Oklahomans Spend More On These Than Anything Else

Hope you're ready for some serious irony.

Oklahoma is very well known for a handful of things:

1. Tornados

2. OSU and OU

3. The Oklahoma City Thunder

4. Poor Education

5. Merica'

When you take a look at what Oklahoma (as a state) spends the most money on, you'll start to question why aren't these things helping us with what we struggle with most.

Oklahoma and Public Welfare

Per capita, Oklahoma spends more money on public welfare more than anything else in the state. These are programs designed to help those with limited income, like Medicaid, TANF.

In 2021, Oklahoma's state and local governments dished out $862 billion on public welfare operational costs and "vendor payments for medical care," according to urban.org.

Oklahoma and Education

According to urban.org, as of 2021, Oklahoma spends the most money on public welfare and elementary and secondary education. This includes operational costs, including "salaries and benefits for public school employees engaged in instruction, administration, and guidance counseling, plus spending on textbooks and other auxiliary services such as transportation and lunch programs."

When we say that Oklahoma struggles in the education department, it isn't without proof. In 2024, Oklahoma ranked 49th of 50 states due to poor statistics with standardized tests and graduation rates. Those graduating do have a higher rate of graduation debts than most other states.

It's crazy to me that most money goes to our education system, but students are still struggling with this. Granted, money doesn't always equal success, but you would think it would be making more of a difference than it is.

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