Negotiating pay when I have been out of work after 3 years as an operations analyst

A recruiter asked for my salary expectations on a first call as I look for work as an operations analyst. I am in Oklahoma City, in case local advice matters. I do not want to price myself out. Does giving a range hurt?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.