Family and cost of living are pulling Oklahomans back to the towns they grew up in – and those willing to trade pay for proximity would accept an average 10.5% cut to do it.
Getting ahead has long come with an assumed first step: getting out. Leave your hometown, find a bigger job market, and return for Thanksgiving with something impressive to report.
But plenty of young Oklahomans would like to write a different career story.
A survey by resume.io of 3,052 respondents ages 18-35 found that almost half (45%) of young Oklahomans are committed to staying in or returning to their hometown to build their careers. For many, success includes being close enough to see family, support neighborhood businesses, and give back to the communities where they grew up.
The research from resume.io explored the towns and cities where young adults are most committed to putting down professional roots. It also examined what draws them back, what they hope to contribute, and how much salary they might sacrifice for a familiar ZIP code.
The top 3 Oklahoma cities where young adults want to build careers at home are:
#1. Muskogee
Manufacturing and public-sector employment give Muskogee a career profile that reaches well beyond its role as a regional service center. The local Veterans Affairs presence supports a substantial healthcare and government workforce, while Georgia-Pacific and other industrial employers provide jobs in paper production, engineering and manufacturing alongside education and local government. For younger residents with roots in eastern Oklahoma, those long-established employers can offer a practical route into skilled work while allowing them to remain closely connected to the community they know.
#2. Lawton
Fort Sill shapes much of Lawton’s economy, creating a large concentration of military, civilian and contractor work around one of Oklahoma’s most important defense installations. Goodyear, Comanche County Memorial Hospital, Cameron University and local schools add careers in manufacturing, healthcare and education, giving the city several strong employment anchors beyond the base itself. For young people from southwest Oklahoma, that mix can make staying or returning compatible with pursuing stable professional or technical work without needing to relocate to Oklahoma City or Dallas.
#3. Enid
A combination of aviation, food production and healthcare gives Enid a broader career base than many cities of its size. Vance Air Force Base remains one of the area’s largest employers, while Tyson Foods, Integris Health Enid Hospital and Koch Fertilizer support jobs across defense, manufacturing, medicine and energy. With local training programs tied closely to aerospace, agriculture and technical industries, younger residents can see a clearer path to building a skilled career in northwest Oklahoma rather than treating a move elsewhere as the only route forward.
Infographic showing study results
What Brings People Home? Family Wins. Cheaper Living Helps.
When asked what would most attract them to building their working life in their hometown, respondents put family first. A lower cost of living came next, suggesting that emotional ties and financial considerations both play a role in deciding where to build a career.
- Being close to family: 20.0%
- A lower cost of living: 16.0%
- Being close to friends: 12.0%
- A lifestyle they enjoy: 11.0%
- Feeling part of the community: 10.0%
- Helping the local economy thrive: 7.0%
- Working for or taking over a family business: 6.0%
- Starting a business of their own: 6.0%
- Raising children where they grew up: 6.0%
- Suitable career opportunities: 6.0%
Young Oklahomans Want Their Work to Mean Something Locally
Nearly eight in 10 respondents (79.0%) say it’s important that their career benefits the community where they grew up. That gives hometown attachment an economic dimension. Respondents are thinking about their own prospects, but many also care about where the benefits of their working lives end up.
Giving Back Might Start With Where You Buy Lunch
When asked how they would like to give back to their hometown in the future, respondents most often prioritized supporting locally owned businesses, with working for a local employer coming in second.
The full breakdown was:
- Regularly support locally owned businesses: 22.0%
- Work for a local employer: 16.0%
- Create jobs for residents: 13.0%
- Start or expand a local business: 11.0%
- Donate to local causes: 11.0%
- Mentor young people from the area: 9.0%
- Volunteer for local organizations: 9.0%
- Work in a local public service, such as teaching or emergency services: 6.0%
- Run for local office or serve on a community board: 3.0%
Opening a business or creating jobs requires resources and opportunity. Buying from an independent store offers a more immediate way to participate. The leading answer suggests that, for many young adults, giving back to their hometown can be part of everyday life long before it becomes a major undertaking.
Does Success Come With a Hometown Obligation?
Most respondents agreed that people who become successful have a responsibility to give something back to the community where they grew up. But enthusiasm was qualified, with roughly a third taking a neutral position.
- Strongly agree: 22.0%
- Somewhat agree: 33.0%
- Neither agree nor disagree: 32.0%
- Somewhat disagree: 8.0%
- Strongly disagree: 5.0%
There is a useful distinction here. Many young adults want their own careers to benefit home, while fewer are ready to make giving back an obligation for everyone who succeeds. Local loyalty appears to have broad appeal. A compulsory hometown debt is a harder sell.
Home Has a Value, and Sometimes a Salary Limit
The survey also tested how far that loyalty might stretch financially. Assuming the same role, working hours, and living costs, respondents were asked how much of a pay cut they would be willing to accept to work in their hometown.
Among those willing to take a pay cut to work in their hometown, the average acceptable reduction was estimated at 10.5%.
“There’s a common assumption that if you want to build a successful career, you need to leave your hometown and move somewhere else with more opportunities,” says Amanda Augustine, CPCC and resident career expert at resume.io. “However, it’s important to remember that everyone defines success differently. For some young adults, being close to family, feeling connected to their community, and having a life outside of work are just as important as climbing the corporate ladder.
“That said, there’s a difference between wanting to stay close to home and being able to build the career you want there. Before deciding where to put down roots, I’d encourage young professionals to look beyond the salary and consider the bigger picture. Are there opportunities to develop their skills, take on new responsibilities, and advance over time? What does the local job market look like for someone in their field? The goal is to find a place where they can build a fulfilling career and the kind of life they want, whether that’s in their hometown or somewhere new.”
Methodology
The study surveyed 3,052 adults aged 18-35, with fieldwork beginning on September 30 and continuing into October 2026. Respondents were asked whether they intended to stay in or return to their hometown to build their careers. The locations identified represent respondents’ hometowns and, for those answering “yes,” their intended career destinations, which may differ from where they currently live.
Cities were ranked by the total number of respondents answering “yes,” with a minimum of 50 respondents per city required for inclusion. The ranking therefore reflects the number of affirmative responses rather than the proportion of respondents within each city intending to stay or return. National findings are reported as the percentage of responses selecting each answer option, rather than as statistical weightings. The survey sample was balanced across key demographic groups, including age, gender and region, to provide broad demographic coverage.
About resume.io
resume.io is an online career platform that helps job seekers create professional resumes and cover letters. Through an easy-to-use builder, recruiter-tested templates, and a library of expert guides and real-world examples, resume.io gives people the tools to present their experience clearly and apply for jobs with confidence. The platform is built to make career documents simpler to create, easier to tailor, and more effective in a competitive hiring market. To learn more, visit resume.io.
Amanda Augustine is the resident career expert for resume.io, a career.io company, and its suite of brands: TopInterview, Jobrapido, Resume.ai, and others. As a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC) and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), she has spent more than 20 years helping professionals improve their careers and land the right job sooner. Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook.
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