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

Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate

Wirt County had the highest job destruction rate of 55 counties in 2017, at 35.294%. Hardy County had the lowest, at 4.884%. The median was 11.682% and the figure for West Virginia was 12.882%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest35.294Wirt County
Lowest4.884Hardy County
Median11.68255 counties
West Virginia12.882History

Map of counties, 2017

Barbour County: 8.583 %Berkeley County: 11.176 %Boone County: 22.173 %Braxton County: 16.979 %Brooke County: 12.603 %Cabell County: 9.737 %Calhoun County: 6.401 %Clay County: 12.039 %Doddridge County: 12.157 %Fayette County: 14.634 %Gilmer County: 15.776 %Grant County: 10.286 %Greenbrier County: 11.478 %Hampshire County: 12.026 %Hancock County: 10.49 %Hardy County: 4.884 %Harrison County: 11.299 %Jackson County: 11.466 %Jefferson County: 8.362 %Kanawha County: 15.688 %Lewis County: 19.285 %Lincoln County: 9.521 %Logan County: 15.609 %McDowell County: 24.238 %Marion County: 15.998 %Marshall County: 10.075 %Mason County: 8.983 %Mercer County: 11.682 %Mineral County: 8.959 %Mingo County: 12.263 %Monongalia County: 10.269 %Monroe County: 8.264 %Morgan County: 8.822 %Nicholas County: 13.8 %Ohio County: 11.433 %Pendleton County: 10.94 %Pleasants County: 23.255 %Pocahontas County: 6.991 %Preston County: 8.656 %Putnam County: 14.142 %Raleigh County: 15.037 %Randolph County: 9.914 %Ritchie County: 25.148 %Roane County: 8.59 %Summers County: 13.544 %Taylor County: 10.084 %Tucker County: 10.796 %Tyler County: 29.754 %Upshur County: 13.542 %Wayne County: 16.326 %Webster County: 11.137 %Wetzel County: 12.308 %Wirt County: 35.294 %Wood County: 13.275 %Wyoming County: 14.784 %
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%, 2017. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2017

Wirt County: 35.294 %Wirt County35.294Tyler County: 29.754 %Tyler County29.754Ritchie County: 25.148 %Ritchie County25.148McDowell County: 24.238 %McDowell County24.238Pleasants County: 23.255 %Pleasants County23.255Boone County: 22.173 %Boone County22.173Lewis County: 19.285 %Lewis County19.285Braxton County: 16.979 %Braxton County16.979Wayne County: 16.326 %Wayne County16.326Marion County: 15.998 %Marion County15.998Gilmer County: 15.776 %Gilmer County15.776Kanawha County: 15.688 %Kanawha County15.688Logan County: 15.609 %Logan County15.609Raleigh County: 15.037 %Raleigh County15.037Wyoming County: 14.784 %Wyoming County14.784Fayette County: 14.634 %Fayette County14.634Putnam County: 14.142 %Putnam County14.142Nicholas County: 13.8 %Nicholas County13.8Summers County: 13.544 %Summers County13.544Upshur County: 13.542 %Upshur County13.542Wood County: 13.275 %Wood County13.275Brooke County: 12.603 %Brooke County12.603Wetzel County: 12.308 %Wetzel County12.308Mingo County: 12.263 %Mingo County12.263Doddridge County: 12.157 %Doddridge County12.157Clay County: 12.039 %Clay County12.039Hampshire County: 12.026 %Hampshire County12.026Mercer County: 11.682 %Mercer County11.682Greenbrier County: 11.478 %Greenbrier County11.478Jackson County: 11.466 %Jackson County11.466Ohio County: 11.433 %Ohio County11.433Harrison County: 11.299 %Harrison County11.299Berkeley County: 11.176 %Berkeley County11.176Webster County: 11.137 %Webster County11.137Pendleton County: 10.94 %Pendleton County10.94Tucker County: 10.796 %Tucker County10.796Hancock County: 10.49 %Hancock County10.49Grant County: 10.286 %Grant County10.286Monongalia County: 10.269 %Monongalia County10.269Taylor County: 10.084 %Taylor County10.084Marshall County: 10.075 %Marshall County10.075Randolph County: 9.914 %Randolph County9.914Cabell County: 9.737 %Cabell County9.737Lincoln County: 9.521 %Lincoln County9.521Mason County: 8.983 %Mason County8.983Mineral County: 8.959 %Mineral County8.959Morgan County: 8.822 %Morgan County8.822Preston County: 8.656 %Preston County8.656Roane County: 8.59 %Roane County8.59Barbour County: 8.583 %Barbour County8.583Jefferson County: 8.362 %Jefferson County8.362Monroe County: 8.264 %Monroe County8.264Pocahontas County: 6.991 %Pocahontas County6.991Calhoun County: 6.401 %Calhoun County6.401Hardy County: 4.884 %Hardy County4.884Wirt County: 35.294 %Wirt County35.294Tyler County: 29.754 %Tyler County29.754Ritchie County: 25.148 %Ritchie County25.148McDowell County: 24.238 %McDowell County24.238Pleasants County: 23.255 %Pleasants County23.255Boone County: 22.173 %Boone County22.173Lewis County: 19.285 %Lewis County19.285Braxton County: 16.979 %Braxton County16.979Wayne County: 16.326 %Wayne County16.326Marion County: 15.998 %Marion County15.998Gilmer County: 15.776 %Gilmer County15.776Kanawha County: 15.688 %Kanawha County15.688Logan County: 15.609 %Logan County15.609Raleigh County: 15.037 %Raleigh County15.037Wyoming County: 14.784 %Wyoming County14.784Fayette County: 14.634 %Fayette County14.634Putnam County: 14.142 %Putnam County14.142Nicholas County: 13.8 %Nicholas County13.8Summers County: 13.544 %Summers County13.544Upshur County: 13.542 %Upshur County13.542Wood County: 13.275 %Wood County13.275Brooke County: 12.603 %Brooke County12.603Wetzel County: 12.308 %Wetzel County12.308Mingo County: 12.263 %Mingo County12.263Doddridge County: 12.157 %Doddridge County12.157Clay County: 12.039 %Clay County12.039Hampshire County: 12.026 %Hampshire County12.026Mercer County: 11.682 %Mercer County11.682Greenbrier County: 11.478 %Greenbrier County11.478Jackson County: 11.466 %Jackson County11.466Ohio County: 11.433 %Ohio County11.433Harrison County: 11.299 %Harrison County11.299Berkeley County: 11.176 %Berkeley County11.176Webster County: 11.137 %Webster County11.137Pendleton County: 10.94 %Pendleton County10.94Tucker County: 10.796 %Tucker County10.796Hancock County: 10.49 %Hancock County10.49Grant County: 10.286 %Grant County10.286Monongalia County: 10.269 %Monongalia County10.269Taylor County: 10.084 %Taylor County10.084Marshall County: 10.075 %Marshall County10.075Randolph County: 9.914 %Randolph County9.914Cabell County: 9.737 %Cabell County9.737Lincoln County: 9.521 %Lincoln County9.521Mason County: 8.983 %Mason County8.983Mineral County: 8.959 %Mineral County8.959Morgan County: 8.822 %Morgan County8.822Preston County: 8.656 %Preston County8.656Roane County: 8.59 %Roane County8.59Barbour County: 8.583 %Barbour County8.583Jefferson County: 8.362 %Jefferson County8.362Monroe County: 8.264 %Monroe County8.264Pocahontas County: 6.991 %Pocahontas County6.991Calhoun County: 6.401 %Calhoun County6.401Hardy County: 4.884 %Hardy County4.884
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Wirt County35.294+27.91 pts
2Tyler County29.754+19.47 pts
3Ritchie County25.148+17.66 pts
4McDowell County24.238+7.36 pts
5Pleasants County23.255+15.11 pts
6Boone County22.173-7.16 pts
7Lewis County19.285+3.25 pts
8Braxton County16.979+7.97 pts
9Wayne County16.326+6.04 pts
10Marion County15.998-0.44 pts
11Gilmer County15.776-5.57 pts
12Kanawha County15.688+0.23 pts
13Logan County15.609-0.03 pts
14Raleigh County15.037+1.81 pts
15Wyoming County14.784-3.23 pts
16Fayette County14.634+2.51 pts
17Putnam County14.142+4.52 pts
18Nicholas County13.8-1.56 pts
19Summers County13.544+2.4 pts
20Upshur County13.542+2.26 pts
21Wood County13.275+3.23 pts
22Brooke County12.603+2.44 pts
23Wetzel County12.308+5.03 pts
24Mingo County12.263-5.81 pts
25Doddridge County12.157-5.19 pts
26Clay County12.039-3.18 pts
27Hampshire County12.026-0.24 pts
28Mercer County11.682+0.05 pts
29Greenbrier County11.478+2.33 pts
30Jackson County11.466+2.48 pts
31Ohio County11.433+0.55 pts
32Harrison County11.299+0.92 pts
33Berkeley County11.176+1.77 pts
34Webster County11.137-3.88 pts
35Pendleton County10.94+1.58 pts
36Tucker County10.796+1.95 pts
37Hancock County10.49-1.63 pts
38Grant County10.286+3.95 pts
39Monongalia County10.269-0.52 pts
40Taylor County10.084-1.17 pts
41Marshall County10.075-4.06 pts
42Randolph County9.914+1.67 pts
43Cabell County9.737+1.32 pts
44Lincoln County9.521-4.9 pts
45Mason County8.983+0.62 pts
46Mineral County8.959-1.77 pts
47Morgan County8.822-5.72 pts
48Preston County8.656-1.87 pts
49Roane County8.59-5.92 pts
50Barbour County8.583-1.13 pts
51Jefferson County8.362-7.9 pts
52Monroe County8.264-4.63 pts
53Pocahontas County6.991+0.53 pts
54Calhoun County6.401-8.84 pts
55Hardy County4.884-0.31 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs lost at closing and shrinking 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 added elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is job_creation_rate minus this rate. Not a layoff rate: it counts positions lost at establishments, not people who lost a job. 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 destruction 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate, 2017) [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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate, 2017. 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-destruction-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate, 2017. 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-destruction-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate, 2017 [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-destruction-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_west_virginia_2017,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate, 2017}},
  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-destruction-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2017. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate, 2017
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-destruction-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction 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 destruction rate?

Wirt County, with 35.294% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Hardy County, with 4.884% in 2017.

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

Job destruction rate: other rankings

Counties in West Virginia: more rankings