Counties in West Virginia by covered employment (QCEW)

Kanawha County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 55 counties in 2019, at 96,518 jobs. Wirt County had the lowest, at 559 jobs. The median was 5,389 jobs and the figure for West Virginia was 688,761 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest96,518Kanawha County
Lowest559Wirt County
Median5,38955 counties
West Virginia688,761History

Map of counties, 2019

Barbour County: 3,615 jobsBerkeley County: 35,860 jobsBoone County: 4,659 jobsBraxton County: 3,721 jobsBrooke County: 7,630 jobsCabell County: 52,169 jobsCalhoun County: 1,107 jobsClay County: 1,275 jobsDoddridge County: 1,580 jobsFayette County: 10,294 jobsGilmer County: 1,838 jobsGrant County: 3,342 jobsGreenbrier County: 13,179 jobsHampshire County: 3,733 jobsHancock County: 9,498 jobsHardy County: 5,779 jobsHarrison County: 36,860 jobsJackson County: 8,893 jobsJefferson County: 15,660 jobsKanawha County: 96,518 jobsLewis County: 6,196 jobsLincoln County: 2,283 jobsLogan County: 10,159 jobsMcDowell County: 4,264 jobsMarion County: 17,735 jobsMarshall County: 12,067 jobsMason County: 5,389 jobsMercer County: 18,675 jobsMineral County: 7,800 jobsMingo County: 5,101 jobsMonongalia County: 56,815 jobsMonroe County: 1,921 jobsMorgan County: 2,805 jobsNicholas County: 7,175 jobsOhio County: 28,273 jobsPendleton County: 1,486 jobsPleasants County: 2,820 jobsPocahontas County: 3,175 jobsPreston County: 7,245 jobsPutnam County: 20,017 jobsRaleigh County: 32,067 jobsRandolph County: 11,170 jobsRitchie County: 3,151 jobsRoane County: 2,872 jobsSummers County: 2,140 jobsTaylor County: 3,174 jobsTucker County: 2,554 jobsTyler County: 2,086 jobsUpshur County: 7,349 jobsWayne County: 8,198 jobsWebster County: 1,668 jobsWetzel County: 4,425 jobsWirt County: 559 jobsWood County: 35,410 jobsWyoming County: 4,045 jobs
  • Under 2,100
  • 2,100 to 3,300
  • 3,300 to 5,400
  • 5,400 to 8,900
  • 8,900 to 19K
  • 19K and over
jobs, 2019. 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, 2019

Kanawha County: 96,518 jobsKanawha County96,518Monongalia County: 56,815 jobsMonongalia County56,815Cabell County: 52,169 jobsCabell County52,169Harrison County: 36,860 jobsHarrison County36,860Berkeley County: 35,860 jobsBerkeley County35,860Wood County: 35,410 jobsWood County35,410Raleigh County: 32,067 jobsRaleigh County32,067Ohio County: 28,273 jobsOhio County28,273Putnam County: 20,017 jobsPutnam County20,017Mercer County: 18,675 jobsMercer County18,675Marion County: 17,735 jobsMarion County17,735Jefferson County: 15,660 jobsJefferson County15,660Greenbrier County: 13,179 jobsGreenbrier County13,179Marshall County: 12,067 jobsMarshall County12,067Randolph County: 11,170 jobsRandolph County11,170Fayette County: 10,294 jobsFayette County10,294Logan County: 10,159 jobsLogan County10,159Hancock County: 9,498 jobsHancock County9,498Jackson County: 8,893 jobsJackson County8,893Wayne County: 8,198 jobsWayne County8,198Mineral County: 7,800 jobsMineral County7,800Brooke County: 7,630 jobsBrooke County7,630Upshur County: 7,349 jobsUpshur County7,349Preston County: 7,245 jobsPreston County7,245Nicholas County: 7,175 jobsNicholas County7,175Lewis County: 6,196 jobsLewis County6,196Hardy County: 5,779 jobsHardy County5,779Mason County: 5,389 jobsMason County5,389Mingo County: 5,101 jobsMingo County5,101Boone County: 4,659 jobsBoone County4,659Wetzel County: 4,425 jobsWetzel County4,425McDowell County: 4,264 jobsMcDowell County4,264Wyoming County: 4,045 jobsWyoming County4,045Hampshire County: 3,733 jobsHampshire County3,733Braxton County: 3,721 jobsBraxton County3,721Barbour County: 3,615 jobsBarbour County3,615Grant County: 3,342 jobsGrant County3,342Pocahontas County: 3,175 jobsPocahontas County3,175Taylor County: 3,174 jobsTaylor County3,174Ritchie County: 3,151 jobsRitchie County3,151Roane County: 2,872 jobsRoane County2,872Pleasants County: 2,820 jobsPleasants County2,820Morgan County: 2,805 jobsMorgan County2,805Tucker County: 2,554 jobsTucker County2,554Lincoln County: 2,283 jobsLincoln County2,283Summers County: 2,140 jobsSummers County2,140Tyler County: 2,086 jobsTyler County2,086Monroe County: 1,921 jobsMonroe County1,921Gilmer County: 1,838 jobsGilmer County1,838Webster County: 1,668 jobsWebster County1,668Doddridge County: 1,580 jobsDoddridge County1,580Pendleton County: 1,486 jobsPendleton County1,486Clay County: 1,275 jobsClay County1,275Calhoun County: 1,107 jobsCalhoun County1,107Wirt County: 559 jobsWirt County559Kanawha County: 96,518 jobsKanawha County96,518Monongalia County: 56,815 jobsMonongalia County56,815Cabell County: 52,169 jobsCabell County52,169Harrison County: 36,860 jobsHarrison County36,860Berkeley County: 35,860 jobsBerkeley County35,860Wood County: 35,410 jobsWood County35,410Raleigh County: 32,067 jobsRaleigh County32,067Ohio County: 28,273 jobsOhio County28,273Putnam County: 20,017 jobsPutnam County20,017Mercer County: 18,675 jobsMercer County18,675Marion County: 17,735 jobsMarion County17,735Jefferson County: 15,660 jobsJefferson County15,660Greenbrier County: 13,179 jobsGreenbrier County13,179Marshall County: 12,067 jobsMarshall County12,067Randolph County: 11,170 jobsRandolph County11,170Fayette County: 10,294 jobsFayette County10,294Logan County: 10,159 jobsLogan County10,159Hancock County: 9,498 jobsHancock County9,498Jackson County: 8,893 jobsJackson County8,893Wayne County: 8,198 jobsWayne County8,198Mineral County: 7,800 jobsMineral County7,800Brooke County: 7,630 jobsBrooke County7,630Upshur County: 7,349 jobsUpshur County7,349Preston County: 7,245 jobsPreston County7,245Nicholas County: 7,175 jobsNicholas County7,175Lewis County: 6,196 jobsLewis County6,196Hardy County: 5,779 jobsHardy County5,779Mason County: 5,389 jobsMason County5,389Mingo County: 5,101 jobsMingo County5,101Boone County: 4,659 jobsBoone County4,659Wetzel County: 4,425 jobsWetzel County4,425McDowell County: 4,264 jobsMcDowell County4,264Wyoming County: 4,045 jobsWyoming County4,045Hampshire County: 3,733 jobsHampshire County3,733Braxton County: 3,721 jobsBraxton County3,721Barbour County: 3,615 jobsBarbour County3,615Grant County: 3,342 jobsGrant County3,342Pocahontas County: 3,175 jobsPocahontas County3,175Taylor County: 3,174 jobsTaylor County3,174Ritchie County: 3,151 jobsRitchie County3,151Roane County: 2,872 jobsRoane County2,872Pleasants County: 2,820 jobsPleasants County2,820Morgan County: 2,805 jobsMorgan County2,805Tucker County: 2,554 jobsTucker County2,554Lincoln County: 2,283 jobsLincoln County2,283Summers County: 2,140 jobsSummers County2,140Tyler County: 2,086 jobsTyler County2,086Monroe County: 1,921 jobsMonroe County1,921Gilmer County: 1,838 jobsGilmer County1,838Webster County: 1,668 jobsWebster County1,668Doddridge County: 1,580 jobsDoddridge County1,580Pendleton County: 1,486 jobsPendleton County1,486Clay County: 1,275 jobsClay County1,275Calhoun County: 1,107 jobsCalhoun County1,107Wirt County: 559 jobsWirt County559
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

RankCounties2019
jobs
Change on 2018
1Kanawha County96,518-1.7%
2Monongalia County56,815+0.1%
3Cabell County52,169+0.7%
4Harrison County36,860-0.8%
5Berkeley County35,860+1.7%
6Wood County35,410+0.5%
7Raleigh County32,067+2%
8Ohio County28,273-1.2%
9Putnam County20,017-2.7%
10Mercer County18,675-1.4%
11Marion County17,735+0.2%
12Jefferson County15,660+0.9%
13Greenbrier County13,179+0.5%
14Marshall County12,067-8.6%
15Randolph County11,170-0.3%
16Fayette County10,294-0.9%
17Logan County10,159+3.9%
18Hancock County9,498+0.6%
19Jackson County8,893-26.1%
20Wayne County8,198+0.6%
21Mineral County7,800-0.4%
22Brooke County7,630-1.3%
23Upshur County7,349+0.1%
24Preston County7,245-0.2%
25Nicholas County7,175-1.5%
26Lewis County6,196-0.7%
27Hardy County5,779-2.1%
28Mason County5,389+0.4%
29Mingo County5,101-4.4%
30Boone County4,659-2%
31Wetzel County4,425-0.7%
32McDowell County4,264-0.4%
33Wyoming County4,045-5%
34Hampshire County3,733+0.2%
35Braxton County3,721+0.2%
36Barbour County3,615+5%
37Grant County3,342+1.2%
38Pocahontas County3,175+0.6%
39Taylor County3,174+0.4%
40Ritchie County3,151-0.9%
41Roane County2,872-0.3%
42Pleasants County2,820+4.4%
43Morgan County2,805+0.6%
44Tucker County2,554-1%
45Lincoln County2,283+0.1%
46Summers County2,140+3.3%
47Tyler County2,086-2.2%
48Monroe County1,921+1.8%
49Gilmer County1,838-1.2%
50Webster County1,668+1.5%
51Doddridge County1,580-5.7%
52Pendleton County1,486+1.5%
53Clay County1,275+0.1%
54Calhoun County1,107-3.8%
55Wirt County559+1.1%

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/2019/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), 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/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), 2019. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/west-virginia-counties?period=2019. 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), 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/west-virginia-counties?period=2019.

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), 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/west-virginia-counties?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_west_virginia_2019,
  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), 2019}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/west-virginia-counties?period=2019. 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/2019/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), 2019
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/west-virginia-counties?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/west-virginia-counties?period=2019.
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/2019/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 96,518 jobs in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Wirt County, with 559 jobs in 2019.

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