Survey shows residents believe OKC is moving in the right direction

Published on November 18, 2025

Oklahoma City residents view their community positively, according to the City's annual resident survey, which was conducted in July by ETC Institute.

The full results are available at okc.gov.

The survey found 72% of respondents rated Oklahoma City as “excellent” or “good” when asked if it's moving in the right direction, which is almost 30% higher than the national average for large cities.

Most residents also said Oklahoma City is an “excellent” or “good” place to live (80%), work (73%) and raise children (66%).

City leaders use the annual survey as one of several tools to help guide priorities and funding for projects and services.

Survey respondents identified the top three areas the City should emphasize over the next two years as:

The condition of City streets (75%).
The effectiveness of the Homelessness Response System (51%).
The flow of traffic and ease of getting around town (36%).

“We are investing more than $1.5 billion in our street system through the 2025 bond, and one of the reasons is feedback from this annual survey,” City Manager Craig Freeman said. “Addressing homelessness is also one of our highest priorities. Through the Key to Home Partnership, we’re working together with our partners to house residents experiencing homelessness and connect them with supportive services.”

Survey highlights are listed below.

Customer service provided by the City
61% of residents were either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the customer service received from City employees. During the past year, 49% of residents reported having contacted the City.

74% were satisfied with how helpful City staff were when they called; 70% were satisfied with the accuracy of the information given; 68% were satisfied with how quickly City staff responded to their request; 71% were satisfied with how helpful City staff were when they visited, and 63% were satisfied with how well their issue was handled.

“Our employees take great pride in serving this community as one team,” Freeman added. “Their commitment to treating people with respect and taking ownership of every situation is the foundation of our success.”

Code enforcement
Residents said the top two code enforcement issues City leaders should emphasize are:

Cleaning up junk and debris on private property (64%).
Enforcing mowing and weed control on private property (57%).

Public safety

83% of residents were satisfied with fire protection in their neighborhood.
59% were satisfied with police services in their neighborhood.
85% said they feel safe walking in their neighborhood during the day; 70% feel safe in City parks during the day.
74% were satisfied with overall neighborhood safety.

EMBARK (public transportation)
The most important factors influencing residents' use of public transit are:

Routes that go to more places (40%).
Bus stops within walking distance (37%).
Bus frequency (33%).

Parks and recreation
More than three out of four residents (76%) used an Oklahoma City park or participated in a Parks and Recreation program in the past year. Residents were most satisfied with:

Experiences at the Civic Center Music Hall (77%).
Maintenance of new or upgraded park facilities (67%).
Condition and landscaping of the Bricktown Canal (65%).
Maintenance of City parks (66%).

The City's overall service quality rating decreased slightly by 0.7%, from 61.2% in 2024 to 60.5% in 2025. Despite the slight decline, Oklahoma City still rated above the national average in eight of 12 categories, including fire services, trash services, ambulance, police, water, parks, customer service and communication. The four categories OKC rated lower include traffic flow, code enforcement, transit and street condition.

Survey purpose and methodology
The annual survey helps City leaders assess resident satisfaction, set priorities and measure performance over time. A random sample of 1,283 residents completed the 2025 survey through mail and online responses. At least 150 surveys were completed in each of the City's eight wards. Results have a precision of ±2.7% at the 95% confidence level. This is the 19th year the survey has been conducted.

About Key to Home Partnership
Launched in April 2023, the Key to Home Partnership is a public-private collaboration of more than 40 agencies working to prevent and end homelessness in Oklahoma City. The initiative brings together City government, service providers, and private partners to create lasting housing solutions. Learn more at keytohomeokc.org.

About the 2025 Bond
Approved by voters on Oct. 4, 2025, the $2.7 billion general obligation bond includes 547 projects—433 focused on streets, bridges and traffic improvements. Visit okc.gov/bond25 for details.

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Media Contact:
Kristy Yager
(405) 297-2550
kristy.yager@okc.gov