Janitorial Wages in Oklahoma

Market wages in Oklahoma clear $7.46/hr above the federal minimum, driven by competition in Oklahoma City and Tulsa rather than regulation. The statewide median sits at $14.96/hr (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 37-2011), well below the national median of $17.71/hr. Contractors face an offsetting cost: workers' comp class 9014 runs approximately $3.01 per $100 of payroll, the 15th highest nationally and unusually steep for an otherwise low-wage state. Total loaded labor cost runs $22 to $28/hr.

What employers should plan for

• Floor: $7.25/hr federal (40 O.S. §197.2; Oklahoma minimum wage = federal rate). Oklahoma has not enacted a state minimum wage since the federal rate was set in 2009. The wide $7.46/hr gap between minimum wage and median reflects market-driven wage competition above the legal floor.
• Local floors: No Oklahoma city or county has enacted a local minimum wage ordinance. Oklahoma City and Tulsa track the federal floor; no city has a living wage requirement applicable to private employers.
• Loaded labor rate: Commercial cleaning bids in Oklahoma run approximately $22–$28/hr total loaded cost (base wage + payroll taxes + WC ~$3.01/$100 — the WC rate partially offsets lower base wages + benefits + overhead).
• Workers' comp class 9014 base rate approximately $3.01/$100 payroll (Oklahoma NCCI jurisdiction; per Oregon DCBS 2024 state comparison — the 15th-highest nationally for this class, notably elevated given Oklahoma's otherwise low-cost labor market).

High-wage metros vs. low-wage metros

Tulsa OK MSA leads the state at median $14.98/hr (10th: $11.14, 25th: $13.47, 75th: $17.14, 90th: $19.34), reflecting the energy sector corporate headquarters concentration and a growing logistics/advanced manufacturing base. Oklahoma City MSA follows at median $14.89/hr (10th: $10.96, 25th: $13.88, 75th: $16.73, 90th: $19.02) — OKC's rapid growth has not yet translated into meaningfully higher janitorial wages relative to Tulsa. At the low end, Enid OK MSA posts median $13.81/hr (10th: $10.39, 75th: $16.73) and Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area is among the lowest at $13.62/hr median (10th: $8.69 — below federal minimum wage, likely part-time/seasonal workers).

Wage percentile distribution (BLS OEWS 2024)

• 10th percentile: $10.84/hr
• 25th percentile: $13.09/hr
• Median (50th): $14.96/hr
• 75th percentile: $16.72/hr
• 90th percentile: $18.87/hr

Oklahoma's $8.03/hr spread from 10th to 90th is moderate. The 10th percentile at $10.84/hr is significantly above the $7.25 federal minimum, reflecting a market-minimum effectively set by competition rather than law. The narrow $3.62/hr spread between median and 90th percentile ($14.71 to $18.87) indicates limited wage differentiation between average and top-tier cleaning workers — consistent with a low-union, commodity-market cleaning environment.

Union presence

Oklahoma is a right-to-work state with very low union density (~5.3% statewide, among the lower third nationally). SEIU 32BJ has no Oklahoma commercial cleaning presence; Tulsa metro union density is estimated at 4.6% (BLS). AFSCME Local 2630 represents some Oklahoma state employee custodians. The Tulsa and OKC commercial cleaning markets are entirely non-union. The elevated workers' comp rate (~$3.01/$100) despite low labor costs is somewhat unusual — Oklahoma WC has historically experienced higher claim rates relative to wages, inflating the pure premium rate for this classification.

What this means for bid math

Oklahoma offers the second-lowest median janitorial wage in this batch ($14.96/hr), but the surprisingly high NCCI 9014 rate (~$3.01/$100) partially erodes the labor cost advantage. Total loaded labor runs approximately $22–$27/hr (1.50–1.85× base). OKC and Tulsa contracts should budget $15–$16/hr as competitive base rates; rural and small-city Oklahoma markets can be priced at $13–$15/hr. No minimum wage escalation risk, no union complications, and straightforward FLSA compliance make Oklahoma one of the simpler regulatory environments in this batch. However, contractors should obtain current NCCI loss cost data from a licensed Oklahoma carrier before finalizing bid assumptions, as the $3.01/$100 rate is elevated relative to what some may expect for an otherwise low-cost state.

Primary sources

• O*NET Local Wages — Oklahoma (BLS OEWS May 2025 data)
• DOL WHD State Minimum Wage Laws
• Oklahoma Department of Labor
• Oregon DCBS Workers' Compensation Premium Rate Ranking 2024 (OK class 9014: $3.01)