Counties with the highest unemployment in West Virginia
Counties with the highest unemployment in West Virginia
Unemployment rates have continued to rise across U.S. metropolitan areas, provoking alarm throughout the nation and guiding the Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates last month.
As of August, unemployment rates had increased from the previous year in 315 out of 389 U.S. metros areas—including 45 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 August 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 4.1% in September, down slightly from the previous month. Still, it's up substantially from 3.8% during the same month last year and remains higher than it had otherwise been since December 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, cutting interest rates to alleviate economic strain and spur job growth.
Since last year, unemployment has spiked in 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." The Fed plans to continue cutting rates to achieve this.
To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in West Virginia.
#55. Jefferson County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 31,522 people (949 unemployed)
#54. Pendleton County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,733 people (117 unemployed)
#53. Doddridge County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,760 people (123 unemployed)
#52. Hampshire County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,201 people (367 unemployed)
#51. Tucker County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 3,752 people (128 unemployed)
#50. Monongalia County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 54,689 people (1,910 unemployed)
#49. Morgan County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,513 people (308 unemployed)
#48. Harrison County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,863 people (1,247 unemployed)
#47. Putnam County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,039 people (1,001 unemployed)
#46. Taylor County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,879 people (297 unemployed)
#45. Greenbrier County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,036 people (569 unemployed)
#44. Monroe County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,008 people (233 unemployed)
#43. Ohio County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,213 people (786 unemployed)
#42. Grant County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,987 people (241 unemployed)
#41. Raleigh County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 30,993 people (1,239 unemployed)
#40. Berkeley County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 58,703 people (2,348 unemployed)
#39. Kanawha County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 83,316 people (3,419 unemployed)
#38. Summers County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,460 people (187 unemployed)
#37. Preston County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 15,200 people (640 unemployed)
#36. Pocahontas County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 3,748 people (161 unemployed)
#35. Fayette County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,310 people (709 unemployed)
#34. Cabell County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 41,702 people (1,786 unemployed)
#33. Wood County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 37,362 people (1,651 unemployed)
#32. Mineral County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 12,225 people (561 unemployed)
#31. Wayne County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,661 people (719 unemployed)
#30. Marion County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,729 people (1,142 unemployed)
#29. Randolph County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,584 people (548 unemployed)
#28. Hardy County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,760 people (278 unemployed)
#27. Lewis County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,184 people (305 unemployed)
#26. Wyoming County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,311 people (358 unemployed)
#25. Upshur County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,909 people (489 unemployed)
#24. Jackson County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.9%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,806 people (573 unemployed)
#23. Boone County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,395 people (371 unemployed)
#22. Barbour County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,013 people (359 unemployed)
#21. Nicholas County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,114 people (466 unemployed)
#20. Mercer County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 20,339 people (1,040 unemployed)
#19. Ritchie County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,830 people (203 unemployed)
#18. Mason County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,326 people (551 unemployed)
#17. Marshall County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,312 people (701 unemployed)
#16. Braxton County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,109 people (278 unemployed)
#15. Logan County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,895 people (602 unemployed)
#14. Gilmer County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,054 people (118 unemployed)
#13. Wirt County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,284 people (131 unemployed)
#12. Lincoln County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,093 people (407 unemployed)
#11. Webster County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,959 people (179 unemployed)
#10. Clay County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,068 people (185 unemployed)
#9. Brooke County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,847 people (608 unemployed)
#8. Pleasants County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,694 people (172 unemployed)
#7. Roane County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,034 people (326 unemployed)
#6. Wetzel County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.6%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,388 people (422 unemployed)
#5. Calhoun County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,356 people (161 unemployed)
#4. Tyler County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,883 people (203 unemployed)
#3. Hancock County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,099 people (915 unemployed)
#2. Mingo County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,647 people (501 unemployed)
#1. McDowell County
- August unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.2%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,006 people (327 unemployed)
This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.