Oklahoma’s employment growth is electrifying, and the state can attribute that job spurt to the energy sector, as jobs there have increased by 1.4%. This is considered to be the sixth highest growth rate of all states, especially in a challenging economy where the jobless rate is steadily increasing, with more than 455,000 unemployed workers filing for claims nationwide. Mark Snead, an Oklahoma State University economist and author of the 2008 Oklahoma Economic Outlook report, said, “We’re growing one percent faster than the national rate.” Snead also mentions that Oklahoma’s economy is slowly rising thanks to a more stabilized housing market, more job opportunities opening up, and fewer consumers applying for credit. In addition, oil and gas productions are adding between six and seven thousand jobs a year. These jobs can reach up to a salary of $100,000 annually.