Oklahoma's energy industry generated $70 billion in economic output in a recent year, accounting for 18% of the state's GDP. The sector also directly and indirectly supported one in eight jobs statewide.
Key Takeaways
- The oil and natural gas industry generated $14.2 billion in personal income for Oklahomans in 2022
- Oklahoma employed 285,000 workers directly and indirectly in the oil and gas sector in 2022
- Oklahoma had 172 active oil and gas rigs drilling in Q4 2023, ranking 4th nationally
- In 2023, Oklahoma's natural gas production totaled 7.4 trillion cubic feet, ranking 5th in the U.S.
- In 2023, Oklahoma's crude oil production averaged 833,000 barrels per day, making it the 4th largest oil-producing state in the U.S.
Oklahoma’s energy industry remains a major economic driver, supported by strong production and ongoing investment.
Related reading
01 · Category
Economic Impact17 stats
01
The oil and natural gas industry generated $14.2 billion in personal income for Oklahomans in 2022
02
Energy sector taxes and royalties contributed $1.8 billion to Oklahoma's state budget in FY2023
03
Oklahoma's energy industry paid $4.5 billion in property taxes in 2022, 40% of statewide total
04
The industry's economic output was $70 billion in 2022, 18% of Oklahoma's GDP
05
Energy exports from Oklahoma totaled $25 billion in natural gas and oil products in 2023
06
OERB invested $120 million in roads and bridges from energy royalties since 1993
07
The multiplier effect of energy spending supported $42 billion in indirect economic activity in 2022
08
Oklahoma households saved $1,200on average in energy costs due to local production in 2023
09
Energy firms invested $15 billion in capital expenditures in Oklahoma in 2022
10
Severance taxes from oil and gas funded 25% of Oklahoma public schools in 2023, totaling $900 million
11
In 2022, the energy industry contributed $28 billion to Oklahoma's GDP, representing 24% of the total state GDP
12
Energy royalties distributed $1.1 billion to county governments in Oklahoma in FY2022
13
The sector induced $8.7 billion in supplier and payroll spending in 2022
14
Energy industry severance tax rate: 5% on oil, 7% on gas in OK 2023
15
$2.3 billion in sales taxes from energy purchases in 2022 OK
16
OERB funded $145 million in water projects from royalties 2023
17
Tourism boost from energy: $500 million indirect in 2022
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
While Oklahoma's energy industry clearly fuels everything from state coffers to local roads, it's best to remember that this $70 billion economic engine is less a golden goose and more the entire farm—paying the mortgages, funding the schools, and keeping the lights on for just about everyone.
02 · Category
Employment21 stats
01
Oklahoma employed 285,000 workers directly and indirectly in the oil and gas sector in 2022
02
The average annual wage in Oklahoma's oil and gas extraction industry was $112,500in 2023, 2.5 times the state average
03
Over 45,000 jobs were in oil and gas extraction in Oklahoma as of 2023
04
Oklahoma's energy sector supported 1 in 8 jobs statewide in 2022, totaling 312,000 positions
05
12,500 new jobs were added in Oklahoma's energy workforce from 2021 to 2023
06
Women comprised 18% of Oklahoma's oil and gas workforce in 2023, up from 12% in 2018
07
There were 5,200 drilling rig workers employed in Oklahoma in Q4 2023
08
Oklahoma trained 3,500 energy workers through OERB programs in 2022
09
Midstream sector employed 67,000 in Oklahoma, handling pipelines and processing
10
Upstream exploration jobs numbered 28,000 in Oklahoma's energy industry in 2023
11
Oklahoma's oil and gas supported 140,000 indirect jobs in manufacturing and services in 2023
12
Average tenure for oilfield workers in Oklahoma is 8.5 years, with 65% holding vocational training
13
22,000 engineers and geoscientists work in Oklahoma's energy sector as of 2023
14
Energy industry turnover rate in Oklahoma was 18% in 2022, lower than national average
15
OERB scholarships awarded to 2,800 students pursuing energy-related degrees in 2023
16
Midstream jobs grew 12% to 72,000 in Oklahoma from 2020-2023
17
9,500 truck drivers support energy logistics in Oklahoma annually
18
65,000 jobs in renewables and wind in OK 2023
19
HSE training completed by 15,000 OK energy workers yearly
20
Diversity: 25% minority workforce in OK energy 2023
21
4,200 apprenticeships in energy trades OK 2022
Interpretation
Employment Interpretation
Oklahoma's oil and gas sector is a high-paying, job-creating titan—funding one in eight state paychecks, employing everyone from 22,000 brainy engineers to 9,500 road-weary truckers—yet it’s shrewdly evolving, steadily adding women, diversifying into renewables, and betting on 2,800 students to help pry its future from the ground.
03 · Category
Infrastructure16 stats
01
Oklahoma had 172 active oil and gas rigs drilling in Q4 2023, ranking 4th nationally
02
The state has over 500,000 active oil and gas wells as of 2023
03
Oklahoma's pipeline mileage totals 45,000 miles for natural gas gathering lines
04
25 natural gas processing plants operate in Oklahoma with capacity of 8 Bcf/d
05
Cushing, Oklahoma, hub stored 70 million barrels of crude oil in 2023 peak
06
Oklahoma wind capacity reached 10,243 MW in 2023, 42% of state electricity
07
1,200 miles of crude oil pipelines originate in Oklahoma
08
45 compression stations support natural gas transport in Oklahoma
09
Oklahoma ranks 3rd in U.S. wind energy production with 40 TWh annually in 2023
10
Oklahoma wind farms generated 11,000 GWh in Q1 2024
11
1,100 oil storage tanks with capacity 50 million barrels in Cushing OK 2023
12
Plains All American pipeline moves 600,000 bpd from OK to Cushing
13
Oklahoma has 18 refineries processing 700,000 bpd capacity
14
350,000 miles of distribution pipelines for gas in OK homes/businesses
15
TransCanada Keystone XL bypassed OK but local lines carry 800k bpd
16
Wind turbines: 4,500 units operating in Oklahoma 2023
Interpretation
Infrastructure Interpretation
Oklahoma may be quietly anchoring the nation's energy past with its web of pipelines and vast oil stores, but it's also loudly harnessing the future with enough wind turbines to blow its own legacy a serious, and surprisingly breezy, kiss.
More related reading
04 · Category
Natural Gas Production17 stats
01
In 2023, Oklahoma's natural gas production totaled 7.4 trillion cubic feet, ranking 5th in the U.S.
02
The Haynesville Shale extension into Oklahoma produced 1.2 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas in 2023
03
Oklahoma's marketed natural gas production grew 8% year-over-year to 6.9 Tcf in 2022
04
Canadian County produced 850 million cubic feet per day of natural gas in Q3 2023, leading Oklahoma counties
05
STACK play natural gas output reached 3.5 Tcf annually in 2023
06
Oklahoma's natural gas proved reserves were 34 trillion cubic feet at year-end 2022, 4th in the nation
07
Average natural gas well in SCOOP produced 15 million cubic feet per day initially in 2023
08
Oklahoma flared 2.5% of its natural gas production in 2022, totaling 180 billion cubic feet
09
Natural gas processing plants in Oklahoma handled 7.1 Tcf in 2022
10
Oklahoma exported 1.2 Tcf of natural gas via pipelines to other states in 2023
11
Oklahoma natural gas gross withdrawals: 8.1 Tcf in 2022
12
SCOOP play gas production: 2.8 Tcf/year in 2023
13
Venting of natural gas in OK: 45 Bcf in 2022
14
Oklahoma LNG export potential: 1 Bcf/d from new facilities planned 2024-2028
15
Natural gas rig count averaged 120 in Oklahoma 2023
16
Associated gas from oil wells: 40% of OK total gas production 2023
17
Caddo County gas production: 650 MMcf/d in 2023
Interpretation
Natural Gas Production Interpretation
Oklahoma is quietly flexing as the nation's dependable gas station, sitting on a colossal reserve and pumping out enough energy to power half the country, all while managing to keep most of its product in the pipes instead of the atmosphere.
05 · Category
Oil Production19 stats
01
In 2023, Oklahoma's crude oil production averaged 833,000 barrels per day, making it the 4th largest oil-producing state in the U.S.
02
Oklahoma produced 304 million barrels of crude oil in the first half of 2023, up 12% from the previous year
03
The SCOOP/STACK plays in Oklahoma accounted for over 60% of the state's total crude oil production in 2022
04
Oklahoma's monthly crude oil production reached a record 899,000 barrels per day in October 2023
05
From 2019 to 2023, Oklahoma's crude oil output increased by 45%, driven by horizontal drilling in the Anadarko Basin
06
In 2022, Oklahoma's crude oil proved reserves stood at 1.1 billion barrels, ranking 6th nationally
07
Grady County, Oklahoma, led the state with 147,000 barrels per day of crude oil production in 2023
08
Oklahoma's crude oil production contributed $12.5 billion to state GDP in 2022
09
The state's average crude oil well productivity in the Anadarko Basin was 1,200 barrels per day per well in 2023
10
Oklahoma drilled 1,200 new crude oil wells in 2023, a 15% increase from 2022
11
Oklahoma's crude oil production in Blaine County averaged 45,000 bpd in 2023
12
Kingfisher County produced 120,000 bpd of crude oil, second highest in state 2023
13
Anadarko Basin crude reserves estimated at 2.5 billion barrels recoverable in 2023
14
Oklahoma's API gravity average for crude oil is 40 degrees, suitable for refining
15
75% of Oklahoma crude oil is horizontally drilled with fracking
16
Monthly production in Woods County hit 35,000 bpd in Dec 2023
17
Statewide rigless completions for oil: 450 in 2023
18
Garfield County oil: 90k bpd 2023
19
Major County oil peak: 25k bpd Q4 2023
Interpretation
Oil Production Interpretation
While still comfortably settled in fourth place nationally, Oklahoma's oil industry, with a record-breaking surge of 45% since 2019 and over 60% of its crude gushing from the prolific SCOOP/STACK plays, is clearly not content to just sit on its, albeit substantial, 1.1 billion barrels of reserves.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Oklahoma Energy Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/oklahoma-energy-industry-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Oklahoma Energy Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/oklahoma-energy-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Oklahoma Energy Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/oklahoma-energy-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
19 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level