Economically, Oklahoma’s Biggest Industry is Government

• Joe Wertz
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  Joe Wertz was a reporter and managing editor for StateImpact Oklahoma from 2011-2019. He reported on energy and environment issues for national NPR audiences and other national outlets. He previously worked as a managing editor, assistant editor and staff reporter at several major Oklahoma newspapers and studied journalism at the University of Central Oklahoma.

We’ve been looking at Oklahoma’s economy and how specific industries are contributing, and how those contributions have changed over time.

The energy industry has a big influence on Oklahoma’s policy priorities, but government has the biggest industry share of the state’s economy, data from the U.S. Department of Commerce show.

Government — as an industry — comprises about 18.7 percent of Oklahoma’s gross domestic product, which accounts for the total market value of goods and services the state produces.

Source: Oklahoma Employment Security Commission Feb. 2012 Economic Indicators Report

While government is a big piece of Oklahoma’s economic pie, other industry slices are growing more, data show.

From 2009-2010, the biggest contributor to GDP growth was retail trade, the state Employment Security Commission wrote in its February 2012 Economic Indicators report.

Durable goods manufacturing came in at No. 2, with government trailing at No. 3.

Government growth has been especially good to Lawton, whose GDP grew significantly more than Oklahoma City’s and Tulsa’s in recent years.

Editor’s note: An early version of this post attributed the Economic Indicators report to the state Department of Commerce. The report was prepared by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.