New Report Shows Oklahoma’s Economy Performing Better than Expected

August 7, 2008 -- The Oklahoman reports a midyear review of Oklahoma's economic health shows even seasoned forecasters weren't as bullish as they could have been on projecting the state's resilience amid a languishing national economy.

"As it turns out, we weren't optimistic enough," says Mark Snead, an Oklahoma State University Research Economist and Director of the Center for Applied Economic Research at OSU's William S. Spears School of Business in an interview with The Oklahoman. "This is a fun time to be in Oklahoma. This is as good as it gets."

The Oklahoman reports Snead believes Oklahoma is on a roll and that the state's stable housing market, stronger job growth and fewer credit issues have kept it ahead of any national decline as well as most non-energy states.

Snead says a "mini oil boom" is adding between 6,000-7,000 jobs a year and pushing the average salary in that industry to $100,000 a year.