Data / Rankings / Establishment exit rate / Counties in West Virginia

Counties in West Virginia by establishment exit rate, 2023

Upshur County had the highest establishment exit rate of 55 counties in 2023, at 12.797%. McDowell County had the lowest, at 3.694%. The median was 7.91% and the figure for West Virginia was 8.312%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest12.797Upshur County
Lowest3.694McDowell County
Median7.9155 counties
West Virginia8.312History

Map of counties, 2023

Barbour County: 11.765 %Berkeley County: 7.26 %Boone County: 4.11 %Braxton County: 7.373 %Brooke County: 6.684 %Cabell County: 7.923 %Calhoun County: 7.792 %Clay County: 3.974 %Doddridge County: 8.889 %Fayette County: 8.13 %Gilmer County: 6.522 %Grant County: 9.607 %Greenbrier County: 9.4 %Hampshire County: 8.791 %Hancock County: 6.926 %Hardy County: 5.618 %Harrison County: 6.988 %Jackson County: 7.789 %Jefferson County: 10.892 %Kanawha County: 9.686 %Lewis County: 10.59 %Lincoln County: 6.289 %Logan County: 7.229 %McDowell County: 3.694 %Marion County: 7.094 %Marshall County: 7.91 %Mason County: 7.654 %Mercer County: 11.544 %Mineral County: 8.413 %Mingo County: 10.339 %Monongalia County: 7.858 %Monroe County: 9.524 %Morgan County: 4.327 %Nicholas County: 9.891 %Ohio County: 6.572 %Pendleton County: 12.5 %Pleasants County: 7.563 %Pocahontas County: 7.96 %Preston County: 9.719 %Putnam County: 9.24 %Raleigh County: 7.044 %Randolph County: 8.829 %Ritchie County: 6.509 %Roane County: 11.856 %Summers County: 8.333 %Taylor County: 9.769 %Tucker County: 10.596 %Tyler County: 6.195 %Upshur County: 12.797 %Wayne County: 6.093 %Webster County: 7.477 %Wetzel County: 6.557 %Wirt County: 12.727 %Wood County: 7.058 %Wyoming County: 10.338 %
  • Under 6.5
  • 6.5 to 7.2
  • 7.2 to 7.9
  • 7.9 to 9.2
  • 9.2 to 10
  • 10 and over
%, 2023. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2023

Upshur County: 12.797 %Upshur County12.797Wirt County: 12.727 %Wirt County12.727Pendleton County: 12.5 %Pendleton County12.5Roane County: 11.856 %Roane County11.856Barbour County: 11.765 %Barbour County11.765Mercer County: 11.544 %Mercer County11.544Jefferson County: 10.892 %Jefferson County10.892Tucker County: 10.596 %Tucker County10.596Lewis County: 10.59 %Lewis County10.59Mingo County: 10.339 %Mingo County10.339Wyoming County: 10.338 %Wyoming County10.338Nicholas County: 9.891 %Nicholas County9.891Taylor County: 9.769 %Taylor County9.769Preston County: 9.719 %Preston County9.719Kanawha County: 9.686 %Kanawha County9.686Grant County: 9.607 %Grant County9.607Monroe County: 9.524 %Monroe County9.524Greenbrier County: 9.4 %Greenbrier County9.4Putnam County: 9.24 %Putnam County9.24Doddridge County: 8.889 %Doddridge County8.889Randolph County: 8.829 %Randolph County8.829Hampshire County: 8.791 %Hampshire County8.791Mineral County: 8.413 %Mineral County8.413Summers County: 8.333 %Summers County8.333Fayette County: 8.13 %Fayette County8.13Pocahontas County: 7.96 %Pocahontas County7.96Cabell County: 7.923 %Cabell County7.923Marshall County: 7.91 %Marshall County7.91Monongalia County: 7.858 %Monongalia County7.858Calhoun County: 7.792 %Calhoun County7.792Jackson County: 7.789 %Jackson County7.789Mason County: 7.654 %Mason County7.654Pleasants County: 7.563 %Pleasants County7.563Webster County: 7.477 %Webster County7.477Braxton County: 7.373 %Braxton County7.373Berkeley County: 7.26 %Berkeley County7.26Logan County: 7.229 %Logan County7.229Marion County: 7.094 %Marion County7.094Wood County: 7.058 %Wood County7.058Raleigh County: 7.044 %Raleigh County7.044Harrison County: 6.988 %Harrison County6.988Hancock County: 6.926 %Hancock County6.926Brooke County: 6.684 %Brooke County6.684Ohio County: 6.572 %Ohio County6.572Wetzel County: 6.557 %Wetzel County6.557Gilmer County: 6.522 %Gilmer County6.522Ritchie County: 6.509 %Ritchie County6.509Lincoln County: 6.289 %Lincoln County6.289Tyler County: 6.195 %Tyler County6.195Wayne County: 6.093 %Wayne County6.093Hardy County: 5.618 %Hardy County5.618Morgan County: 4.327 %Morgan County4.327Boone County: 4.11 %Boone County4.11Clay County: 3.974 %Clay County3.974McDowell County: 3.694 %McDowell County3.694Upshur County: 12.797 %Upshur County12.797Wirt County: 12.727 %Wirt County12.727Pendleton County: 12.5 %Pendleton County12.5Roane County: 11.856 %Roane County11.856Barbour County: 11.765 %Barbour County11.765Mercer County: 11.544 %Mercer County11.544Jefferson County: 10.892 %Jefferson County10.892Tucker County: 10.596 %Tucker County10.596Lewis County: 10.59 %Lewis County10.59Mingo County: 10.339 %Mingo County10.339Wyoming County: 10.338 %Wyoming County10.338Nicholas County: 9.891 %Nicholas County9.891Taylor County: 9.769 %Taylor County9.769Preston County: 9.719 %Preston County9.719Kanawha County: 9.686 %Kanawha County9.686Grant County: 9.607 %Grant County9.607Monroe County: 9.524 %Monroe County9.524Greenbrier County: 9.4 %Greenbrier County9.4Putnam County: 9.24 %Putnam County9.24Doddridge County: 8.889 %Doddridge County8.889Randolph County: 8.829 %Randolph County8.829Hampshire County: 8.791 %Hampshire County8.791Mineral County: 8.413 %Mineral County8.413Summers County: 8.333 %Summers County8.333Fayette County: 8.13 %Fayette County8.13Pocahontas County: 7.96 %Pocahontas County7.96Cabell County: 7.923 %Cabell County7.923Marshall County: 7.91 %Marshall County7.91Monongalia County: 7.858 %Monongalia County7.858Calhoun County: 7.792 %Calhoun County7.792Jackson County: 7.789 %Jackson County7.789Mason County: 7.654 %Mason County7.654Pleasants County: 7.563 %Pleasants County7.563Webster County: 7.477 %Webster County7.477Braxton County: 7.373 %Braxton County7.373Berkeley County: 7.26 %Berkeley County7.26Logan County: 7.229 %Logan County7.229Marion County: 7.094 %Marion County7.094Wood County: 7.058 %Wood County7.058Raleigh County: 7.044 %Raleigh County7.044Harrison County: 6.988 %Harrison County6.988Hancock County: 6.926 %Hancock County6.926Brooke County: 6.684 %Brooke County6.684Ohio County: 6.572 %Ohio County6.572Wetzel County: 6.557 %Wetzel County6.557Gilmer County: 6.522 %Gilmer County6.522Ritchie County: 6.509 %Ritchie County6.509Lincoln County: 6.289 %Lincoln County6.289Tyler County: 6.195 %Tyler County6.195Wayne County: 6.093 %Wayne County6.093Hardy County: 5.618 %Hardy County5.618Morgan County: 4.327 %Morgan County4.327Boone County: 4.11 %Boone County4.11Clay County: 3.974 %Clay County3.974McDowell County: 3.694 %McDowell County3.694
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Upshur County12.797+2.55 pts
2Wirt County12.727+5.58 pts
3Pendleton County12.5+2.98 pts
4Roane County11.856+3.03 pts
5Barbour County11.765+4.68 pts
6Mercer County11.544+2.47 pts
7Jefferson County10.892+0.16 pts
8Tucker County10.596+0.56 pts
9Lewis County10.59+0.45 pts
10Mingo County10.339+2.39 pts
11Wyoming County10.338+1.92 pts
12Nicholas County9.891+2.8 pts
13Taylor County9.769+0.49 pts
14Preston County9.719-0.42 pts
15Kanawha County9.686+1.39 pts
16Grant County9.607+4.7 pts
17Monroe County9.524+2.6 pts
18Greenbrier County9.4+0.11 pts
19Putnam County9.24-0.41 pts
20Doddridge County8.889-2.62 pts
21Randolph County8.829+0.07 pts
22Hampshire County8.791-1.37 pts
23Mineral County8.413+0.21 pts
24Summers County8.333-1.76 pts
25Fayette County8.13-0.26 pts
26Pocahontas County7.96-3.35 pts
27Cabell County7.923-0.1 pts
28Marshall County7.91-3.2 pts
29Monongalia County7.858+0.01 pts
30Calhoun County7.792-5.54 pts
31Jackson County7.789-0.81 pts
32Mason County7.654+0.95 pts
33Pleasants County7.563-3.18 pts
34Webster County7.477+1.82 pts
35Braxton County7.373-0.75 pts
36Berkeley County7.26-1.06 pts
37Logan County7.229-0.02 pts
38Marion County7.094-1.14 pts
39Wood County7.058-1.08 pts
40Raleigh County7.044-1.41 pts
41Harrison County6.988-3.12 pts
42Hancock County6.926-1.04 pts
43Brooke County6.684-4.1 pts
44Ohio County6.572+0.22 pts
45Wetzel County6.557-3.26 pts
46Gilmer County6.522-3.26 pts
47Ritchie County6.5090 pts
48Lincoln County6.289+1.62 pts
49Tyler County6.195-10.47 pts
50Wayne County6.093-2.02 pts
51Hardy County5.618-0.26 pts
52Morgan County4.327-5.94 pts
53Boone County4.11-2.87 pts
54Clay County3.974-3.43 pts
55McDowell County3.694-5.75 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Establishments that closed during the year (employees a year earlier and none in March of the year), as a percentage of the average number of establishments in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

Counts closed locations, including branches of firms that keep operating elsewhere, so it is not a firm failure rate. Not comparable with enterprise_death_rate, which counts enterprise deaths in Europe. The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

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. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.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. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in West Virginia by establishment exit rate, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in West Virginia by establishment exit rate, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/west-virginia-counties. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in West Virginia by establishment exit rate, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/west-virginia-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in West Virginia by establishment exit rate, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/west-virginia-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_west_virginia_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in West Virginia by establishment exit rate, 2023}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/west-virginia-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in West Virginia by establishment exit rate, 2023
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/west-virginia-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/west-virginia-counties.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest establishment exit rate?

Upshur County, with 12.797% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment exit rate?

McDowell County, with 3.694% in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Establishment exit rate: other rankings

Counties in West Virginia: more rankings