OKLAHOMA CITY, OK —A new report “Public Safety and the Minimum Wage” released today by This Land Research and Communications Collaborative highlights a powerful but often overlooked connection between wages and public safety in Oklahoma. The analysis, conducted by Scioto Analysis, shows that raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2029 could significantly reduce crime, incarceration, and corrections spending—while delivering hundreds of millions of dollars in social benefits to Oklahoma families and communities.
Among the key findings:
- Nearly 7,000 fewer crimes each year — including an estimated 55 fewer homicides annually and over 4,900 fewer incidents of larceny.
- $840 million in avoided social costs each year, with the majority of savings driven by reductions in violent crime.
- The public safety impact of a $15 minimum wage would be equivalent to hiring nearly 1,000 additional police officers—without the additional $58 million in costs to taxpayers.
- Oklahoma’s incarcerated population could decline by 370 individuals annually, reducing corrections spending by an estimated $5.7 million each year.
- Recidivism rates are projected to fall by six percentage points, helping more Oklahomans successfully reenter society and stay out of prison.
“These findings make clear that raising wages is not only an economic issue, but a public safety issue,” Rob Moore, Principal Researcher for Scioto Analysis, said. “When people can earn a fair wage, they are less likely to be pushed toward crime and more likely to build stable, thriving lives. This new analysis clearly shows raising the minimum wage isn’t just about higher wages, it’s about building better, safer communities, while saving taxpayers millions of dollars.”
While Oklahoma has made great strides in reducing the number of people in prison, it still has one of the highest incarceration rates in the nation, with 1 in 178 residents behind bars. The report underscores that higher wages could help reduce that number even further, and continue the progress of breaking the cycle of poverty and incarceration, all while reducing the burden on law enforcement and Oklahoma’s corrections system.
Download the Full Report: Minimum Wages and Public Safety in Oklahoma
