Tulsa Metropolitan Area - Economy

Economy

The Tulsa metropolitan area is the economic engine of the Green Country as well as Eastern Oklahoma. In 2011 the Tulsa metropolitan area's GDP was $46.4 billion, up from 43.4 billion in 2009, nearly thirty percent of Oklahoma's economy, and the 53rd largest in the nation. The chief industries of the region are energy, aerospace, telecommunications, and manufacturing. Energy has long been a dominant player in the area's economy, as Tulsa was once dubbed the 'Oil Capital of the World'. Today, Fortune 500 energy companies still call the area home, such as ONEOK and Williams Companies. Also, a majority of American car rental companies are headquartered in the area, such as Fortune 1000 Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group. There are major manufacturing and maintenance operations for the aerospace industry in Tulsa. In 2012, Engine Advocacy ranked the Tulsa Metro as having some of the highest growth in the high-tech industry at 7.6% compared to 2.6% for the national average for 2010-2012, and is expected to have continuous growth throughout 2013. The Tulsa region is home to the 8th best workforce in aerospace, 9th best in Energy and 18th best in telecommunications. In 2001, Tulsa metro's total gross product was in the top one-third of metropolitan areas, states, and countries globally, with more than $29 billion in total goods, expected to grow at a rate of nearly $500 Million every two years.

Among its resident Tulsa area is home to two billionaires, George Kaiser (BOK Financial Corporation), and Lynn Schusterman (philanthropist).

As of Nov 2012, the Metro's unemployment rate is 5.1 percent.