DURANT, Okla. (KXII) – A new study released this week shows that tribal nations in Oklahoma contributed over $23 billion to the state’s economy back in 2023.
“The tribes as a whole, they account for about 5% of the gross domestic product of the state of Oklahoma,” Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Chief Gary Batton said. “I’m just proud to be the Chief of the Choctaw Nation and for us to play our part.”
The Choctaw Nation is one of 19 tribes represented in the study, and Chief Gary Batton said their total economic impact was more than $3 billion.
From $60 million spent on education to $300 million for healthcare, all the way to over a billion dollars spent on wages for local employees right here in Texoma.
“We’re one of the top 10 employers in the state of Oklahoma in regards to number of total employees,” Batton said. ”20,000 total impacted, 13,500 that we actually give payroll to and all of them are taxpayer dollars.”
They’re also directly impacting the local infrastructure, giving over $100 million in projects for water, sewer and roads.
“We helped Durant here build their new water tower,” Batton said. “It’s about growing the economy as a whole. It’s about helping your fellow neighbor.”
Moving forward, Batton said that their goal is to keep growing so that they can keep helping in any way they can.
“We do not tax our people, so the only way that we can grow resources to support our people is through our businesses,” he said. “If we can grow our economy and we can increase revenue, then we’re able to deliver more services to our people and to our communities.”
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