Counties with the highest unemployment in West Virginia

Written by:
August 30, 2024
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Counties with the highest unemployment in West Virginia

Unemployment rates are rising across U.S. metropolitan areas, provoking alarm across the nation and likely leading to interest rate cuts in September.

As of July, unemployment rates increased in 350 out of 389 U.S. metros areas—including 47 of the 51 largest metros, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in West Virginia, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in July 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.

The national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 4.3%. Still, it's up substantially from 3.5% during the same month last year and has climbed to the highest rate since November 2021. By comparison, unemployment rates surged to 10% in October 2009 during the Great Recession, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the brief COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.

The Federal Reserve has shifted its focus from curbing inflation to unemployment, indicating plans to cut interest rates in the coming weeks and months to alleviate economic strain and avoid further job losses.

Since last year, unemployment has spiked in over half of states—a signal often indicating a looming recession, as Piper Sandler Chief Global Economist Nancy Lazar told Business Insider. These jobless rates, paired with layoffs among major U.S. employers like Google and Tesla, have sparked concern among Americans. Minus a major economic blow, economists continue to forecast that the U.S. is tracking toward an incremental slowdown in growth known as a "soft landing."

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

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#55. Jefferson County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 32,024 people (994 unemployed)

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Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock

#54. Pendleton County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,736 people (127 unemployed)

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#53. Doddridge County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,808 people (131 unemployed)

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Bob Couperthwaite // Shutterstock

#52. Hampshire County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,359 people (397 unemployed)

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#51. Tucker County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,795 people (139 unemployed)

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#50. Monongalia County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 55,016 people (2,079 unemployed)

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#49. Morgan County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,623 people (335 unemployed)

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#48. Putnam County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,170 people (1,068 unemployed)

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#47. Harrison County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 35,415 people (1,389 unemployed)

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#46. Greenbrier County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,119 people (607 unemployed)

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#45. Berkeley County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 59,928 people (2,457 unemployed)

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#44. Pocahontas County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,630 people (153 unemployed)

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#43. Monroe County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,989 people (252 unemployed)

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#42. Ohio County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,512 people (867 unemployed)

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Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock

#41. Raleigh County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 31,291 people (1,359 unemployed)

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#40. Kanawha County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 84,346 people (3,599 unemployed)

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#39. Taylor County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,032 people (355 unemployed)

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#38. Preston County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,267 people (671 unemployed)

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#37. Summers County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,518 people (207 unemployed)

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#36. Wood County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 37,810 people (1,756 unemployed)

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#35. Cabell County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 42,048 people (1,935 unemployed)

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#34. Fayette County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,499 people (782 unemployed)

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#33. Mineral County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,328 people (590 unemployed)

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#32. Marion County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 25,033 people (1,210 unemployed)

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#31. Grant County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,116 people (305 unemployed)

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#30. Jackson County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,995 people (597 unemployed)

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#29. Wayne County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,796 people (797 unemployed)

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#28. Randolph County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,741 people (593 unemployed)

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#27. Lewis County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,264 people (326 unemployed)

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#26. Ritchie County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,869 people (205 unemployed)

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#25. Hardy County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,814 people (313 unemployed)

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#24. Barbour County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,054 people (379 unemployed)

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#23. Marshall County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,487 people (732 unemployed)

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#22. Wirt County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,284 people (128 unemployed)

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#21. Wyoming County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,357 people (409 unemployed)

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#20. Boone County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,511 people (417 unemployed)

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Claire Salvail Photos // Shutterstock

#19. Mercer County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,720 people (1,151 unemployed)

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#18. Upshur County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,069 people (575 unemployed)

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#17. Lincoln County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,149 people (417 unemployed)

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#16. Nicholas County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,315 people (554 unemployed)

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#15. Mason County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,356 people (613 unemployed)

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#14. Logan County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,036 people (655 unemployed)

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#13. Pleasants County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,670 people (162 unemployed)

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#12. Braxton County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,070 people (314 unemployed)

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#11. Brooke County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,963 people (622 unemployed)

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#10. Roane County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,137 people (329 unemployed)

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#9. Wetzel County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,430 people (411 unemployed)

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#8. Clay County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,110 people (201 unemployed)

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#7. Gilmer County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.7%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,090 people (140 unemployed)

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#6. Hancock County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,245 people (917 unemployed)

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#5. Webster County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,934 people (204 unemployed)

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#4. Calhoun County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,406 people (175 unemployed)

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#3. Tyler County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,912 people (214 unemployed)

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#2. Mingo County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,730 people (530 unemployed)

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#1. McDowell County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 9.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,027 people (365 unemployed)

This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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