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Mapping OKC Rent Numbers to Your Next Paycheck Target · The 405 Payroll

• 0:13
  Welcome to The 405 Payroll, I'm Claire Brooks.
• 0:17
  This is the lunch break episode where we turn Oklahoma City hiring news into
• 0:21
  something you can use today, for residents who want a bigger paycheck and a steadier
• 0:26
  month.
• 0:27
  And I'm Miles.
• 0:28
  Claire promised me a headline with real numbers in it, so let's start with the
• 0:32
  number everybody here already knows, which is rent.
• 0:36
  As of late October 2026, Zillow puts average rent in Oklahoma City at $1,395
• 0:43
  across all bedrooms and property types, and says it's flat from a year ago.
• 0:47
  Apartments.com, which counts apartments, has a one bedroom at $938.
• 0:53
  RentCafe, updated September 30, has the all apartment average at $1,072,
• 0:59
  up about 1.76 percent.
• 1:02
  Three yardsticks, three answers.
• 1:04
  Why the gap?
• 1:05
  Each one counts a different mix of homes.
• 1:07
  That's my read of how they're built, so use whichever looks most like your own
• 1:11
  lease.
• 1:11
  Okay, so what does $938 actually ask of a paycheck?
• 1:17
  Apartments.com does that math.
• 1:19
  Using the common guideline of spending no more than 30 percent of income on rent,
• 1:24
  $938 calls for about $3,126 a month, or
• 1:30
  $37,512 a year.
• 1:33
  Across 2,080 work hours, that's right around $18 an hour before taxes.
• 1:39
  So if someone's at $15 now, the distance to that line is about three dollars an
• 1:43
  hour.
• 1:44
  Which is roughly $520 a month before taxes, by my math.
• 1:48
  And that's a guideline, not a verdict.
• 1:50
  It doesn't say anyone's behind, it just shows where the target sits,
• 1:54
  and we can aim at it.
• 1:55
  I like that.
• 1:56
  So where's the hiring news?
• 1:58
  The state's Employment Security Commission calendar shows hiring activity through
• 2:02
  late October, and Oklahoma Works lists featured roles in skilled trades,
• 2:07
  manufacturing, warehouse and logistics, healthcare and customer service.
• 2:12
  Its October 12 fair at 5005 North Lincoln already happened,
• 2:16
  but a free online Diversity Job Fair through JobFairX runs Wednesday,
• 2:20
  October 28, from 11 a.m.
• 2:22
  to 3 p.m.
• 2:23
  Central.
• 2:24
  Last time we talked about trainee pay at the City of Oklahoma City,
• 2:28
  so today we check in on those frontline and customer service roles.
• 2:32
  A City trainee wage just above that $18 line is the cleanest comparison we have.
• 2:38
  That's the plan for the next fifteen minutes: who's hiring,
• 2:41
  the next rung up, extra cash this week, and help that makes a raise last.
• 2:46
  And nobody gets lectured.
• 2:48
  Good, because I skipped breakfast.