W.Va. Lost More Jobs Than Any Other State Last Year, Labor Bureau Says

Between May 2024 and May 2025, West Virginia experienced the biggest decrease in non-farm employment in the United States, according to new data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In May 2024, roughly 726,400 full-time jobs were held within West Virginia, according to the employment figures released Tuesday. Just one year later, that figure fell to 717,000 — a decrease of approximately 1.3%.

That means the Mountain State lost approximately 9,400 jobs last year. According to the bureau, that marked the biggest drop in employment opportunities for a single state within the one-year period. Iowa experienced the second-largest decline with a decrease of 0.5%.

West Virginia, Iowa and Maine were the only states to experience a decline in jobs, alongside the District of Columbia.

The remaining 47 states experienced an increase in employment opportunities. South Carolina experienced the biggest growth at 2.7%, or an increase of roughly 62,500 jobs.

The new data marks a continuation in job loss for the state, following data released by the bureau in January 2025 that indicated the state’s workforce shrank by 0.5% in 2024.

Between April 2024 and April 2025, the average job growth per state was 1.2% nationally, according to the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy. During that same period, West Virginia experienced a 0.1% decline in total nonfarm employment.

In May 2025, West Virginia had an unemployment rate of 3.8%, according to the bureau. The national unemployment rate in May 2025 was 4.2%.