Your browser doesn't support audio playback.
West Virginia’s overall unemployment rate is tied with the national average at 4.2%, but a few counties in the state are much higher and some are lower.
In June the unemployment rate in all but one of the state’s 55 counties saw an increase, even though 14 counties were at or below the state average.
The only county with a decrease was Pocahontas County, where the rate fell by almost two points to 4.2%. Unemployment in Pendleton, Doddridge, Jefferson, and Morgan counties was below 3.5%.
Three counties recorded an unemployment rate at or above 7%. They are Clay, Mingo and McDowell counties. Mingo County saw the largest increase, ticking up more than a point and a half to 8.5%. McDowell County continues to report 10.7% unemployment.
Unemployment rates are determined based on the number of people seeking work. Those who have dropped out of the job market are not counted.
The state does not adjust county level data for seasonal factors like summer jobs, making it difficult to compare statewide numbers directly to county numbers.