Oklahoma: An Aerospace Economy In A Small-Business State
Aerospace is one of Oklahoma's largest industries. The state's Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics calls aerospace and defense the second-largest and fastest growing industry in Oklahoma, with more than 206,000 jobs and $44 billion in annual statewide economic activity, and says almost 90 percent of the more than 1,100 companies in the state's aerospace industry work on maintaining, repairing and overhauling aircraft. Underneath that, the Census Bureau's 2023 County Business Patterns counts 96,402 employer establishments statewide, 95.0 percent with fewer than 50 employees: an economy of small firms.
- Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics: Aerospace Industry (statewide overview) (current page; retrieved 2026-10-08)
- U.S. Census Bureau: 2023 County Business Patterns: State file (cbp23st) (2023 CBP; retrieved 2026-10-05)