While the US economy seems to float aimlessly along, the economic hubs in Southeast Oklahoma continue to grow. In many economic aspects, these communities have out-performed the US and Oklahoma over the last several years. While we have a long way to go toward achieving the national average, we have made considerable strides and are poised for continued growth. Here are a few facts about communities in our region that some may not know or may have overlooked.

• 5 out of the top 10 Oklahoma communities (over 15,000) with the highest per capita retail sales are located in SE Oklahoma (McAlester 1, Ada 2, Durant 3, Ardmore 4 and Shawnee 6).
• 5 out of the top 10 Oklahoma communities (over 15,000) with the highest retail sales growth rate are located in SE Oklahoma and each of the five communities rank in the top 10 over 5, 10, and 20 year periods.
• Each of the largest 5 communities in SE Oklahoma are projected (through 2030) amongst the highest population growth communities in the state (Durant 35%, Shawnee 21%, Ardmore 16%, McAlester 12%, and Ada 11%).
• 5 of the top 10 Oklahoma communities (over 15,000) with the fastest growing labor forces are in SE Oklahoma (Ardmore 1, Ada 2, McAlester 3, Durant 9 and Shawnee 10).
• Three of the Local Labor Markets (LLM) in SE Oklahoma are out-performing the state. The April unemployment rate for Oklahoma was 6.6% while the LLM rates for Ardmore, Ada and Durant were 5.6, 5.2 and 6.4 respectively.