Counties with the highest unemployment in West Virginia

The first jobs report under the new Trump administration showed a stable job market, with the unemployment rate ticking down from 4.1% to 4% in January, the lowest since last May, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures released Feb. 7.

The report marks 49 consecutive months of overall job growth, the second-longest recorded period since 1939.

Job losses that did occur were concentrated in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industries, which declined by 8,000 jobs over the month. There was little change in employment in other major industries.

To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates West Virginia, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in December 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

Key takeaways: Jobs report reveals cooling labor market

January's job growth of 143,000 fell short of expectations, while the downward revision of 589,000 fewer jobs in 2024 suggests the labor market was weaker last year than initially thought.

Business leaders are starting to display more caution, with 67% of executives reporting higher stress levels heading into 2025, according to a survey of 1,000 executives by Sentry, a business insurance company. Among survey respondents, 47% citing economic uncertainty as their biggest concern.

"We have what I would describe as a robust but frozen labor market," Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, told The New York Times, noting that while unemployment remains low, there's very little churn or employee turnover as "businesses are being cautious as to how they manage their work force."

Moody's Analytics projects monthly payroll gains could slow to around 100,000 by year-end.

The big story: Potential for economic headwinds grows

Behind the "Now Hiring" signs and modest unemployment rate, there's growing concern on Main Street that the economy might be more fragile than it appears.

"You've already got companies hiring as if they're in a recession—even if they're not laying people off," Oliver Allen, senior U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, told CNN. Average unemployment duration, a lagging indicator, rose from 20.8 weeks in January 2024 to 22 in January of this year.

Tightening trade regulations and federal trimming could also have an impact on the job market. Experts predict the U.S. gross domestic product could take a hit due to increased tariffs. The U.S. government is the country's largest employer and contributes 36% to the GDP.

Sudden cuts to federal spending advocated by the new administration could hit the economy hard. One example of the potential fallout is that if prices were to increase further due to higher tariffs, consumer purchasing power would decline, stymieing economic growth.

Whether the effects of slashing the workforce and the budget will be exceeded by Trump's plans to loosen business regulations and cut taxes remains to be seen.

To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in West Virginia.

47. Ohio County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,806 people (600 unemployed)

47. Berkeley County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 57,669 people (1,749 unemployed)

47. Putnam County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,295 people (780 unemployed)

47. Monroe County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,229 people (184 unemployed)

43. Doddridge County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,699 people (119 unemployed)

43. Harrison County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 33,807 people (1,065 unemployed)

43. Pocahontas County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: -1.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,958 people (127 unemployed)

43. Tucker County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,634 people (117 unemployed)

39. Kanawha County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 80,664 people (2,679 unemployed)

39. Raleigh County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 29,917 people (1,001 unemployed)

39. Cabell County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 40,440 people (1,327 unemployed)

39. Greenbrier County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,910 people (492 unemployed)

36. Taylor County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,778 people (261 unemployed)

36. Preston County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,442 people (519 unemployed)

36. Grant County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,986 people (202 unemployed)

33. Wayne County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: -0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,173 people (549 unemployed)

33. Wood County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 36,226 people (1,304 unemployed)

33. Summers County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,409 people (159 unemployed)

32. Marion County

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,372 people (901 unemployed)

30. Boone County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: -0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,136 people (281 unemployed)

30. Wyoming County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,963 people (270 unemployed)

29. Mineral County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,104 people (486 unemployed)

23. Hardy County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,907 people (240 unemployed)

23. Fayette County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,866 people (657 unemployed)

23. Jackson County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,438 people (469 unemployed)

23. Mercer County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: -0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,274 people (823 unemployed)

23. Mason County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,161 people (414 unemployed)

23. Marshall County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,018 people (540 unemployed)

21. Logan County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: -0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: 0.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,617 people (454 unemployed)

21. Lewis County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,844 people (251 unemployed)

20. Upshur County

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,736 people (431 unemployed)

18. Barbour County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,939 people (314 unemployed)

18. Lincoln County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,861 people (306 unemployed)

16. Randolph County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,506 people (535 unemployed)

16. Brooke County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: -0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,419 people (429 unemployed)

15. Nicholas County

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,808 people (410 unemployed)

14. Ritchie County

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,763 people (179 unemployed)

13. Hancock County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5%
--- 1-month change: -0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,416 people (622 unemployed)

12. Mingo County

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: -0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,656 people (341 unemployed)

11. Wirt County

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: +0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,246 people (120 unemployed)

10. Webster County

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: +0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,983 people (161 unemployed)

7. Tyler County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: 0.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,763 people (151 unemployed)

7. Gilmer County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,305 people (126 unemployed)

7. Pleasants County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: +0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,644 people (145 unemployed)

6. Wetzel County

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,190 people (360 unemployed)

5. Braxton County

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: +0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,029 people (298 unemployed)

4. Roane County

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: +0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,003 people (310 unemployed)

2. Clay County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
--- 1-month change: +1.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,037 people (200 unemployed)

2. McDowell County (tie)

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
--- 1-month change: -0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: +0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,892 people (256 unemployed)

1. Calhoun County

December unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.8%
--- 1-month change: +1.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: -0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,368 people (231 unemployed)

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Ben Popken, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.