Photo: Nyttend · Public domainMost of Oklahoma commutes out: there are 0.2 jobs for every working resident
Only 1% work in Oklahoma itself; outside it, Pittsburgh draws the most (7%, 23 miles). Employers in Oklahoma report 51 jobs, and 300 of its residents work somewhere. For 9% of workers, the job is at home; Pennsylvania has 16%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Oklahoma at work: what stands out
Oklahoma is a place people come home to
There are 51 jobs based in Oklahoma, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Oklahoma has about 510 people in it, 33% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Oklahoma workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 31 minutes each way, against 26 across Pennsylvania. Over a year that’s about 238 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 300 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
In and out of Oklahoma on a workday
On a workday 296 residents head out to work, 4 work right here, and 47 people come in from elsewhere.
About 510 people are in Oklahoma on a workday afternoon, 33% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
From Oklahoma, about 31 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Oklahoma workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 416 commuters (the 9% who work from home are left out). Across Pennsylvania: 81% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Where Oklahoma’s working residents head each day
Where Oklahoma clocks in
7% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The kinds of work in Oklahoma
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Oklahoma, 2013 → 2023: 30 → 51. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Oklahoma’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Half of Oklahoma commutes less than 15 miles
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Work in the towns next to Oklahoma
The biggest share goes to Washington Township (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Oklahoma workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | – | — | — | 31 min | $68,203 |
| Washington Township | 6% | A− | D | 32 min | $83,587 |
| Bell Township | under 2% | C+ | D | 29 min | $63,750 |
| Apollo | under 2% | C− | A | 24 min | $52,000 |
| Allegheny Township | under 2% | B | C+ | 33 min | $79,894 |
| East Vandergrift | under 2% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| North Apollo | under 2% | C+ | B+ | 26 min | $66,629 |
| Orchard Hills | under 2% | — | — | 27 min | — |
| Kiskiminetas Township | under 2% | B− | C− | 28 min | $64,896 |
Same-state neighbors only. East Vandergrift: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Orchard Hills: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Oklahoma’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Oklahoma: questions
What is the median household income in Oklahoma?
$68,203 (±$14,019) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Oklahoma?
6.0%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Oklahoma?
31 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Oklahoma work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Pittsburgh (7%, 23 mi), Washington Township (6%, 5 mi), Murrysville (6%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Oklahoma without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Oklahoma, from the people who make the trip.
More of Oklahoma
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.