Oklahoma is lagging in the remote work race, coming in 43rd overall in a new national ranking from WalletHub. The study of the best states for working from home put Utah in the top spot and Alaska dead last, leaving the Sooner State in the lower 20 percent of the pack.
The report compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 metrics, ranging from the share of workers who can telecommute to internet costs, cybersecurity and home size. About 12% of full-time employees work fully remote while roughly 27% follow hybrid schedules, according to WalletHub. "Working from home can save people a lot of money on transportation expenses," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said, adding that states with stronger internet access, lower energy costs and roomier homes tend to climb the ranks. All of that is fed into two weighted dimensions used to score states, a 60-point "Work Environment" and a 40-point "Living Environment."
Oklahoma's ranking and local reaction
Local coverage in Oklahoma City quickly picked up on the 43rd-place finish, noting that a weak score on the Work Environment side dragged the state into the bottom 10 overall despite a relatively solid Living Environment showing, according to KOKH. The station highlighted WalletHub's breakdown and quoted local analysts who pointed to smaller homes and a lower share of jobs that can actually be done from home as key reasons remote work is tougher to pull off here.
How WalletHub scored the states
In the detailed scoring from WalletHub, Oklahoma ranked 46th on the Work Environment dimension but 15th on Living Environment, a combination that produced the 43rd overall ranking. The methodology gives extra weight to the share of workers already telecommuting and to household internet access. On that last measure, Oklahoma households landed near the bottom at 49th, a hit to remote-work comfort and privacy.
National context
The results drop at a time when the rules of working from home are shifting again nationwide. Several state governments and major employers have been scaling back remote setups or tightening hybrid policies, the Associated Press reports. With more companies calling people back to the office, the availability and value of telework now varies sharply by state and employer, which is exactly why a ranking like this matters for anyone weighing where to live and work.
For Oklahomans, the report underlines gaps in connectivity and household space that can make remote jobs harder to land and harder to maintain. Policymakers and employers who want a more telework-friendly future have a clear set of targets in these metrics, from broadband and housing to long-term workforce strategy.
