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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......
Just when it seemed like Oklahoma's unemployment rate couldn't get any lower, it has. The state jobless rate for the month of February was just 3.9 percent, down from 5.3 percent the previous year. Oklahoma is almost two full points lower than the national unemployment rate of 5.7 percent. More than 1.5 million Oklahomans were at work in February, according to the State Employment Securities Commission.
Unemployment was also down in the state's two largest metro areas. Tulsa weighed in at 3.3 percent while Oklahoma City registered a jobless average of only 3.1 percent.
Oklahoma is still leading the pack in the continuing economic competition among nine Midwestern states. According to the monthly Creighton University survey, Oklahoma's was the strongest performer in the region in February. The Sooner State consistently led the Mid-American business survey in 1996 and is continuing its winning ways in 1997.
Even better times may be ahead, according to survey economist Ernie Goss. "The Oklahoma index was the highest in the region and it reflects an accelerating economy in the state," said Goss.
