A pivotal month of deal-making helped turn 2025 into an all-timer.
The NBA Champion Oklahoma City Thunder were not the only team capturing championship titles in 2025. Just down the street from the Thunder’s Paycom Center arena, the people who work for the Oklahoma Department of Commerce were garnering titles of their own — and doing so in record fashion.
Oklahoma may rank No. 28 in the U.S. in population with 4.15 million people living in the state’s 70,000 square miles of land, but no one should ever say that the Sooner State’s economic development performance is not award-worthy.
Far from it: Oklahoma tallied $14.7 billion in capital investment from economic development projects in 2025 — a figure that nearly doubled its previous all-time best, which was $7.865 billion in 2024.
A 21-day span in April and May of 2025 pretty much sealed the deal. During that time, Oklahoma Commerce reaped its most successful jobs harvest in one month in state history. From April 24 to May 15, companies expanding or launching operations in Oklahoma announced plans to create 2,907 jobs.
“This is what happens when you cut red tape, keep taxes low and put America-first values to work,” said Governor Kevin Stitt. “Oklahoma is winning because we’re doing things the right way — trusting businesses, protecting freedom and getting government out of the way. Companies are flocking here because they know Oklahoma has their back.”
In a span of just three weeks, Dollar Tree announced plans to rebuild its distribution center in Marietta, Oklahoma, and create 400 jobs when the new 1 million-sq.-ft. facility opens next year; another 190 jobs were created as the result of Business Expansion Incentive Program awards announced by Commerce; the Oklahoma Innovation Expansion Program announced winners creating 967 jobs across the state; CBC Global Ammunition announced a new $300 million factory, adding 350 jobs in the MidAmerica Industrial Park in Pryor; and Emirates Global Aluminium picked Oklahoma for a new $4 billion aluminum production plant in Inola near Tulsa, creating 1,000 jobs.
“I’m thrilled to see this much rapid growth in Oklahoma,” said John Budd, CEO of Commerce. “We’re not just seeing large companies pick Oklahoma for their new home; entrepreneurs and small businesses across the state are also finding ways to grow their footprint and reinvest in their communities. I’m so proud of the hard work the Commerce team and all our economic development partners around the state have put in to pursue ways to grow Oklahoma’s economy.”
Barbra Coffee speaks at a Consulate Luncheon in Oklahoma City.
Photo courtesy of Oklahoma Commerce
Market Access Beckons
Barbra Coffee, executive director of the EDGE division of Commerce, says the record $14.7 billion in investment came to Oklahoma because the state “outperforms in the energy sector and in aerospace and defense. Those are important industries for us. When you look at the critical minerals industry and its alignment with national defense, three companies have made announcements here in the last several months. One of them is by U.S. Rare Earth LLC, which is investing $100 million to produce magnets in Stillwater.”
In addition, Stardust Power is investing $1.2 billion to build a lithium refinery in Muskogee; and Green Li-ion is establishing its first lithium-ion battery recycling plant in Atoka.
“This is what happens when you cut red tape, keep taxes low and put America-first values to work. Oklahoma is winning because we’re doing things the right way — trusting businesses, protecting freedom and getting government out of the way.”
– Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt
“When you combine all of that with EGA’s $4 billion commitment to build America’s first new aluminum smelter in 40 years at the Inola site, that speaks to our competitive advantage,” says Coffee. “Oklahoma has four inland ports, and they are all ice-free. Raw product can find its way from the Gulf all the way up to Oklahoma. That is how connected we are in the middle of the country. Plus, we have other multimodal transportation assets that include more than 3,000 miles of rail and multiple rail providers. That is unique in this part of the country.”
Coffee lists other benefits of investing in Oklahoma, including:
- The ability to reach 99 million people within 500 miles.
- The ability to transport easily to the East Coast, West Coast and Gulf Coast.
- Low-cost affordability and availability of power.
- The ability to do behind-the-meter programs.
- The fact that Oklahoma produces 60% more energy that it consumes.
- A plethora of build-ready sites scattered across the state.
- More than 130 airports, including a 13,503-foot runway at the Infinity One Oklahoma Spaceport.
- A highly skilled workforce, particularly in aerospace and defense, advanced manufacturing, energy and rare earth mineral production.
‘A One-Phone-Call State’
Coffee adds another benefit: “When you come and visit Oklahoma, you have everyone around the table. Your workforce needs, incentives and other essential matters are all covered in these meetings. We do this with clients and prospects in every sector. We believe in creating an ease of doing business in Oklahoma. We are a one-phone-call state. When you pick up the phone, you can talk to whoever you need to talk to.”
Convening all relevant partners is something Oklahoma does well, adds Coffee. “Economic development here is a team sport,” she says. “It involves our partners around the state. We have a lot of friendly people in Oklahoma. We are very willing to share what we have to offer. At the end of the day, we build relationships that make deals happen.”
Coffee adds that 2026 is shaping up to be yet another highly successful year for the state. “In our pipeline, we have already worked with more than 100 projects representing over $500 million in capital investment and more than 1,400 jobs,” she notes. “We are excited to share several project announcements soon.”
