Housing is out of reach for working Oklahomans, seniors and people with disabilities

The gap between wages and rent in Oklahoma continues to widen. According to National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2025 Out of Reach report, an Oklahoma worker needs to earn $20.98 an hour for a two-bedroom rental or $16.85 for a one-bedroom — but 2 out of 3 of the state’s most common jobs don’t pay that much. Working a full-time job isn’t enough to afford housing for half of Oklahoma renters.

For Oklahomans earning minimum wage — and for many seniors and people with disabilities — affording rent is nearly impossible. Minimum wage workers need to work nearly three full-time jobs to afford a two-bedroom rental, and Social Security payments aren’t enough to cover housing costs for seniors and Oklahomans with disabilities. Without bold action from lawmakers, more Oklahomans will be forced to choose between housing, health care, food, and other essentials.

Half of Oklahoma renters don’t make enough to afford a two-bedroom rental

More than 1 in 3 Oklahoma households rent their home, yet half of these renters earn less than the $43,640 needed annually to afford a two-bedroom unit. Those renters may face the hard choice between paying their rent, putting food on the table, or even buying a needed prescription. Unlike fixed-rate mortgage payments, rents can spike dramatically from year to year. And as the share of renters increases, the mismatch between wages and housing costs will continue to push more Oklahomans into housing insecurity.

Minimum wage workers need to work more than two full-time jobs to afford rent

At $7.25 an hour — a rate unchanged since 2009 — Oklahoma’s minimum wage workers have seen rent costs climb 60 percent while their pay stays flat. To afford a one-bedroom rental, minimum wage workers must work 93 hours a week; for a two-bedroom, 116 hours — the equivalent of nearly three full-time jobs. There simply aren’t enough hours in the week for minimum wage employees to work their way to housing stability. Single caregivers would also need childcare that doesn’t exist for even standard full-time workers, let alone the hours minimum wage workers would need to afford housing.

2 in 3 of the most common professions in Oklahoma don’t pay enough to afford a modest rental

Making more than the minimum wage doesn’t ensure housing stability either. More than two-thirds of Oklahoma’s most common professions don’t pay enough for a two-bedroom rental, and one-third don’t even pay enough for a one-bedroom. Some common professions in Oklahoma that don’t pay a livable wage include home health aides, customer service representatives, administrative assistants, and construction workers. All in all, more than half a million Oklahomans are working full-time in these professions, yet find themselves unable to afford something as basic as housing. This means Oklahoma workers are being forced to go without other life necessities or leave other bills unpaid to keep a roof over their head.

Social security isn’t enough to keep seniors and Oklahomans with disabilities housed

Seniors make up the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. In 2024, nearly 1 in 5 people experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma were over the age of 55. Without action, we should expect this rate to get worse, Social Security payments are not nearly enough to cover housing costs — and upcoming changes to federal funding threaten to push even more people into housing insecurity.

The average Social Security Income Payment in Oklahoma is $1,007 per month. For Oklahomans with disabilities relying on SSI payments, housing would need to cost no more than $302 a month to be affordable. In reality, the average studio apartment rents for $819, leaving only $118 to cover all other expenses for the month. Seniors and people with disabilities can’t downsize from a studio apartment. The only other options are moving in with friends or family or homelessness.

More Oklahomans will face eviction and homelessness without action from lawmakers

Oklahoma’s housing crisis is pushing more families, seniors, and people with disabilities towards homelessness. As Oklahoma continues to face record high eviction filing rates and homelessness, it’s clear we are moving in the wrong direction. Full-time workers, seniors and people with disabilities deserve the security of a home they can afford. State lawmakers must act now with solutions that create a state rental assistance program, strengthen renter protections, ensure a fair eviction process, and grow Oklahoma’s supply of affordable housing. At the same time, Oklahoma voters can do their part to make rent more affordable by ensuring wages keep up with costs — starting with voting “yes” on State Question 832 in 2026 to raise the minimum wage.