Oklahoma’s child care industry shrank over the past year: about 720 fewer jobs, and state officials report nearly three closures for every new program in 2026.
Oklahoma’s private child care employers averaged about 10,420 jobs in January through March 2026, down from 11,140 a year earlier. That’s about 720 fewer jobs, a 6.5% drop. Counting March alone, jobs fell 7.6%, from 11,200 to 10,353, or about 1 in 13.
The number of child care locations paying wages fell from 983 to 950. Nationally, child care jobs dipped less than 1% over the same period.
State officials report more closures than openings
At an October interim study at the Oklahoma Capitol, Oklahoma Human Services officials said 311 child care programs closed from January through September 2026, while 112 opened, News 9 reported. Officials named money problems, retirement and staffing shortages as the most common reasons. The state says it has 2,747 licensed child care programs in all. Federal job data counts only programs with paid employees, so the two sources measure different things.
Pay
Average weekly pay rose from $451 to $467 (+3.5%). That average includes part-time staff, so it isn’t an hourly rate.
What this means if you’re opening a daycare in Oklahoma
Closures can leave families looking for care, but the same pressures (staffing and tight margins) apply to new programs. Plan payroll carefully and line up coverage early; our guide to daycare insurance in Oklahoma covers what’s usually required. To set up the business, see how to start an LLC in Oklahoma, and for startup money, our daycare loans guide.
How we got these numbers
Jobs, locations and pay come from the federal Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) run by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It counts workers covered by unemployment insurance, so it misses most self-employed home providers. We compare January–March 2026 with January–March 2025 for private employers in industry code 624410 (child day care services). “Jobs” is the average of the three months. The 2026 figures are preliminary. The closure and opening counts are state figures for a different period (January–September 2026) and aren’t directly comparable to the job numbers. Data pulled October 16, 2026.