Data / Rankings / Job creation rate / Counties in West Virginia

Counties in West Virginia by job creation rate

Wirt County had the highest job creation rate of 55 counties in 2021, at 26.936%. Hancock County had the lowest, at 4.474%. The median was 8.77% and the figure for West Virginia was 9.991%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest26.936Wirt County
Lowest4.474Hancock County
Median8.7755 counties
West Virginia9.991History

Map of counties, 2021

Barbour County: 14.845 %Berkeley County: 11.877 %Boone County: 10.759 %Braxton County: 8.274 %Brooke County: 8.422 %Cabell County: 7.086 %Calhoun County: 14.453 %Clay County: 10.104 %Doddridge County: 9.096 %Fayette County: 8.476 %Gilmer County: 6.557 %Grant County: 6.618 %Greenbrier County: 8.07 %Hampshire County: 7.703 %Hancock County: 4.474 %Hardy County: 5.375 %Harrison County: 10.111 %Jackson County: 5.849 %Jefferson County: 7.937 %Kanawha County: 8.495 %Lewis County: 15.579 %Lincoln County: 6.722 %Logan County: 6.416 %McDowell County: 13.618 %Marion County: 17.659 %Marshall County: 11.591 %Mason County: 9.906 %Mercer County: 9.938 %Mineral County: 12.461 %Mingo County: 9.856 %Monongalia County: 16.087 %Monroe County: 8.03 %Morgan County: 8.845 %Nicholas County: 10.507 %Ohio County: 7.774 %Pendleton County: 8.026 %Pleasants County: 8.77 %Pocahontas County: 7.918 %Preston County: 7.589 %Putnam County: 10.496 %Raleigh County: 8.713 %Randolph County: 7.969 %Ritchie County: 10.142 %Roane County: 26.817 %Summers County: 10.123 %Taylor County: 7.211 %Tucker County: 16.107 %Tyler County: 6.043 %Upshur County: 8.188 %Wayne County: 7.9 %Webster County: 13.8 %Wetzel County: 12.918 %Wirt County: 26.936 %Wood County: 9.913 %Wyoming County: 8.254 %
  • Under 7.2
  • 7.2 to 8
  • 8 to 8.8
  • 8.8 to 10
  • 10 to 14
  • 14 and over
%, 2021. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2021

Wirt County: 26.936 %Wirt County26.936Roane County: 26.817 %Roane County26.817Marion County: 17.659 %Marion County17.659Tucker County: 16.107 %Tucker County16.107Monongalia County: 16.087 %Monongalia County16.087Lewis County: 15.579 %Lewis County15.579Barbour County: 14.845 %Barbour County14.845Calhoun County: 14.453 %Calhoun County14.453Webster County: 13.8 %Webster County13.8McDowell County: 13.618 %McDowell County13.618Wetzel County: 12.918 %Wetzel County12.918Mineral County: 12.461 %Mineral County12.461Berkeley County: 11.877 %Berkeley County11.877Marshall County: 11.591 %Marshall County11.591Boone County: 10.759 %Boone County10.759Nicholas County: 10.507 %Nicholas County10.507Putnam County: 10.496 %Putnam County10.496Ritchie County: 10.142 %Ritchie County10.142Summers County: 10.123 %Summers County10.123Harrison County: 10.111 %Harrison County10.111Clay County: 10.104 %Clay County10.104Mercer County: 9.938 %Mercer County9.938Wood County: 9.913 %Wood County9.913Mason County: 9.906 %Mason County9.906Mingo County: 9.856 %Mingo County9.856Doddridge County: 9.096 %Doddridge County9.096Morgan County: 8.845 %Morgan County8.845Pleasants County: 8.77 %Pleasants County8.77Raleigh County: 8.713 %Raleigh County8.713Kanawha County: 8.495 %Kanawha County8.495Fayette County: 8.476 %Fayette County8.476Brooke County: 8.422 %Brooke County8.422Braxton County: 8.274 %Braxton County8.274Wyoming County: 8.254 %Wyoming County8.254Upshur County: 8.188 %Upshur County8.188Greenbrier County: 8.07 %Greenbrier County8.07Monroe County: 8.03 %Monroe County8.03Pendleton County: 8.026 %Pendleton County8.026Randolph County: 7.969 %Randolph County7.969Jefferson County: 7.937 %Jefferson County7.937Pocahontas County: 7.918 %Pocahontas County7.918Wayne County: 7.9 %Wayne County7.9Ohio County: 7.774 %Ohio County7.774Hampshire County: 7.703 %Hampshire County7.703Preston County: 7.589 %Preston County7.589Taylor County: 7.211 %Taylor County7.211Cabell County: 7.086 %Cabell County7.086Lincoln County: 6.722 %Lincoln County6.722Grant County: 6.618 %Grant County6.618Gilmer County: 6.557 %Gilmer County6.557Logan County: 6.416 %Logan County6.416Tyler County: 6.043 %Tyler County6.043Jackson County: 5.849 %Jackson County5.849Hardy County: 5.375 %Hardy County5.375Hancock County: 4.474 %Hancock County4.474Wirt County: 26.936 %Wirt County26.936Roane County: 26.817 %Roane County26.817Marion County: 17.659 %Marion County17.659Tucker County: 16.107 %Tucker County16.107Monongalia County: 16.087 %Monongalia County16.087Lewis County: 15.579 %Lewis County15.579Barbour County: 14.845 %Barbour County14.845Calhoun County: 14.453 %Calhoun County14.453Webster County: 13.8 %Webster County13.8McDowell County: 13.618 %McDowell County13.618Wetzel County: 12.918 %Wetzel County12.918Mineral County: 12.461 %Mineral County12.461Berkeley County: 11.877 %Berkeley County11.877Marshall County: 11.591 %Marshall County11.591Boone County: 10.759 %Boone County10.759Nicholas County: 10.507 %Nicholas County10.507Putnam County: 10.496 %Putnam County10.496Ritchie County: 10.142 %Ritchie County10.142Summers County: 10.123 %Summers County10.123Harrison County: 10.111 %Harrison County10.111Clay County: 10.104 %Clay County10.104Mercer County: 9.938 %Mercer County9.938Wood County: 9.913 %Wood County9.913Mason County: 9.906 %Mason County9.906Mingo County: 9.856 %Mingo County9.856Doddridge County: 9.096 %Doddridge County9.096Morgan County: 8.845 %Morgan County8.845Pleasants County: 8.77 %Pleasants County8.77Raleigh County: 8.713 %Raleigh County8.713Kanawha County: 8.495 %Kanawha County8.495Fayette County: 8.476 %Fayette County8.476Brooke County: 8.422 %Brooke County8.422Braxton County: 8.274 %Braxton County8.274Wyoming County: 8.254 %Wyoming County8.254Upshur County: 8.188 %Upshur County8.188Greenbrier County: 8.07 %Greenbrier County8.07Monroe County: 8.03 %Monroe County8.03Pendleton County: 8.026 %Pendleton County8.026Randolph County: 7.969 %Randolph County7.969Jefferson County: 7.937 %Jefferson County7.937Pocahontas County: 7.918 %Pocahontas County7.918Wayne County: 7.9 %Wayne County7.9Ohio County: 7.774 %Ohio County7.774Hampshire County: 7.703 %Hampshire County7.703Preston County: 7.589 %Preston County7.589Taylor County: 7.211 %Taylor County7.211Cabell County: 7.086 %Cabell County7.086Lincoln County: 6.722 %Lincoln County6.722Grant County: 6.618 %Grant County6.618Gilmer County: 6.557 %Gilmer County6.557Logan County: 6.416 %Logan County6.416Tyler County: 6.043 %Tyler County6.043Jackson County: 5.849 %Jackson County5.849Hardy County: 5.375 %Hardy County5.375Hancock County: 4.474 %Hancock County4.474
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Wirt County26.936+17.71 pts
2Roane County26.817+20.09 pts
3Marion County17.659+7.39 pts
4Tucker County16.107+5.19 pts
5Monongalia County16.087+2.56 pts
6Lewis County15.579+9.06 pts
7Barbour County14.845+5.24 pts
8Calhoun County14.453+6.3 pts
9Webster County13.8+9.06 pts
10McDowell County13.618-2.33 pts
11Wetzel County12.918+5.81 pts
12Mineral County12.461+3.43 pts
13Berkeley County11.877-1.84 pts
14Marshall County11.591+2.61 pts
15Boone County10.759+1.08 pts
16Nicholas County10.507+2.85 pts
17Putnam County10.496+1 pts
18Ritchie County10.142+3.39 pts
19Summers County10.123+0.67 pts
20Harrison County10.111+1.91 pts
21Clay County10.104-10.22 pts
22Mercer County9.938+1.16 pts
23Wood County9.913-0.07 pts
24Mason County9.906+2.37 pts
25Mingo County9.856+1.83 pts
26Doddridge County9.096-3.54 pts
27Morgan County8.845-17.37 pts
28Pleasants County8.77+3.31 pts
29Raleigh County8.713+0.5 pts
30Kanawha County8.495+0.71 pts
31Fayette County8.476+2.64 pts
32Brooke County8.422-0.13 pts
33Braxton County8.274-2.14 pts
34Wyoming County8.254-8.07 pts
35Upshur County8.188+1.61 pts
36Greenbrier County8.07-2.7 pts
37Monroe County8.03+0.53 pts
38Pendleton County8.026-1.02 pts
39Randolph County7.969+1.73 pts
40Jefferson County7.937-1.99 pts
41Pocahontas County7.918+1.61 pts
42Wayne County7.9+1.46 pts
43Ohio County7.774-1.58 pts
44Hampshire County7.703-1.24 pts
45Preston County7.589-0.93 pts
46Taylor County7.211+2 pts
47Cabell County7.086-0.6 pts
48Lincoln County6.722-3.91 pts
49Grant County6.618-3.53 pts
50Gilmer County6.557-3.34 pts
51Logan County6.416-1.05 pts
52Tyler County6.043+0.31 pts
53Jackson County5.849-0.86 pts
54Hardy County5.375-24.42 pts
55Hancock County4.474-1.45 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs added at opening and expanding establishments during the year, as a percentage of average employment in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

A gross flow: jobs lost elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is this rate minus job_destruction_rate. Not the same as payroll job growth from the monthly employment surveys. 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: job creation 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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in West Virginia by job creation rate, 2021) [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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in West Virginia by job creation rate, 2021. 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/job-creation-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in West Virginia by job creation rate, 2021. 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/job-creation-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in West Virginia by job creation rate, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_west_virginia_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in West Virginia by job creation rate, 2021}},
  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/job-creation-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation 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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in West Virginia by job creation rate, 2021
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/job-creation-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation 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 job creation rate?

Wirt County, with 26.936% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job creation rate?

Hancock County, with 4.474% in 2021.

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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job creation rate: other rankings

Counties in West Virginia: more rankings