A Snapshot of Tulsa Talent

There are a number of reasons we believe Tulsa talent is best situated to excel, and this is worth exploring if you’re a high growth-startup looking for talent, or a legacy company looking to hire high-quality and affordable talent in the American Heartland. Professionals in Tulsa are interested in securing and deepening their roots in town and are committed to excelling at the roles they work in as opposed to jumping to the “next best thing” which tends to happen on the coasts.

In addition, we’re specifically investing in programs which upskill our local workforce and those who have migrated recently to Tulsa. This is part of our strategy of investing in local talent and becoming so good that companies can’t ignore Tulsa as a major talent hub. There are also local qualities which are vital for the workforce of tomorrow, in that a diverse workforce is the future of America and starts in Tulsa. 

Sales and Business Development Talent

“From 2014 to 2019, there was a nearly 30% increase in the number of SDR jobs in Tulsa. That is higher than the national growth rate and above many of our regional and national competitors.”

There are several homegrown advantages the residents of Tulsa possess such as an easy-going Midwest temperament and a friendliness which lends itself to sales. Another advantage is that one can find high-quality SDR talent with the same skill level but at a competitive salary range as compared to the coasts. In fact, regarding salary ranges, Tulsa’s talent is 14% less than the rest of the country.

Looking at the overall local talent pool, Tulsa has a large pool of SDRs relative to other roles in the labor force; this advantage is due to a large number of retail sales professionals in Tulsa.

In addition to local talent, we’re also training the sales development representatives (SDRs) of tomorrow. We’re proud to partner with Satellite, an intense 8-week SDR program in order to train a local crop of sales reps. Tulsa will excel in this space, as today’s SDRs will take on leadership roles as they progress in the startups of tomorrow.

We offer an advantage with a low cost of labor as the average SDR is making nearly $30,000 less per year than major tech hubs such as New York and the Bay Area. Tulsa also has a lower cost of living, making those dollars earned go further.

Examples of organizations in which we have been able to place SDR talent include growth-stage startups such as Chow Now and Sprockets.

Software Developer Talent

Hiring software developer talent is one of the major pain points growing organizations are looking to solve today. Tulsa has strong higher education programs but what has been key in helping develop our software talent is the globally recognized Holberton School.

This has helped build our talent pipeline, along with the fact that the city has developed a pool of talent from 2015 until 2020, where our talent pipeline grew computer science graduates by 51%. The Holberton School, an intense software developer program with a competitive admissions program training the next generation of software engineers, has only accelerated this growth.

Locally we’ve seen that from 2015 to 2020, there was a nearly 19% increase in the number of software engineering jobs in Tulsa. An important factor for companies looking to hire locally is that Tulsa’s average salary for software developers is 20% less than the national average. This is a major advantage for companies looking to hire this kind of sought-after talent. The average software developer’s salary in Tulsa is under $90,000, and is significantly lower than the national average, especially compared to similar roles on the coasts.

inTulsa is actively working with Holberton School graduates in placing them in sought-after entry-level software developer roles, and we’re excited to deepen the relationship as additional cohorts graduate from the program.

Operations, Finance, and Marketing 

inTulsa is also helping fill roles in areas such as operations, finance, and marketing. Overall, inTulsa Talent is 10% more affordable compared to talent nationally.

When looking at operations roles Tulsa’s operations talent base grew by just under 11% since 2016, with project manager talent growing more than 150%! Tulsa is the choice again in competitive average salary ranges, as the salaries can be up to 33% less than competitor cities.

In looking at finance talent, Tulsa’s supply of finance talent is 20% larger than what’s expected for our size. Our workforce per capita looks more like a financial hub such as New York as opposed to other cities in the American Heartland.

2022 has started strong, and now is the time to hire talent for your growing organization. If you’re an organization looking to open an office or a growth-stage startup expanding quickly, Tulsa has the talent for you. If you’re interested in learning more about the work inTulsa is doing, and how you can partner with us to succeed, click here.