Oklahoma City Is Great!

From newsok.com


The Oklahoman Editorial

IF Oklahoma City were a state, its economy would be bigger than that of Alaska and four other states, taken individually. By one measure, the city's gross metropolitan product (GMP) in 2005 was $43.1 billion, compared with $39.3 billion for Alaska's gross state product.

By another measure, Oklahoma City's GMP for 2005 ranked it 51st among metro areas in the country. Our friends in Tulsa weren't as fortunate, with a ranking of 62nd — still large enough to outrank the entire states of South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming or North Dakota, but not Alaska.

Citing figures from the economic analysis firm of Global Insight, the Greater Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce says Oklahoma City's growth between 2001 and 2005 was 33 percent, higher than the growth rates for Kansas City, Mo., Nashville and San Antonio, among others. The 33 percent growth rate compares with 23 percent for the nation as a whole during the same period.

The $43.1 billion figure cited above represented 35.4 percent of Oklahoma's gross state product in 2005. This isn't the only measure of success that has the chamber crowing these days. Between June 2006 and the comparable month of 2007, employment grew by 3.1 percent with the addition of 17,700 jobs. This represents the lion's share of the whole state's job creation.