OKPOLICY.ORG
An overview of our work on economic opportunity in Oklahoma
Financial security and economic opportunity should be within reach for all Oklahomans. OK Policy analyzes ideas to reduce poverty and increase opportunities for individuals and families. We promote policies to expand ownership of assets which are critical to maintaining economic security over a lifetime, such as homes, businesses, vehicles, savings, investments, education, good jobs, and good credit scores.
See all of our economic opportunity research here.
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Areas of Focus
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Economic Opportunity Facts
Featured Articles and Reports
The federal housing bill is worth celebrating. Now state leaders must act.
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a bipartisan housing package, does many things, but one thing it does not do is absolve the state legislature of their duty to ensure Oklahomans have safe, affordable housing. More...
2026 KIDS COUNT: Oklahoma ranks 44th for child well-being
Oklahoma continues to rank among the bottom 10 states for overall child well-being in the 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, 50-state report of recent data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how kids are faring nationwide. • KIDS COUNT Interactive Data Book • Oklahoma Data Profile Snapshot For the 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data More...
Oklahoma’s housing crisis met with legislative silence this session
For thousands of Oklahomans, the dream of a stable home is collapsing. Fast, cheap evictions, no real tenant protections, and rising housing costs have turned a basic human need into a daily crisis. Legislators had a number of policy solutions at their fingertips this session — yet they chose virtually none of them. Tenants continue More...
Property tax cuts aren’t the real driver of housing costs (Commentary)
Oklahomans are frustrated by rising housing costs, but this session, lawmakers are targeting the wrong culprit. While property taxes are drawing most of the attention at the Capitol this year, the real cost surge — homeowners’ insurance — remains largely overlooked. Lawmakers should take a closer look before rushing to cut property taxes that fund More...
Replacing property taxes with sales taxes would hurt everyday Oklahomans (Commentary)
This legislative session, property taxes have taken center stage at the Capitol. Lawmakers have filed dozens of proposals to cut, cap, or otherwise restrict property taxes, which help fund public schools and local community services. Yet many of those proposals move forward without clear answers about how communities would make up the lost revenue. Property More...
2024 Census data: Oklahoma ranks as 8th poorest state
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 improved by a percentage point from last year, Oklahoma ranked as having the nation’s eighth More...
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 More...
Economic Opportunity Experts
