Counties in West Virginia by covered employment (QCEW)

Kanawha County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 55 counties in 2016, at 101,129 jobs. Wirt County had the lowest, at 556 jobs. The median was 5,514 jobs and the figure for West Virginia was 684,322 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest101,129Kanawha County
Lowest556Wirt County
Median5,51455 counties
West Virginia684,322History

Map of counties, 2016

Barbour County: 3,277 jobsBerkeley County: 32,942 jobsBoone County: 4,958 jobsBraxton County: 3,920 jobsBrooke County: 8,056 jobsCabell County: 51,611 jobsCalhoun County: 1,210 jobsClay County: 1,391 jobsDoddridge County: 1,442 jobsFayette County: 10,659 jobsGilmer County: 1,972 jobsGrant County: 3,482 jobsGreenbrier County: 13,129 jobsHampshire County: 3,953 jobsHancock County: 9,749 jobsHardy County: 5,956 jobsHarrison County: 35,206 jobsJackson County: 7,789 jobsJefferson County: 15,613 jobsKanawha County: 101,129 jobsLewis County: 6,210 jobsLincoln County: 2,561 jobsLogan County: 9,780 jobsMcDowell County: 4,321 jobsMarion County: 18,149 jobsMarshall County: 10,195 jobsMason County: 5,514 jobsMercer County: 19,478 jobsMineral County: 7,710 jobsMingo County: 4,770 jobsMonongalia County: 55,283 jobsMonroe County: 1,951 jobsMorgan County: 2,715 jobsNicholas County: 7,243 jobsOhio County: 28,995 jobsPendleton County: 1,492 jobsPleasants County: 2,832 jobsPocahontas County: 3,030 jobsPreston County: 7,274 jobsPutnam County: 20,502 jobsRaleigh County: 30,982 jobsRandolph County: 11,590 jobsRitchie County: 3,336 jobsRoane County: 2,877 jobsSummers County: 2,205 jobsTaylor County: 3,276 jobsTucker County: 2,716 jobsTyler County: 2,174 jobsUpshur County: 7,382 jobsWayne County: 8,195 jobsWebster County: 1,830 jobsWetzel County: 4,569 jobsWirt County: 556 jobsWood County: 36,598 jobsWyoming County: 4,287 jobs
  • Under 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 6,000
  • 6,000 to 8,000
  • 8,000 to 19K
  • 19K and over
jobs, 2016. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2016

Kanawha County: 101,129 jobsKanawha County101,129Monongalia County: 55,283 jobsMonongalia County55,283Cabell County: 51,611 jobsCabell County51,611Wood County: 36,598 jobsWood County36,598Harrison County: 35,206 jobsHarrison County35,206Berkeley County: 32,942 jobsBerkeley County32,942Raleigh County: 30,982 jobsRaleigh County30,982Ohio County: 28,995 jobsOhio County28,995Putnam County: 20,502 jobsPutnam County20,502Mercer County: 19,478 jobsMercer County19,478Marion County: 18,149 jobsMarion County18,149Jefferson County: 15,613 jobsJefferson County15,613Greenbrier County: 13,129 jobsGreenbrier County13,129Randolph County: 11,590 jobsRandolph County11,590Fayette County: 10,659 jobsFayette County10,659Marshall County: 10,195 jobsMarshall County10,195Logan County: 9,780 jobsLogan County9,780Hancock County: 9,749 jobsHancock County9,749Wayne County: 8,195 jobsWayne County8,195Brooke County: 8,056 jobsBrooke County8,056Jackson County: 7,789 jobsJackson County7,789Mineral County: 7,710 jobsMineral County7,710Upshur County: 7,382 jobsUpshur County7,382Preston County: 7,274 jobsPreston County7,274Nicholas County: 7,243 jobsNicholas County7,243Lewis County: 6,210 jobsLewis County6,210Hardy County: 5,956 jobsHardy County5,956Mason County: 5,514 jobsMason County5,514Boone County: 4,958 jobsBoone County4,958Mingo County: 4,770 jobsMingo County4,770Wetzel County: 4,569 jobsWetzel County4,569McDowell County: 4,321 jobsMcDowell County4,321Wyoming County: 4,287 jobsWyoming County4,287Hampshire County: 3,953 jobsHampshire County3,953Braxton County: 3,920 jobsBraxton County3,920Grant County: 3,482 jobsGrant County3,482Ritchie County: 3,336 jobsRitchie County3,336Barbour County: 3,277 jobsBarbour County3,277Taylor County: 3,276 jobsTaylor County3,276Pocahontas County: 3,030 jobsPocahontas County3,030Roane County: 2,877 jobsRoane County2,877Pleasants County: 2,832 jobsPleasants County2,832Tucker County: 2,716 jobsTucker County2,716Morgan County: 2,715 jobsMorgan County2,715Lincoln County: 2,561 jobsLincoln County2,561Summers County: 2,205 jobsSummers County2,205Tyler County: 2,174 jobsTyler County2,174Gilmer County: 1,972 jobsGilmer County1,972Monroe County: 1,951 jobsMonroe County1,951Webster County: 1,830 jobsWebster County1,830Pendleton County: 1,492 jobsPendleton County1,492Doddridge County: 1,442 jobsDoddridge County1,442Clay County: 1,391 jobsClay County1,391Calhoun County: 1,210 jobsCalhoun County1,210Wirt County: 556 jobsWirt County556Kanawha County: 101,129 jobsKanawha County101,129Monongalia County: 55,283 jobsMonongalia County55,283Cabell County: 51,611 jobsCabell County51,611Wood County: 36,598 jobsWood County36,598Harrison County: 35,206 jobsHarrison County35,206Berkeley County: 32,942 jobsBerkeley County32,942Raleigh County: 30,982 jobsRaleigh County30,982Ohio County: 28,995 jobsOhio County28,995Putnam County: 20,502 jobsPutnam County20,502Mercer County: 19,478 jobsMercer County19,478Marion County: 18,149 jobsMarion County18,149Jefferson County: 15,613 jobsJefferson County15,613Greenbrier County: 13,129 jobsGreenbrier County13,129Randolph County: 11,590 jobsRandolph County11,590Fayette County: 10,659 jobsFayette County10,659Marshall County: 10,195 jobsMarshall County10,195Logan County: 9,780 jobsLogan County9,780Hancock County: 9,749 jobsHancock County9,749Wayne County: 8,195 jobsWayne County8,195Brooke County: 8,056 jobsBrooke County8,056Jackson County: 7,789 jobsJackson County7,789Mineral County: 7,710 jobsMineral County7,710Upshur County: 7,382 jobsUpshur County7,382Preston County: 7,274 jobsPreston County7,274Nicholas County: 7,243 jobsNicholas County7,243Lewis County: 6,210 jobsLewis County6,210Hardy County: 5,956 jobsHardy County5,956Mason County: 5,514 jobsMason County5,514Boone County: 4,958 jobsBoone County4,958Mingo County: 4,770 jobsMingo County4,770Wetzel County: 4,569 jobsWetzel County4,569McDowell County: 4,321 jobsMcDowell County4,321Wyoming County: 4,287 jobsWyoming County4,287Hampshire County: 3,953 jobsHampshire County3,953Braxton County: 3,920 jobsBraxton County3,920Grant County: 3,482 jobsGrant County3,482Ritchie County: 3,336 jobsRitchie County3,336Barbour County: 3,277 jobsBarbour County3,277Taylor County: 3,276 jobsTaylor County3,276Pocahontas County: 3,030 jobsPocahontas County3,030Roane County: 2,877 jobsRoane County2,877Pleasants County: 2,832 jobsPleasants County2,832Tucker County: 2,716 jobsTucker County2,716Morgan County: 2,715 jobsMorgan County2,715Lincoln County: 2,561 jobsLincoln County2,561Summers County: 2,205 jobsSummers County2,205Tyler County: 2,174 jobsTyler County2,174Gilmer County: 1,972 jobsGilmer County1,972Monroe County: 1,951 jobsMonroe County1,951Webster County: 1,830 jobsWebster County1,830Pendleton County: 1,492 jobsPendleton County1,492Doddridge County: 1,442 jobsDoddridge County1,442Clay County: 1,391 jobsClay County1,391Calhoun County: 1,210 jobsCalhoun County1,210Wirt County: 556 jobsWirt County556
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
jobs
Change on 2015
1Kanawha County101,129-1.6%
2Monongalia County55,283+0.3%
3Cabell County51,6110%
4Wood County36,598-2.3%
5Harrison County35,206+0.3%
6Berkeley County32,942+2%
7Raleigh County30,982-4.1%
8Ohio County28,995-0.4%
9Putnam County20,502+1.1%
10Mercer County19,478-1.6%
11Marion County18,149-5.2%
12Jefferson County15,613+1.8%
13Greenbrier County13,129-0.7%
14Randolph County11,590+1.2%
15Fayette County10,659-2.1%
16Marshall County10,195-3.8%
17Logan County9,780-4.4%
18Hancock County9,749-2.9%
19Wayne County8,195-6%
20Brooke County8,056-1.2%
21Jackson County7,789+0.3%
22Mineral County7,710-0.2%
23Upshur County7,382-3%
24Preston County7,274-0.3%
25Nicholas County7,243-7%
26Lewis County6,210-6.6%
27Hardy County5,956+3.7%
28Mason County5,514-1.9%
29Boone County4,958-16.6%
30Mingo County4,770-14.3%
31Wetzel County4,569-0.5%
32McDowell County4,321-9.9%
33Wyoming County4,287-9.5%
34Hampshire County3,953-1.1%
35Braxton County3,920-2.4%
36Grant County3,482+2.2%
37Ritchie County3,336+0.8%
38Barbour County3,277-2.1%
39Taylor County3,276+0.2%
40Pocahontas County3,030+0.9%
41Roane County2,877-3.1%
42Pleasants County2,832-2.7%
43Tucker County2,716+0.1%
44Morgan County2,715+0.8%
45Lincoln County2,561-0.6%
46Summers County2,205-1%
47Tyler County2,174-8.1%
48Gilmer County1,972-9.7%
49Monroe County1,951+1.4%
50Webster County1,830-8.4%
51Pendleton County1,492-2.9%
52Doddridge County1,442+2.9%
53Clay County1,391+0.4%
54Calhoun County1,210-6.5%
55Wirt County556-0.5%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in West Virginia by covered employment (QCEW), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in West Virginia by covered employment (QCEW), 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/west-virginia-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in West Virginia by covered employment (QCEW), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/west-virginia-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in West Virginia by covered employment (QCEW), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/west-virginia-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_west_virginia_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in West Virginia by covered employment (QCEW), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/west-virginia-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in West Virginia by covered employment (QCEW), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/west-virginia-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/west-virginia-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Kanawha County, with 101,129 jobs in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Wirt County, with 556 jobs in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in West Virginia: more rankings