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

Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate

Calhoun County had the highest job destruction rate of 55 counties in 2019, at 34.393%. Wirt County had the lowest, at 4.99%. The median was 10.041% and the figure for West Virginia was 11.044%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest34.393Calhoun County
Lowest4.99Wirt County
Median10.04155 counties
West Virginia11.044History

Map of counties, 2019

Barbour County: 5.514 %Berkeley County: 9.477 %Boone County: 15.747 %Braxton County: 7.814 %Brooke County: 7.862 %Cabell County: 9.934 %Calhoun County: 34.393 %Clay County: 12.266 %Doddridge County: 12.302 %Fayette County: 12.843 %Gilmer County: 9.529 %Grant County: 8.496 %Greenbrier County: 15.475 %Hampshire County: 9.825 %Hancock County: 9.866 %Hardy County: 11.663 %Harrison County: 11.177 %Jackson County: 9.796 %Jefferson County: 7.795 %Kanawha County: 11.894 %Lewis County: 8.156 %Lincoln County: 11.703 %Logan County: 7.257 %McDowell County: 15.083 %Marion County: 12.752 %Marshall County: 10.009 %Mason County: 7.114 %Mercer County: 9.51 %Mineral County: 8.429 %Mingo County: 17.275 %Monongalia County: 10.739 %Monroe County: 7.731 %Morgan County: 13.851 %Nicholas County: 12.879 %Ohio County: 10.041 %Pendleton County: 9.666 %Pleasants County: 11.006 %Pocahontas County: 9.276 %Preston County: 9.801 %Putnam County: 11.713 %Raleigh County: 10.882 %Randolph County: 8.687 %Ritchie County: 7.094 %Roane County: 11.047 %Summers County: 10.062 %Taylor County: 6.002 %Tucker County: 14.366 %Tyler County: 14.737 %Upshur County: 10.13 %Wayne County: 8.202 %Webster County: 12.822 %Wetzel County: 6.053 %Wirt County: 4.99 %Wood County: 11.355 %Wyoming County: 32.795 %
  • Under 7.8
  • 7.8 to 9.5
  • 9.5 to 10
  • 10 to 12
  • 12 to 13
  • 13 and over
%, 2019. 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, 2019

Calhoun County: 34.393 %Calhoun County34.393Wyoming County: 32.795 %Wyoming County32.795Mingo County: 17.275 %Mingo County17.275Boone County: 15.747 %Boone County15.747Greenbrier County: 15.475 %Greenbrier County15.475McDowell County: 15.083 %McDowell County15.083Tyler County: 14.737 %Tyler County14.737Tucker County: 14.366 %Tucker County14.366Morgan County: 13.851 %Morgan County13.851Nicholas County: 12.879 %Nicholas County12.879Fayette County: 12.843 %Fayette County12.843Webster County: 12.822 %Webster County12.822Marion County: 12.752 %Marion County12.752Doddridge County: 12.302 %Doddridge County12.302Clay County: 12.266 %Clay County12.266Kanawha County: 11.894 %Kanawha County11.894Putnam County: 11.713 %Putnam County11.713Lincoln County: 11.703 %Lincoln County11.703Hardy County: 11.663 %Hardy County11.663Wood County: 11.355 %Wood County11.355Harrison County: 11.177 %Harrison County11.177Roane County: 11.047 %Roane County11.047Pleasants County: 11.006 %Pleasants County11.006Raleigh County: 10.882 %Raleigh County10.882Monongalia County: 10.739 %Monongalia County10.739Upshur County: 10.13 %Upshur County10.13Summers County: 10.062 %Summers County10.062Ohio County: 10.041 %Ohio County10.041Marshall County: 10.009 %Marshall County10.009Cabell County: 9.934 %Cabell County9.934Hancock County: 9.866 %Hancock County9.866Hampshire County: 9.825 %Hampshire County9.825Preston County: 9.801 %Preston County9.801Jackson County: 9.796 %Jackson County9.796Pendleton County: 9.666 %Pendleton County9.666Gilmer County: 9.529 %Gilmer County9.529Mercer County: 9.51 %Mercer County9.51Berkeley County: 9.477 %Berkeley County9.477Pocahontas County: 9.276 %Pocahontas County9.276Randolph County: 8.687 %Randolph County8.687Grant County: 8.496 %Grant County8.496Mineral County: 8.429 %Mineral County8.429Wayne County: 8.202 %Wayne County8.202Lewis County: 8.156 %Lewis County8.156Brooke County: 7.862 %Brooke County7.862Braxton County: 7.814 %Braxton County7.814Jefferson County: 7.795 %Jefferson County7.795Monroe County: 7.731 %Monroe County7.731Logan County: 7.257 %Logan County7.257Mason County: 7.114 %Mason County7.114Ritchie County: 7.094 %Ritchie County7.094Wetzel County: 6.053 %Wetzel County6.053Taylor County: 6.002 %Taylor County6.002Barbour County: 5.514 %Barbour County5.514Wirt County: 4.99 %Wirt County4.99Calhoun County: 34.393 %Calhoun County34.393Wyoming County: 32.795 %Wyoming County32.795Mingo County: 17.275 %Mingo County17.275Boone County: 15.747 %Boone County15.747Greenbrier County: 15.475 %Greenbrier County15.475McDowell County: 15.083 %McDowell County15.083Tyler County: 14.737 %Tyler County14.737Tucker County: 14.366 %Tucker County14.366Morgan County: 13.851 %Morgan County13.851Nicholas County: 12.879 %Nicholas County12.879Fayette County: 12.843 %Fayette County12.843Webster County: 12.822 %Webster County12.822Marion County: 12.752 %Marion County12.752Doddridge County: 12.302 %Doddridge County12.302Clay County: 12.266 %Clay County12.266Kanawha County: 11.894 %Kanawha County11.894Putnam County: 11.713 %Putnam County11.713Lincoln County: 11.703 %Lincoln County11.703Hardy County: 11.663 %Hardy County11.663Wood County: 11.355 %Wood County11.355Harrison County: 11.177 %Harrison County11.177Roane County: 11.047 %Roane County11.047Pleasants County: 11.006 %Pleasants County11.006Raleigh County: 10.882 %Raleigh County10.882Monongalia County: 10.739 %Monongalia County10.739Upshur County: 10.13 %Upshur County10.13Summers County: 10.062 %Summers County10.062Ohio County: 10.041 %Ohio County10.041Marshall County: 10.009 %Marshall County10.009Cabell County: 9.934 %Cabell County9.934Hancock County: 9.866 %Hancock County9.866Hampshire County: 9.825 %Hampshire County9.825Preston County: 9.801 %Preston County9.801Jackson County: 9.796 %Jackson County9.796Pendleton County: 9.666 %Pendleton County9.666Gilmer County: 9.529 %Gilmer County9.529Mercer County: 9.51 %Mercer County9.51Berkeley County: 9.477 %Berkeley County9.477Pocahontas County: 9.276 %Pocahontas County9.276Randolph County: 8.687 %Randolph County8.687Grant County: 8.496 %Grant County8.496Mineral County: 8.429 %Mineral County8.429Wayne County: 8.202 %Wayne County8.202Lewis County: 8.156 %Lewis County8.156Brooke County: 7.862 %Brooke County7.862Braxton County: 7.814 %Braxton County7.814Jefferson County: 7.795 %Jefferson County7.795Monroe County: 7.731 %Monroe County7.731Logan County: 7.257 %Logan County7.257Mason County: 7.114 %Mason County7.114Ritchie County: 7.094 %Ritchie County7.094Wetzel County: 6.053 %Wetzel County6.053Taylor County: 6.002 %Taylor County6.002Barbour County: 5.514 %Barbour County5.514Wirt County: 4.99 %Wirt County4.99
%. 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

RankCounties2019 (%)Change on 2018
1Calhoun County34.393+18.91 pts
2Wyoming County32.795+19.04 pts
3Mingo County17.275+2.51 pts
4Boone County15.747+8.28 pts
5Greenbrier County15.475+6.4 pts
6McDowell County15.083-16.76 pts
7Tyler County14.737-8.56 pts
8Tucker County14.366+1.53 pts
9Morgan County13.851+6.5 pts
10Nicholas County12.879+2.35 pts
11Fayette County12.843+2.49 pts
12Webster County12.822+1.81 pts
13Marion County12.752-2.32 pts
14Doddridge County12.302+1.87 pts
15Clay County12.266+0.39 pts
16Kanawha County11.894+1.18 pts
17Putnam County11.713-0.01 pts
18Lincoln County11.703-5.1 pts
19Hardy County11.663+0.54 pts
20Wood County11.355-0.83 pts
21Harrison County11.177-1.14 pts
22Roane County11.047+1.39 pts
23Pleasants County11.006-9.55 pts
24Raleigh County10.882+0.07 pts
25Monongalia County10.739-1.67 pts
26Upshur County10.13+1.97 pts
27Summers County10.062-4.35 pts
28Ohio County10.041+1.46 pts
29Marshall County10.009+1.79 pts
30Cabell County9.934-1.33 pts
31Hancock County9.866+4.55 pts
32Hampshire County9.825-1.68 pts
33Preston County9.801-1.52 pts
34Jackson County9.796+1.03 pts
35Pendleton County9.666-0.26 pts
36Gilmer County9.529-0.15 pts
37Mercer County9.51+1.6 pts
38Berkeley County9.477+0.36 pts
39Pocahontas County9.276-4.3 pts
40Randolph County8.687-1.47 pts
41Grant County8.496+0.65 pts
42Mineral County8.429+0.59 pts
43Wayne County8.202-6.78 pts
44Lewis County8.156-10.06 pts
45Brooke County7.862-3.72 pts
46Braxton County7.814-1.4 pts
47Jefferson County7.795-0.22 pts
48Monroe County7.731-1.99 pts
49Logan County7.257-4.37 pts
50Mason County7.114-5.33 pts
51Ritchie County7.094-5.68 pts
52Wetzel County6.053-3.5 pts
53Taylor County6.002-0.97 pts
54Barbour County5.514-18.48 pts
55Wirt County4.99-10.69 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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_west_virginia_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2019.
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?

Calhoun County, with 34.393% in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Wirt County, with 4.99% in 2019.

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