Raising Oklahoma’s minimum wage would benefit public safety, report finds

OKLAHOMA CITY — Spending on crime, incarceration, and corrections would be reduced in Oklahoma if the minimum wage were raised to $15, according to a report.

Higher wages could help break the “cycle of poverty and incarceration” while reducing the burden on law enforcement, according to a report from This Land Research and Communications Collaborative, a nonpartisan research group. The report was compiled by Scioto Analysis, a public policy analysis firm.

“We find that a $15 minimum wage could yield significant public safety benefits for Oklahoma, particularly by reducing violent crime and its associated human and economic toll,” the report found. “These effects are most concentrated among young, low-wage populations and may help mitigate some of the state’s historically high incarceration rates while promoting reintegration into the workforce.”

Voters will decide whether or not to raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage  in the June 2026 primary election. If approved by voters, State Question 832 would gradually increase the $7.25 an hour minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2029. Additional increases would be tied to the cost of living measured by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index.

Oklahoma would see 7,000 less crimes per year, or a decrease of 3%, the report predicts. Most of these are estimated to be property crimes.

The state would have to increase police forces by 11%, or about 1,000 officers, to achieve the same result. This would cost Oklahoma about $58 million per year, the report found.

“These findings make clear that raising wages is not only an economic issue, but a public safety issue,” said Rob Moore, principal researcher for Scioto Analysis. “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.”

The decrease in crime would reduce the incarcerated population by about 370 people per year and lower recidivism by about 6%, according to the report’s estimates. This could save Oklahoma’s correctional system $5.7 million annually.

Oklahoma had the fifth-highest incarceration rate in the U.S. as of 2022, the report found.

States with minimum wages above $15 per hour have lower incarceration rates than states with lower minimum wages, the report found