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2024 Census data: Oklahoma ranks as 8th poorest state

By: Dave Hamby
September 11, 2025 // Updated: September 12, 2025
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey, released Sept. 11, show that Oklahoma’s poverty rate was 14.9 percent, which means that more than 1 in 7 state residents live in poverty. While the state’s overall poverty rate… Read more More...

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H.R. 1 could push Oklahoma’s health care system past its breaking point

By: Kati Malicoate
January 8, 2026 // Updated: January 8, 2026
Medicaid (aka SoonerCare) doesn’t just insure people — it sustains the hospitals, clinics, and health care providers that care for entire communities. In Oklahoma, billions of Medicaid dollars keep emergency rooms open, behavioral health beds available, and rural providers afloat.… Read more [More...]

SB 1381 aims to curb unnecessary pretrial detention (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
January 6, 2026 // Updated: January 6, 2026
Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, has pre-filed Senate Bill 1381, to be known as the Pretrial Modernization Act of 2026. The bill, if passed, could help curb unnecessary detention in both county jail and Department of Corrections facilities. Oklahoma’s pretrial system… Read more [More...]

Is ‘stable revenue’ enough for Oklahoma’s future growth? (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
December 22, 2025 // Updated: December 22, 2025
•Read the analysis from OK Policy’s Aanahita Ervin •Watch the Dec. 19, 2025 Board of Equalization meeting (YouTube) •Proposed FY 2027 Revenue Certification •Learn more about Revenue Certification On December 19, the Oklahoma State Board of Equalization certified an estimated… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Budget estimate suggests mostly flat budget next year | Looking back on 2025 | Why raising the minimum wage is a win for Oklahoma’s youth | ClassWallet case highlights ongoing power struggle between Gov, AG

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
December 21, 2025 // Updated: December 20, 2025
What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In… Read more [More...]

OK Policy’s Top Publications from 2025

By: Dave Hamby
December 18, 2025 // Updated: December 18, 2025
As 2025 comes to a close, we’re highlighting OK Policy’s most impactful publications of the year. From in-depth research and data-driven analysis to timely commentary grounded in community experience, these 10 pieces show how evidence-based policy can strengthen Oklahoma’s economy,… Read more [More...]

H.R. 1’s hidden costs: What the federal megabill really means for Oklahoma

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
// Updated: December 18, 2025
H.R. 1, also called the One Big Beautiful Bill, is a federal reconciliation law passed in 2025 that delivers large tax cuts to corporations and high-income households while reducing long-term federal revenues. Marketed as a plan for “tax relief,” the… Read more [More...]

ClassWallet case highlights ongoing power struggle between Gov, AG (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
December 15, 2025 // Updated: December 16, 2025
The sour relationship between Gov. Kevin Stitt and Attorney General Gentner Drummond made news again last Friday when Drummond withdrew from Gov. Stitt’s lawsuit to recover COVID-19 era funds from Florida company ClassWallet. In 2020, the Trump Administration released $39.9… Read more [More...]

Why raising the minimum wage is a win for Oklahoma’s youth

By: Jill Mencke
December 14, 2025 // Updated: December 15, 2025
• SQ 832: Information and Resources • What you need to know about the minimum wage in Oklahoma When people talk about raising the minimum wage, the focus is usually on adults trying to support households. But higher wages don’t… Read more [More...]

Weekly Wonk: Oklahoma agencies outline big needs for next fiscal year | Property tax revenue builds the foundation for our communities | Vandalism of Civil Rights statue should remind Oklahomans that our work isn’t done

By: Dave Hamby
// Updated: December 18, 2025
What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma agencies outline big needs for next fiscal year (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
December 9, 2025 // Updated: December 9, 2025
See OK Policy’s FY 2026 Budget Highlights In his last year in office, Governor Kevin Stitt’s usual admonition to state agencies to submit a flat budget, or budget cuts, for legislative consideration during the upcoming session seems to have had… Read more [More...]

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