Payne County, OK jobs, unemployment and layoffs

Payne County’s unemployment rate is 3.6%. No layoff notices here in the last 12 months. 14 open professional jobs are in its cities.

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Payne County economy

3.6%
unemployment, Sep 2026
3.3% the month before
40,765
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
82,290
people in Payne County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$48,937
median household income
Source: Census ACS
44%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Where Payne County ranks

Where Payne County placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.

November 2026

#14Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the Southwest44% · of 100
#17Counties with the lowest unemployment in the Southwest3.6% · of 100
#22Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Southwest17% · of 70

Payne County outlook: Steady

Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.

Private-sector jobs up 4.8% from 2022 to 2025
Population up 2.7% from 2020 to 2025
Unemployment 3.6%, up 0.3 points from a year ago
Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+387 jobs)

Local job-market news

Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Payne County. Each link goes to the publisher.

Thunder starters Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace set for extended injury layoffsGeo Super · Oct 27, 2026
Crumbl locations have continued to close, but not in Oklahoma CityThe Oklahoman on MSN · Oct 19, 2026

Learn and get funded in Payne County

Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.

Payne County layoffs

No layoff notices naming Payne County in the last 12 months are on file. The WARN Act covers employers with 100 or more workers, so smaller layoffs are not in it.

All layoff notices in the state

Employers hiring most in Payne County

Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.

GXO Logistics3 open roles
Academy Of Excellence1 open role
Black & Veatch1 open role
Client Growth Resources1 open role
Facilities1 open role
Hibu1 open role
Oklahoma State University1 open role
Stillwater Public Schools1 open role
Teledyne Brown Engineering1 open role
Teledyne Vision Solutions1 open role

Colleges in Payne County

Colleges in Payne County
College	City	Type	Students
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	Stillwater	Public 4-year	20,000+

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Payne County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.

Laid off in Oklahoma? How to file for unemployment in Oklahoma (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).

Oklahoma’s Workforce Board
Alfalfa, Beaver, Beckham, Blaine, Canadian, Cimarron, Cleveland, Custer, Dewey, Ellis, Garfield, Grant, Greer, Harmon, Harper, Hughes, Jackson, Kay, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Lincoln, Logan, Major, Noble, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Payne, Pottawatomie, Roger Mills, Seminole, Texas, Washita, Woods, Woodward

Oklahoma Works - American Job Center - Stillwater
Stillwater · Comprehensive · 405-624-1450
8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - Friday

Cities in Payne County

Stillwater14 jobs

Other Oklahoma counties

All of Oklahoma

Laid off or looking for work in Payne County?

See what to do first and the jobs open near you.

See your options after a layoff

Sources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from Oklahoma’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Oklahoma unemployment benefits and severance rules.

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