By:
Dave Hamby
October 29, 2026 // Updated: October 29, 2026
Data from the Census Bureau’s 2025 American Community Survey released Oct. 29 show that Oklahoma’s poverty rate was 14.4 percent, which means that nearly 1 in 7 state residents live in poverty. Oklahoma’s overall poverty rate in 2025 improved by half a percentage point compared to the previous year. For the second consecutive year, Oklahoma had the eighth highest poverty rate in the country.
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Grocery prices continue to rise, but fewer Oklahomans are receiving help buying food. Since July 2025, more than 130,000 Oklahomans have lost Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits — a decline of more than 19 percent.
For families losing assistance,…
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By:
Sabine Brown
August 28, 2026 // Updated: August 27, 2026
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.
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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…
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By:
Jill Mencke
June 21, 2026 // Updated: August 26, 2026
Oklahoma children face a host of challenges that stem from the conditions and policies shaping life in our state – nearly 1 in 4 Oklahoma children experience food insecurity, children of color are overrepresented in the youth justice system, and…
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By:
Dave Hamby
June 8, 2026 // Updated: June 17, 2026
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…
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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…
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By:
Cole Allen
May 15, 2026 // Updated: August 27, 2026
In 2016, voters approved State Questions 780 and 781, putting policies in place that have reduced our prison population and directed millions into much-needed community services. Nearly a decade later, Oklahoma voters on June 16 will have the opportunity to…
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As the gap between housing costs and wages increases, Oklahoma lawmakers should explore all options to increase housing supply and reduce evictions. Bills that make relatively small changes to Oklahoma’s Landlord Tenant Act — the laws that define the rights…
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By:
Sabine Brown
February 24, 2026 // Updated: February 24, 2026
Evictions are often referred to as the “ Scarlet E ” because of the enormous and long-lasting negative impact they have on tenants. Landlords use public court records to screen potential tenants and will often refuse to rent to someone…
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