2015 Accolades

Accolades are sorted by most recent.

USA Today: OKC a Must-Visit Destination in 2016
December 31, 2015 - USA Today
USA Today recently released a list of "14 Places in America You Have to Visit in 2016" and Oklahoma City made the list along the likes of San Diego, Hawaii, Las Vegas and more. The article highlighted the Oklahoma Boathouse District among other attractions.

OKC Ranks No. 2 for Least Housing-Poor Areas
December 13, 2015 - Credit.com
Using data from the 2014 American Community Survey, Credit.com found that Oklahoma City ranked No. 2 in the nation for "Least Housing-Poor Areas". What does that mean? In OKC, people spend just 28.4 percent of their annual income on housing. That makes the metro one of the most affordable places to live in America.

New Home Construction Continues to Be Strong in OKC
December 12, 2015 - New Geography
New Geography recently conducted a study on home construction and found that Oklahoma City ranked No. 8 nationally for new home construction. Dating back to 2010, new construction makes up about 5.5 percent of the metro's housing base.

OKC is Great for Renters and Owners
November 30, 2015 - Avalanche Consulting
Looking at recent survey data, Avalanche Consulting found that Oklahoma City ranked as the ninth "Most Affordable Metro for Renters and Owners". On average owners and renters pay around 28 percent of their income towards housing in OKC.

OKC Continues to Be Top Community for Veterans
November 5, 2015 - USAA
Oklahoma City has a strong history of supporting the military and a recent study by USAA confirmed it. The metro was ranked No. 1 for careers for people with military skill sets and No. 9 in entrepreneurship for military veterans.

Americans are "Thronging To" OKC
November 4, 2015 - New Geography
According to a new study by New Geography, Oklahoma City ranks in the top 10 for "annual rate of increase from migration" among large metros. Oklahoma City ranked No. 9 with an annual increase of 0.7 percent since 2010.

Economic Outlook Continues to Look Great for OKC
November 2, 2015 - Thumbtack
Small businesses in Oklahoma City have a higher economic outlook than anywhere else in the country according to a recent survey by Thumbtack. Jacksonville, Riverside, Charleston and Houston rounded out the top 5 respectively.

Entrepreneur: OKC is the No. 1 City Worth Moving If You Want to Launch a Business
September 11, 2015 - Entrepreneur
"Combine a strong small-business-lending environment and a lower cost of living, and you have a surprising startup haven." That is how Entrepreneur described Oklahoma City when the ranked the metro No. 1 on its "25 Cities Worth Moving to If You Want to Launch a Business" list.

Oklahoma Ranked in Top 10 in Construction Value
September 11, 2015 - NAIOP
The construction industry continues to thrive in Oklahoma as NAIOP ranked the Sooner State No. 10 in construction value. Oklahoma also ranked No. 4 in industrial construction value.

OKC is an Ideal Summer Travel Destination
August 14, 2015 - WalletHub
Looking for a fun, family summer getaway? According to WalletHub, OKC is the No. 7 "Best City for Summer Travel" this year. The website ranked the biggest 80 metros in the country over a variety of factors like cost, weather and attractions.

CBRE Ranks OKC No. 1 Best City for Small Tech Market Growth
August 13, 2015 - CBRE
Oklahoma City saw a small tech talent market growth rate of 38.9 percent between 2010 and 2013 according to a new report from CBRE. That represents the highest growth rate in the country over the period. The same report shows OKC ranked No. 4 in millennial growth over the same period.

Oklahoma Tops the Pack in Wind Power
August 13, 2015 - U.S. Department of Energy
Data from a recently released report on wind energy from the U.S. Department of Energy shows that Oklahoma ranked No. 2 in installed wind power capacity last year. Oklahoma also ranked No. 4 for cumulative installed capacity.

Oklahomans Have More Purchasing Power
August 7, 2015 - Tax Foundation
Using Real Personal State Income data, the Tax Foundation found that Oklahoma ranks No. 9 in the U.S. for purchasing power. The state's purchasing power of $111.23 is more $11 more than the national average.

OKC Continues to get High Marks for Housing Market
August 7, 2015 - WalletHub
In a study of the 25 largest metros, WalletHub ranked OKC No. 2 on its "Healthiest Housing Market" list. Oklahoma City ranked especially high in lowest percentage of mortgages that are underwater.

STEM Professionals Should Look Towards OKC
August 7, 2015 - WalletHub
Website WalletHub studied the 100 biggest U.S. metros across key metrics to find the best job markets for STEM professionals. High STEM employment growth in the metro helped OKC ranks as the No. 7 best metro for STEM professionals.

Manufacturing Remains Strong in OKC
July 28, 2015 - New Geography
Oklahoma City continues to have one of the strongest manufacturing bases in the U.S. according to a new report from New Geography. Looking at a range of data points, the publication ranked OKC No. 6 on its "Best Large City for Manufacturing Jobs" list. The metro was the highest ranked city west of the Mississippi.

The Oklahoma Economy is Doing A-OK
July 17, 2015 - Mercatus Center
The Oklahoma economy continues to perform above the national average but don't take our word for it. Recently the Mercatus Center ranked Oklahoma No. 9 in its state fiscal health study. The ranking is based on both short and long-term fiscal solvency.

Oklahoma City Ranks High for Recession Recovery
July 17, 2015 - Glassdoor
According to a recent report from Glassdor, Oklahoma City ranks No. 10 nationally for recession recovery. The publication used employment growth numbers, unemployment rate and other data from the 327 U.S. metros for their ranking.

Looking to Start a Career? Check out OKC
July 7, 2015 - Wallet Hub
Are you looking to start a career? According to Wallet Hub, Oklahoma City should be high on your list. The publication ranked OKC No. 17 on its "Best City to Start a Career" list.

Fortune: OKC One of the Best Places to Find a Job
June 15, 2015 - Fortune
According to Fortune magazine Oklahoma City ranks as the No. 8 best city to find a job in this year. The study used census data and unemployment rate for their ranking.

Housing Market Continues to Be Strong in Oklahoma
June 1, 2015 - Federal Housing Finance Agency
The State of Oklahoma continues to see a strong, steady housing market according to new numbers released by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The report ranked Oklahoma No. 15 in terms of home price appreciation nationally.

Short Commutes are the Norm in OKC
May 28, 2015 - University of Michigan
If you don't want to spend your life stuck in traffic than OKC is the perfect large city for you. A recent study of the 30 largest metros in the U.S. by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute found OKC has the shortest average commute time. The average commute in OKC is just 20.7 minutes.

OK Ranks as One of the Best States for Military Retirees
May 26, 2015 - WalletHub
With such strong military ties in our state it is no surprise WalletHub recently ranked the Sooner State No. 9 on its recent “Best States for Military Retirees” list. Oklahoma scored particularly high for our economic environment

Best City for Jobs? Of Course OKC Ranks High
May 26, 2015 - Glassdoor
With continued strong economic growth it would be a surprise if OKC didn't rank high on any Best Cities for Jobs ranking. Recently, Glassdoor ranked the metro No. 3 on its "Best Cities for Jobs" ranking.

OKC Ranks as One of America's Most Friendly Cities
May 26, 2015 - Travel and Leisure
It is all smile in OKC as Travel and Leisure ranked OKC the No. 5 Friendliest City in the U.S. They also ranked the metro the least snobby and rude.

OKC One of the Best Place to Work for a Small Business
May 13, 2015 - WalletHub
According to online pub WalletHub Oklahoma City ranks as one of the top 5 places to work for a small business in America. They looked at a multitude of factors such as median income, population growth and small business environment among the 100 most populated metros in the U.S.

It is All Smiles in OKC
April 23, 2015 - Travel+Leisure
If you want a friendly smile, OKC is the place for you according to Travel+Leisure. The travel pub ranked the metro No. 5 on its “America’s Friendliest Cities” list. According to a survey, OKC ranked as the least rude and snobby city in the U.S. The ranking also highlighted the growing Plaza District.

Downtown Employment Growth One of the Top in the Nation
April 20, 2015 - Business is booming in Downtown Oklahoma City and the numbers back that up according to The City Observatory. Looking at census data, they found OKC's downtown had the 3rd-highest rate of employment growth out of the 41 largest metros in the U.S. That national rate of growth was .5 percent while OKC saw a growth rate of 2.2 percent.

Best Cities for Millennials? Few Rank Higher than OKC
April 10, 2015 - USA Today
Using a study done by OnlineColleges.com, USA Today recently released their "15 Best U.S. Cities for Millennial College Students" list and Oklahoma City fared extremely well. Strong economic factors combined with low in-state tuition propelled the metro to No. 3 on the list.

OKC Continues to Get High Marks for Diversified Economy
April 1, 2015 - Wallet Hub
Wallet Hub recently combed through census data of the 350 largest metros in the country to find the most diversified economy. Oklahoma City came in at No. 11 in their rankings when combining industry, occupational and worker-class diversity.

OKC Housing Market Continues to Rank High for Affordability
March 23, 2015 - Citylab
Citylab looked at how many years’ worth of income it would take, on average, to buy a home in metros across the county. Unsurprisingly, OKC fared well in the experiment ranking No. 4 for singles and No. 9 for families. The publication found it would take just 2.6 years of income for a family to buy a home in Oklahoma City.

Greater Oklahoma City Has One of the Lowest Level of Income Inequality in the Nation
March 23, 2015 - Brookings
Looking at census data Brookings found that Oklahoma City has the fourth-lowest level of income inequality among major metros in the U.S. The study looked at data between 2012 and 2013.

Experts rank OKC as One of the Best Cities to Move to in 2015
March 23, 2015 - Simple Moving Labor
Looking to move? Simple Moving Labor has ranked Oklahoma City as the No. 4 "Best City to Move to in 2015". OKC ranked high in part due to home affordability and the energy/aerospace sectors.

OKC Has One of the Strongest Growth Economies in U.S.
March 16, 2015 - Brookings
Brookings recently analyzed 300 of the largest metros in the world and found that Greater OKC ranks No. 7 in the U.S. for economic growth. They looked at factors such as GDP, employment and more to find that OKC's GDP growth is actually 6 times higher than the national average for North American metros. OKC also ranked No. 66 worldwide.

Brookings: Oklahoma One of the States Diversifying the Fastest
March 11, 2015 - Brookings
According to a recent study from Brookings Oklahoma ranks No. 8 nationally for states who are diversifying quickly. Currently 45 percent of Oklahomans under the age of 19 are people of color.

OKC Housing Markets Ranks High Internationally
March 9, 2015 - Demographia
We all know OKC has one of the most affordable housing markets in the U.S. Did you also know it is one of the most affordable major metros in the world? A recent study by Demographia ranked OKC the No. 13 most affordable housing market among nine countries it looked at.

OU Ranked as One of Top Colleges in the Country
Feb. 12, 2015 - The Business Journals
The University of Oklahoma was recently ranked as the 57th best public college in the U.S. by The Business Journals. The publication looked at a total of 484 four-year colleges for its rankings.

OKC's AAA Rating Reaffirmed
Feb. 5, 2015 - Standard & Poor's/Moody
Oklahoma City recently had their AAA rating, the highest rating possible, reaffirmed by both Standard & Poor's and Moody's. This makes the fifth-straight year the city has received the AAA rating. The high rating allows OKC to sell bonds at a lower interest rate.

Forbes: OKC a Great City for Hispanics
Feb. 2, 2015 - Forbes
Forbes recently ranked the major U.S. cities for Hispanic economic opportunities. The Greater Oklahoma City metro placed high on this list due to factors such as home ownership rate, population growth and share of total self-employment.

Fastest Growing Cities? You Bet OKC Made that Forbes List
Jan. 29, 2015 - Forbes
With a population growth rate of 1.2 percent, Oklahoma City made Forbes' "America's Fastest-Growing Cities 2015" list. The publication predicts even greater growth for the region this year.

Forbes: Thunder Fans Rank Among NBA’s Best
Jan. 23, 2015 - Forbes
To the shock of no one in Oklahoma City, Forbes recently ranked Thunder fans the second-best fanbase in the NBA. The Thunder are nearing 200-straight home sell outs and Forbes highlighted the Thunder’s impressive TV ratings.

OKC Once Again Scores High for Jobs Market
Jan. 13, 2015 - WalletHub
WalletHub recently looked at the 150 biggest cities in the U.S. to find its "Best Cities for Job Market for 2015" and unsurprisingly Oklahoma City made the top 10. This makes the second "Best Cities for Jobs" list the metro has made this week.

Stillwater and Norman Named Among Best College Cities
Jan. 13, 2015 - WalletHub
Two college towns in the Oklahoma City metro recently made WalletHub's list of "Best College Cities and Towns in America" for 2014 list. Stillwater, home of Oklahoma State, came in at No. 8 with high rankings in affordability. The University of Oklahoma and Norman came in at No. 36 also scoring high in affordability.

Best Cities for Job Seekers? OKC Makes the List
Jan. 13, 2015 - NerdWallet
If you are looking for a job few places rank higher than Oklahoma City according to NerdWallet. The website highlighted the metro's low unemployment, low rent rates and the growth in our working-age population in its "Best Cities for Job Seekers in 2015" list.

Oklahoma Ranks Ninth Among Top Moving Destinations
Jan. 5, 2015 - United Van Lines
Oklahoma is a popular destination for movers according to the 2014 Annual National Movers Study released by United Van Lines. Oklahoma ranked No. 9 among destinations with more than 57 percent of movers being inbound.