The number of Oklahomans who are financially secure drops in the latest national rankings. A report from the Corporation for Enterprise Development says while the national unemployment rate is dropping, in Oklahoma, there’s been little improvement in the number of people stuck in low wage jobs. Kasey Wiedrich is co-author of the report. A key factor is home ownership, and in Oklahoma, Wiedrich says the number of whites owning homes far outstrips the number owned by people of color.
She says nearly half of Oklahoma households are locked into a ‘new normal’ of perpetual financial insecurity.