Why Oklahoma City is "recession proof"

[cannon_fodder]

Largest employers - Number of employees
State of Oklahoma - 38,100
Tinker Air Force Base - 26,000
U.S. Postal Service - 8,706
University of Oklahoma - 7,902
Oklahoma City Public Schools - 5,900
US FAA Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center - 5,600
City of Oklahoma City - 5,320
- - -

97,500 government jobs. Of which only 11,000 are supported by Oklahoma City, the rest are subsidized by the entire state.  Given the population demographics that implies Tulsa has provides a huge jobs subsidy to Oklahoma City (ignoring BS like the Zink Dam revote, the tit-for-tat museum funding that ended up having the Tulsa portion stripped out, etc.). Meanwhile, Tulsa has so few State sponsored job it doesn't register in any statistics I could find.

I raise this issue for two reasons: 

1) other States transfer their services, and related jobs, around the State.  Regional centers will have some State offices to both spread the available services and keep the required support services, and associated jobs, around the state.  Oklahoma apperently has little interest in doing this.  Tulsa enjoys some mandatory services that cannot be readily outsourced to Oklahoma City - a DHS branch, workers comp Courts, and perhaps a few other small offices.  But otherwise Tulsa, nor any other major area, shares in the wealth generated by the bloated, yet "small and conservative", government down the turnpike (statistically emjoying 107000 government jobs - or 20% of all employment in Oklahoma City).

and 2) this arrangement worked fine and no one raised complaints when Tulsa could rely on oil and gas, buttressed by a strong manufacturing base, to "stay ahead."  With industry continuing to mechanize and Oklahoma City outpacing Tulsa in oil and gas jobs (not too mention their good job of position in tourism - boosting their tourism related employment to Tulsa+20,000), the difference threatens to reduce Oklahoma to one significant economic base and "everyone else."   

With technology as it stands there is no longer a reason to centralize government power, government money, and government jobs.  We believe in a small local government – yet don't seem to practice that belief.  While I applaud the job leaders in Oklahoma City have done to take care of their community, the State needs to realize there is more to Oklahoma than "the City."

/vent

[Conan71]

We spread government money around inefficiently via the prison system, university system, and a bunch of un-needed school districts.  That's Oklahoma's favored form of pork.

I get where you are going with this, but decentralization gets expensive with facility construction and operational costs, unless, of course they take up leased office space.

[dsjeffries]

Largest employers - Number of employees
State of Oklahoma - 38,100
Tinker Air Force Base - 26,000
U.S. Postal Service - 8,706
University of Oklahoma - 7,902
Oklahoma City Public Schools - 5,900
US FAA Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center - 5,600
City of Oklahoma City - 5,320
- - -

97,500 government jobs. Of which only 11,000 are supported by Oklahoma City, the rest are subsidized by the entire state.  Given the population demographics that implies Tulsa has provides a huge jobs subsidy to Oklahoma City (ignoring BS like the Zink Dam revote, the tit-for-tat museum funding that ended up having the Tulsa portion stripped out, etc.). Meanwhile, Tulsa has so few State sponsored job it doesn't register in any statistics I could find.

I raise this issue for two reasons: 

1) other States transfer their services, and related jobs, around the State.  Regional centers will have some State offices to both spread the available services and keep the required support services, and associated jobs, around the state.  Oklahoma apperently has little interest in doing this.  Tulsa enjoys some mandatory services that cannot be readily outsourced to Oklahoma City - a DHS branch, workers comp Courts, and perhaps a few other small offices.  But otherwise Tulsa, nor any other major area, shares in the wealth generated by the bloated, yet "small and conservative", government down the turnpike (statistically emjoying 107000 government jobs - or 20% of all employment in Oklahoma City).

and 2) this arrangement worked fine and no one raised complaints when Tulsa could rely on oil and gas, buttressed by a strong manufacturing base, to "stay ahead."  With industry continuing to mechanize and Oklahoma City outpacing Tulsa in oil and gas jobs (not too mention their good job of position in tourism - boosting their tourism related employment to Tulsa+20,000), the difference threatens to reduce Oklahoma to one significant economic base and "everyone else."   

With technology as it stands there is no longer a reason to centralize government power, government money, and government jobs.  We believe in a small local government – yet don't seem to practice that belief.  While I applaud the job leaders in Oklahoma City have done to take care of their community, the State needs to realize there is more to Oklahoma than "the City."

/vent

+1

[Hoss]

Response from okcpulse and/or laramie in 3....2.....1

[Townsend]

Response from okcpulse and/or laramie in 3....2.....1

They don't matter.  I'd like to hear an informed opinion from someone with decision making powers.

I'm tired of hearing Tulsa's bond issues are getting roadblocked while OKC's has full support from the governor to Tulsa reps.

[AquaMan]

Largest employers - Number of employees
State of Oklahoma - 38,100
Tinker Air Force Base - 26,000
U.S. Postal Service - 8,706
University of Oklahoma - 7,902
Oklahoma City Public Schools - 5,900
US FAA Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center - 5,600
City of Oklahoma City - 5,320
- - -

97,500 government jobs. Of which only 11,000 are supported by Oklahoma City, the rest are subsidized by the entire state.  Given the population demographics that implies Tulsa has provides a huge jobs subsidy to Oklahoma City (ignoring BS like the Zink Dam revote, the tit-for-tat museum funding that ended up having the Tulsa portion stripped out, etc.). Meanwhile, Tulsa has so few State sponsored job it doesn't register in any statistics I could find.

/vent

Although I like your vent, I have to point out that it isn't exactly on mark. Many of those jobs are not funded directly from OK taxes derived from the rest of the state.
Tinker...26,000
Postal Service....8706 (for now)
FAA....5600
City of OKC...5320
OKC public schools........5900
These are jobs that are Federally funded or funded by and for OKC residents. In comparing Tulsa to OKC in that regard you would also have to deduct the number of employees that work in Tulsa for OU, OSU that are funded by the state.

Unless I missed something, it appears that nearly 50,000 of those employees are on Federal rolls or local tax rolls not the rest of the state.

It still explains why they have less impact from economic downturns but you can't fault them for being
A. Centrally located in the state.
B. Having an international airport that is a hub in the system
C. Making use of A& B

[carltonplace]

They don't matter.  I'd like to hear an informed opinion from someone with decision making powers.

Is her honor posting on this forum? just kidding.

[Townsend]

Is her honor posting on this forum? just kidding.

"Informed" opinion

[Hoss]

They don't matter.  I'd like to hear an informed opinion from someone with decision making powers.

I'm tired of hearing Tulsa's bond issues are getting roadblocked while OKC's has full support from the governor to Tulsa reps.

I know they don't, but it's their modus operandi to strafe these kinds of threads.

[Townsend]

I know they don't, but it's their modus operandi to strafe these kinds of threads.

That was an attempt at a sideways face slap for the OKC posters.

[JCnOwasso]

The Tinker information is probably a bit off with the lease on the old GM plant, they have surely hired more work force.  Additionally, of those 26k, 11-13k are military members, and while they are "recession proof", doesn't mean they are poverty proof.   

[Conan71]

The Tinker information is probably a bit off with the lease on the old GM plant, they have surely hired more work force.  Additionally, of those 26k, 11-13k are military members, and while they are "recession proof", doesn't mean they are poverty proof.   

I think Boeing is in the old GM plant, but by any stretch of the imagination, those jobs are essentially federally-funded.

[nathanm]

To be fair, recession proof isn't really recession proof in this climate of austerity in state budgets.

[Sutton]

Curious how "recession proof" OKC is if CHK continues to have trouble and NG prices stay low.

[Conan71]

Curious how "recession proof" OKC is if CHK continues to have trouble and NG prices stay low.

Sounds like more producers are choking down supplies.