Tulsa County jobs and wages both increase in 2012

Oklahoma had a mixed bag of economic news in 2012.

The latest numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that Oklahoma and Tulsa counties both saw an increase in the number of jobs between June of 2011 and June of 2012.

Oklahoma County employment increased 2.8 percent, while Tulsa County saw a more modest gain of 1.6 percent.

By comparison, the national average was 1.8 percent.

Tulsa County fared much better than both the nation and Oklahoma County when it came to the pace of salary increases.

Tulsa County’s 2.7 percent wage increase was more than twice the U.S. average of 1.3 percent.

Oklahoma County barely registered any wage increase at all with just 0.1 percent.

Even though Tulsa County saw a big gain in wages, it still lags behind the average U.S. weekly wage of $903.

The average weekly wage in Tulsa County was $837.

In Oklahoma County, it's $832.

Tulsa and Oklahoma counties are far from alone though.

The Bureau reports that two-thirds of all large U.S. counties are below the national average for weekly wages.