Are Oklahoma tribal nations among the top employers in nonmetropolitan areas?

Direct employment by the Cherokee and Choctaw Nations, the two biggest tribes in Oklahoma, account for 10.7% and 12.5% of all employment in the nonmetropolitan counties included in their jurisdictions, respectively.

The downstream impact of vendor purchases caused by direct Cherokee employment is estimated to further indirectly support 3,195 jobs, making the Cherokee Nation responsible for a total of 13.5% of the employment in the northeast nonmetropolitan area of Oklahoma.

The Choctaw Nation is the largest employer in southeast Oklahoma.

Using 2019 data, the combined employment of all tribal nations’ businesses and governments would make them the second largest employer in Oklahoma by number of employees at 34,600, surpassing Walmart at about half the employees of the Department of Defense.

As of 2023, Oklahoma tribes directly employed 55,659 people, paying $3.3 billion in wages and benefits to Oklahomans, ultimately supporting an estimated 139,860 jobs.