A new report commissioned by the City of Tulsa shows that the energy sector has helped lift the Tulsa metro economy out of a significant recession and that the region is showing growth in jobs and personal income for the first time in four years.
The bulk of the study, researched by economists at Oklahoma City University, is focused on Tulsa’s dynamic energy sector. The 23-page report provides a picture of the Tulsa energy industry that is “uniquely layered,” to the extent that primary support activities provide more jobs than the traditional cornerstone segments of exploration, production and generation.
The report says the Tulsa metro boasts about 27,000 jobs in Exploration & Production plus power generation (utilities) and oil/gas support (drilling, technical professions). However, the report indicates there are 29,000 jobs in what it calls primary support sectors, including pipelines, refining, energy manufacturing, etc.
“Tulsa’s energy industry is alive and well,” Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett Jr. said. “This study reinforces our belief that Tulsa continues to rank as one of the top five energy centers in North America. And, in terms of the diverse nature of our energy sector, Tulsa is right up there with Houston.”
The new report, part of the mayor’s Second Century Energy initiative, expands the traditional definition of the energy sector to include not only Exploration & Production, utilities, energy transportation (pipelines, gas gathering) and oilfield services to include energy-related manufacturing and construction, renewables/conservation, and wholesale/retail fuels.
“Tulsa’s energy sector includes more than 56,000 jobs, which is about one-in-seven private-sector jobs in the metro,” Dr. Russell Evans, chief economist at the Steven Agee Energy Research & Policy Institute and author of the study, said. “But, more importantly, when you factor all energy-related jobs (direct, indirect and induced), the total jumps to about 190,000, which is nearly 60% of the private-sector workforce in the region.”
Mayor Bartlett also said the measurement of the impact of the energy sector in Tulsa would be ongoing. He said part of the project would be creation of a Tulsa energy sector index. The index, which will be a compilation of various economic and employment factors, will be issued quarterly by Dr. Evans and his team.
Tulsa Energy Sector by the Numbers
Energy Accounts for Lots of Jobs
Tulsa Metro Total Employment: 554,000
Tulsa Metro Total Private-Sector Employment: 350,000
Tulsa Metro Total Energy Sector Employment (Direct): 56,000
(Indirect): 69,000
(Induced): 66,000
(Total): 191,000
Energy Sector Diversification is #2 only to Houston
Tulsa Energy Sector’s diverse employment profile includes jobs in:
Oil and natural gas exploration/production
Utilities
Pipelines
Refining
Energy service and supply (drilling)
Natural gas midstream (gathering and marketing)
Energy related manufacturing
Energy related construction
Renewables and conservation
Coal
Fuels, wholesale and retail.
Energy Jobs = Top Jobs
Tulsa All-Industry Jobs average salary: $47.4K
Tulsa Energy Primary Jobs average salary: $105K
Tulsa Energy Primary & Secondary Jobs average salary $67K
Energy’s Economic Impact on Tulsa Metro
Tulsa Metro “Gross Domestic Product”: $44.8 billion
Tulsa Metro energy sector contribution (direct, indirect and induced): $31 billion