,000–$10,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $10,000–$15,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $15,000–$20,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$25,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $30,000–$35,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $35,000–$40,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$45,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $45,000–$50,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Below this entry. $50,000–$55,000: 3 states & territories (6%). Below this entry. $55,000–$60,000: 8 states & territories (15%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$65,000: 16 states & territories (30%). Above this entry. $65,000–$70,000: 8 states & territories (15%). Above this entry. $70,000–$75,000: 8 states & territories (15%). Above this entry. $75,000–$80,000: 4 states & territories (7%). Above this entry. $80,000–$85,000: 3 states & territories (6%). Above this entry. $85,000–$90,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Above this entry. $90,000–$95,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $95,000–$100,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $100,000–$105,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $105,000–$110,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $110,000–$115,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Above this entry. This state $0 $115,000 every state & territory, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $5K-wide band; taller bars hold more states & territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Read the chart as text · as of May 2025
Band Count Share
$0–$5,000 0 states & territories 0%
$5,000–$10,000 0 states & territories 0%
$10,000–$15,000 0 states & territories 0%
$15,000–$20,000 0 states & territories 0%
$20,000–$25,000 0 states & territories 0%
$25,000–$30,000 0 states & territories 0%
$30,000–$35,000 0 states & territories 0%
$35,000–$40,000 1 states & territories 2%
$40,000–$45,000 0 states & territories 0%
$45,000–$50,000 1 states & territories 2%
$50,000–$55,000 3 states & territories 6%
$55,000–$60,000 (this entry) 8 states & territories 15%
$60,000–$65,000 16 states & territories 30%
$65,000–$70,000 8 states & territories 15%
$70,000–$75,000 8 states & territories 15%
$75,000–$80,000 4 states & territories 7%
$80,000–$85,000 3 states & territories 6%
$85,000–$90,000 1 states & territories 2%
$90,000–$95,000 0 states & territories 0%
$95,000–$100,000 0 states & territories 0%
$100,000–$105,000 0 states & territories 0%
$105,000–$110,000 0 states & territories 0%
$110,000–$115,000 1 states & territories 2%

$56,950 · 13th percentile of 54 states & territories

Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025

Oklahoma ranks #47 of 54 by BLS-published All Occupations annual mean wage ($56,950). It is not the median wage or a prediction for a particular worker.

National-price-equivalent mean: dividing the $56,950 BLS All Occupations mean by the BEA state RPP gives $64,863. Inputs: BEA Regional Price Parity for Oklahoma (RPP 87.8, 2024; 100 = national average, all items, table SARPP). The division is a WageDex calculation, not an after-tax or household-income measure.

Largest OEWS footprints in Oklahoma

Published employment among the top-pay sample, top 15 by jobs

jobs
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS As of May 2025

BLS publishes wage data for 709 distinct occupations in Oklahoma. The table below shows the top 50 by median annual wage, reordered by published employment for this reading. Drill into the full top-100 ranking or the fastest-growing list for deeper coverage.

Top-pay occupations in Oklahoma, by employment

View all 100 →

Same top-pay sample as the salary ranking, sorted by published Oklahoma jobs so the title sequence follows the local OEWS mix.

# Occupation Median Salary
1 Software Developers $118,100
2 Financial Managers $132,460
3 Computer and Information Systems Managers $137,280
4 Nurse Practitioners $133,390
5 Pharmacists $135,140
6 Sales Managers $128,920
7 Physicians, All Other $259,220
8 Chief Executives $163,790
9 Family Medicine Physicians $361,350
10 Industrial Production Managers $120,570
11 Architectural and Engineering Managers $157,330
12 Physician Assistants $136,550
13 Human Resources Managers $116,080
14 Petroleum Engineers $153,020
15 Marketing Managers $126,920
16 Managers, All Other $131,870
17 Aerospace Engineers $125,470
18 Nurse Anesthetists $156,830
19 Dentists, General $166,170
20 Engineers, All Other $119,810
21 Database Architects $110,110
22 Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers $119,990
23 Commercial Pilots $126,180
24 General Internal Medicine Physicians $216,570
25 Purchasing Managers $119,310
26 Transportation Inspectors $111,070
27 Natural Sciences Managers $112,260
28 Sales Engineers $114,520
29 Pediatricians, General $236,780
30 Air Traffic Controllers $123,220
31 Fundraising Managers $122,100
32 Education Administrators, All Other $112,170
33 Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $133,680
34 Physicians, Pathologists $317,850
35 Chemical Engineers $127,790
36 Psychologists, All Other $141,290
37 Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers $131,660
38 Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers $122,930
39 Surgeons, All Other $553,790
40 Psychiatrists $271,640
41 Dentists, All Other Specialists $223,160
42 Physical Scientists, All Other $112,260
43 Obstetricians and Gynecologists $370,260
44 Emergency Medicine Physicians $348,540
45 Podiatrists $253,380
46 Physicists $200,050
47 Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric $530,070
48 Medical Dosimetrists $143,120
49 Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary $113,680
50 Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric $215,760

Lowest Paying Jobs in Oklahoma

Occupation Median Salary
Waiters and Waitresses $17,910
Locker Room, Coatroom, and Dressing Room Attendants $21,590
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials $21,900
Amusement and Recreation Attendants $22,040
Fast Food and Counter Workers $23,430
Gambling Dealers $23,720
Substitute Teachers, Short-Term $23,770
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop $24,740
Bartenders $24,790
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers $25,250
Baggage Porters and Bellhops $26,260
Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers $26,260
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers $26,300
Gambling Service Workers, All Other $26,540
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers $26,830
Telemarketers $26,880
Parking Attendants $27,230
Dishwashers $27,390
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks $27,630
Physical Therapist Aides $27,630
Home Health and Personal Care Aides $27,710
Cooks, Fast Food $27,720
Childcare Workers $27,730
Medical Transcriptionists $27,740
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $27,920

Fastest Growing Jobs

View all 50 →

See national growth projections alongside the published OEWS state employment estimates for each occupation in Oklahoma. Based on BLS employment projections 2024-2034.

Metro and Nonmetropolitan Wage Areas in Oklahoma

Enid, OK Lawton, OK Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Oklahoma City, OK Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Tulsa, OK

Salary Guides

Best States for Salaries

Which states pay the most and why

Salary vs. Cost of Living

Compare local wage and price-level benchmarks

Fastest Growing Occupations

Where the job growth is heading

Nationwide states with similar All Occupations pay or employment scale

Two BLS OEWS peer sets outside Oklahoma. Local metro cards below stay inside this state; these neighborhoods are cross-state nearest neighbors on published All Occupations mean wage ($56,950 here) and reported employment (1,707,680 jobs here).

Similar mean wage

Nearest other states by BLS All Occupations annual mean wage.

Similar employment scale

Nearest headcount peers (floor 250,000 All Occupations jobs), distinct from the mean-wage column.

Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS All Occupations mean annual wage and reported employment. Employment peers exclude states already listed in the mean-wage column so the two link sets stay distinct.

Local OEWS areas and related Oklahoma pages

Published local OEWS areas include Enid, OK, Lawton, OK, Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Oklahoma City, OK, Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, then Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Tulsa, OK.

Enid, OK

Local OEWS wage area

Lawton, OK

Local OEWS wage area

Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area

Local OEWS wage area

Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area

Local OEWS wage area

Oklahoma City, OK

Local OEWS wage area

Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area

Local OEWS wage area

Highest Paying in Oklahoma

Top 100 by median salary

Fastest Growing in Oklahoma

Projected 2024-2034 growth

Surgeons, All Other

National occupation profile

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average of the top 50 occupation medians in Oklahoma? ▼
The equal-weighted mean of the top 50 published occupation medians is $180,309/year (BLS OEWS May 2025). It is not the statewide mean or median and does not describe the wage of a typical worker.
What is the average salary in Oklahoma? ▼
BLS publishes an All Occupations annual mean wage of $56,950/year for Oklahoma in the May 2025 OEWS release, which ranks 47th among the 54 states and territories with a published mean. Published local OEWS areas include Enid, OK, Lawton, OK, Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Oklahoma City, OK, Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, then Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Tulsa, OK. This is an occupational wage estimate, not a household-income statistic or a prediction for one worker.
What is the highest paying job in Oklahoma? ▼
The highest paying occupation in Oklahoma is Surgeons, All Other with a median salary of $553,790/year according to BLS data. The second highest is Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric at $530,070/year.
What jobs pay the least in Oklahoma? ▼
The lowest published occupation median in this Oklahoma ranking is Waiters and Waitresses at $17,910/year. The table does not classify that occupation as entry-level or explain why its median is lowest.
How many local BLS wage areas are shown for Oklahoma? ▼
WageDex has occupation-level wage rows for 4 metro areas and 4 nonmetropolitan areas assigned to Oklahoma. Published local OEWS areas include Enid, OK, Lawton, OK, Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Oklahoma City, OK, Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, then Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Tulsa, OK. Nonmetropolitan reporting areas are not MSAs. Compare the same occupation and statistic across areas; published coverage can differ by occupation and geography.
How many occupations are shown for Oklahoma? ▼
BLS publishes wage data for 709 distinct occupations in Oklahoma. The 50 occupations in the displayed upper tier have a combined OEWS employment estimate of approximately 57,280 jobs in covered establishments.

Price-level sources for Oklahoma

BLS OEWS state wage tables → BEA Regional Price Parities → BLS LAUS unemployment → BEA personal income by state →

What to do with this data

How to use Oklahoma wage data in a real decision

  • Oklahoma prices sit below the national BEA average (RPP 87.8), so the published $56,950 mean is closer to $64,863 nationally; still re-check Surgeons, All Other inside Enid, OK and Lawton, OK before relocating. Compare states
  • Inside Oklahoma, re-check Surgeons, All Other in Enid, OK, Lawton, OK, Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area or Oklahoma City, OK before treating the statewide median as a metro offer. Enid, OK
  • Open Surgeons, All Other for percentile bands and local-area rows; Oklahoma's statewide median of $553,790 uses a different geography than any single metro estimate. Surgeons, All Other
  • The published Oklahoma range runs from Waiters and Waitresses at $17,910 to Surgeons, All Other at $553,790; an offer still depends on the exact role and employer. Salary calculator

BLS OEWS estimates reflect the May 2025 reference period and exclude self-employed workers; some small occupation-area cells are suppressed.

Last updated: May 2025. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

State-level employment totals and local-area breakouts from BLS OEWS State and Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, May 2025. Local areas can be metropolitan or nonmetropolitan.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. State wage figures are computed directly from BLS OEWS state-level data. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Statewide figures are estimates and may not reflect pay in your specific local wage area or employer.