Report Shows Economic Impact of Northwestern Oklahoma State University

July 8, 2025

In partnership with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE) and the University of Cincinnati Economics Center, data was provided to show the economic impact of Northwestern Oklahoma State University on the economies it supports.

The operations expenditures made by Northwestern, as well as the spending of students and alumni, generate economic impacts in the form of economic output, jobs, and wages throughout the State of Oklahoma. These expenditures, in turn, stimulate additional economic impact resulting from increased demand, income, and jobs within other industries as well as increases in household income and spending. The subsequent impact on state and local tax revenue represents the fiscal impact. This result is comprised of the income tax revenue resulting from the wages supported as well as the sales tax revenue resulting from student spending and the spending of wages.

The report highlights the following:

• Northwestern generated a total of $124.08 million in economic output and supported a total of 1,204 jobs with wages of $55.45 million in the State of Oklahoma in fiscal year 2024.
• The operations, student spending, and alumni of Northwestern created a total of $3.75 million in fiscal benefits for state and local jurisdictions in fiscal year 2024, which is comprised of $2.01 million in income tax revenue and $1.74 million in sales tax revenue.
• Every dollar in state appropriations Northwestern received in fiscal year 2024 resulted in $12.36 in total economic output in the State of Oklahoma.

“We know we give students a great education and experience at an affordable cost, but seeing numbers on how Northwestern impacts our communities and the State of Oklahoma gives us another reason to be proud of the work we are doing,” President Bo Hannaford said.

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