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

Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate

Roane County had the highest job destruction rate of 55 counties in 2020, at 27.929%. Ritchie County had the lowest, at 4.765%. The median was 11.461% and the figure for West Virginia was 11.528%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest27.929Roane County
Lowest4.765Ritchie County
Median11.46155 counties
West Virginia11.528History

Map of counties, 2020

Barbour County: 6.658 %Berkeley County: 9.266 %Boone County: 13.636 %Braxton County: 12.511 %Brooke County: 9.103 %Cabell County: 10.436 %Calhoun County: 12.431 %Clay County: 16.562 %Doddridge County: 22.253 %Fayette County: 11.935 %Gilmer County: 14.573 %Grant County: 5.98 %Greenbrier County: 8.047 %Hampshire County: 7.455 %Hancock County: 12.435 %Hardy County: 6.384 %Harrison County: 14.301 %Jackson County: 10.559 %Jefferson County: 9.022 %Kanawha County: 11.397 %Lewis County: 15.81 %Lincoln County: 12.989 %Logan County: 14.757 %McDowell County: 18.423 %Marion County: 13.515 %Marshall County: 8.837 %Mason County: 11.461 %Mercer County: 9.112 %Mineral County: 7.277 %Mingo County: 18.236 %Monongalia County: 11.509 %Monroe County: 22.158 %Morgan County: 9.077 %Nicholas County: 14.137 %Ohio County: 12.086 %Pendleton County: 9.584 %Pleasants County: 13.031 %Pocahontas County: 7.708 %Preston County: 10.1 %Putnam County: 13.998 %Raleigh County: 14.63 %Randolph County: 8.632 %Ritchie County: 4.765 %Roane County: 27.929 %Summers County: 9.457 %Taylor County: 9.994 %Tucker County: 8.714 %Tyler County: 7.009 %Upshur County: 14.064 %Wayne County: 11.031 %Webster County: 13.333 %Wetzel County: 8.563 %Wirt County: 11.808 %Wood County: 12.951 %Wyoming County: 10.949 %
  • Under 8.6
  • 8.6 to 9.5
  • 9.5 to 11
  • 11 to 13
  • 13 to 15
  • 15 and over
%, 2020. 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, 2020

Roane County: 27.929 %Roane County27.929Doddridge County: 22.253 %Doddridge County22.253Monroe County: 22.158 %Monroe County22.158McDowell County: 18.423 %McDowell County18.423Mingo County: 18.236 %Mingo County18.236Clay County: 16.562 %Clay County16.562Lewis County: 15.81 %Lewis County15.81Logan County: 14.757 %Logan County14.757Raleigh County: 14.63 %Raleigh County14.63Gilmer County: 14.573 %Gilmer County14.573Harrison County: 14.301 %Harrison County14.301Nicholas County: 14.137 %Nicholas County14.137Upshur County: 14.064 %Upshur County14.064Putnam County: 13.998 %Putnam County13.998Boone County: 13.636 %Boone County13.636Marion County: 13.515 %Marion County13.515Webster County: 13.333 %Webster County13.333Pleasants County: 13.031 %Pleasants County13.031Lincoln County: 12.989 %Lincoln County12.989Wood County: 12.951 %Wood County12.951Braxton County: 12.511 %Braxton County12.511Hancock County: 12.435 %Hancock County12.435Calhoun County: 12.431 %Calhoun County12.431Ohio County: 12.086 %Ohio County12.086Fayette County: 11.935 %Fayette County11.935Wirt County: 11.808 %Wirt County11.808Monongalia County: 11.509 %Monongalia County11.509Mason County: 11.461 %Mason County11.461Kanawha County: 11.397 %Kanawha County11.397Wayne County: 11.031 %Wayne County11.031Wyoming County: 10.949 %Wyoming County10.949Jackson County: 10.559 %Jackson County10.559Cabell County: 10.436 %Cabell County10.436Preston County: 10.1 %Preston County10.1Taylor County: 9.994 %Taylor County9.994Pendleton County: 9.584 %Pendleton County9.584Summers County: 9.457 %Summers County9.457Berkeley County: 9.266 %Berkeley County9.266Mercer County: 9.112 %Mercer County9.112Brooke County: 9.103 %Brooke County9.103Morgan County: 9.077 %Morgan County9.077Jefferson County: 9.022 %Jefferson County9.022Marshall County: 8.837 %Marshall County8.837Tucker County: 8.714 %Tucker County8.714Randolph County: 8.632 %Randolph County8.632Wetzel County: 8.563 %Wetzel County8.563Greenbrier County: 8.047 %Greenbrier County8.047Pocahontas County: 7.708 %Pocahontas County7.708Hampshire County: 7.455 %Hampshire County7.455Mineral County: 7.277 %Mineral County7.277Tyler County: 7.009 %Tyler County7.009Barbour County: 6.658 %Barbour County6.658Hardy County: 6.384 %Hardy County6.384Grant County: 5.98 %Grant County5.98Ritchie County: 4.765 %Ritchie County4.765Roane County: 27.929 %Roane County27.929Doddridge County: 22.253 %Doddridge County22.253Monroe County: 22.158 %Monroe County22.158McDowell County: 18.423 %McDowell County18.423Mingo County: 18.236 %Mingo County18.236Clay County: 16.562 %Clay County16.562Lewis County: 15.81 %Lewis County15.81Logan County: 14.757 %Logan County14.757Raleigh County: 14.63 %Raleigh County14.63Gilmer County: 14.573 %Gilmer County14.573Harrison County: 14.301 %Harrison County14.301Nicholas County: 14.137 %Nicholas County14.137Upshur County: 14.064 %Upshur County14.064Putnam County: 13.998 %Putnam County13.998Boone County: 13.636 %Boone County13.636Marion County: 13.515 %Marion County13.515Webster County: 13.333 %Webster County13.333Pleasants County: 13.031 %Pleasants County13.031Lincoln County: 12.989 %Lincoln County12.989Wood County: 12.951 %Wood County12.951Braxton County: 12.511 %Braxton County12.511Hancock County: 12.435 %Hancock County12.435Calhoun County: 12.431 %Calhoun County12.431Ohio County: 12.086 %Ohio County12.086Fayette County: 11.935 %Fayette County11.935Wirt County: 11.808 %Wirt County11.808Monongalia County: 11.509 %Monongalia County11.509Mason County: 11.461 %Mason County11.461Kanawha County: 11.397 %Kanawha County11.397Wayne County: 11.031 %Wayne County11.031Wyoming County: 10.949 %Wyoming County10.949Jackson County: 10.559 %Jackson County10.559Cabell County: 10.436 %Cabell County10.436Preston County: 10.1 %Preston County10.1Taylor County: 9.994 %Taylor County9.994Pendleton County: 9.584 %Pendleton County9.584Summers County: 9.457 %Summers County9.457Berkeley County: 9.266 %Berkeley County9.266Mercer County: 9.112 %Mercer County9.112Brooke County: 9.103 %Brooke County9.103Morgan County: 9.077 %Morgan County9.077Jefferson County: 9.022 %Jefferson County9.022Marshall County: 8.837 %Marshall County8.837Tucker County: 8.714 %Tucker County8.714Randolph County: 8.632 %Randolph County8.632Wetzel County: 8.563 %Wetzel County8.563Greenbrier County: 8.047 %Greenbrier County8.047Pocahontas County: 7.708 %Pocahontas County7.708Hampshire County: 7.455 %Hampshire County7.455Mineral County: 7.277 %Mineral County7.277Tyler County: 7.009 %Tyler County7.009Barbour County: 6.658 %Barbour County6.658Hardy County: 6.384 %Hardy County6.384Grant County: 5.98 %Grant County5.98Ritchie County: 4.765 %Ritchie County4.765
%. 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

RankCounties2020 (%)Change on 2019
1Roane County27.929+16.88 pts
2Doddridge County22.253+9.95 pts
3Monroe County22.158+14.43 pts
4McDowell County18.423+3.34 pts
5Mingo County18.236+0.96 pts
6Clay County16.562+4.3 pts
7Lewis County15.81+7.65 pts
8Logan County14.757+7.5 pts
9Raleigh County14.63+3.75 pts
10Gilmer County14.573+5.04 pts
11Harrison County14.301+3.12 pts
12Nicholas County14.137+1.26 pts
13Upshur County14.064+3.93 pts
14Putnam County13.998+2.29 pts
15Boone County13.636-2.11 pts
16Marion County13.515+0.76 pts
17Webster County13.333+0.51 pts
18Pleasants County13.031+2.03 pts
19Lincoln County12.989+1.29 pts
20Wood County12.951+1.6 pts
21Braxton County12.511+4.7 pts
22Hancock County12.435+2.57 pts
23Calhoun County12.431-21.96 pts
24Ohio County12.086+2.04 pts
25Fayette County11.935-0.91 pts
26Wirt County11.808+6.82 pts
27Monongalia County11.509+0.77 pts
28Mason County11.461+4.35 pts
29Kanawha County11.397-0.5 pts
30Wayne County11.031+2.83 pts
31Wyoming County10.949-21.85 pts
32Jackson County10.559+0.76 pts
33Cabell County10.436+0.5 pts
34Preston County10.1+0.3 pts
35Taylor County9.994+3.99 pts
36Pendleton County9.584-0.08 pts
37Summers County9.457-0.6 pts
38Berkeley County9.266-0.21 pts
39Mercer County9.112-0.4 pts
40Brooke County9.103+1.24 pts
41Morgan County9.077-4.77 pts
42Jefferson County9.022+1.23 pts
43Marshall County8.837-1.17 pts
44Tucker County8.714-5.65 pts
45Randolph County8.632-0.05 pts
46Wetzel County8.563+2.51 pts
47Greenbrier County8.047-7.43 pts
48Pocahontas County7.708-1.57 pts
49Hampshire County7.455-2.37 pts
50Mineral County7.277-1.15 pts
51Tyler County7.009-7.73 pts
52Barbour County6.658+1.14 pts
53Hardy County6.384-5.28 pts
54Grant County5.98-2.52 pts
55Ritchie County4.765-2.33 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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

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, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_west_virginia_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/west-virginia-counties?period=2020.
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  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in West Virginia by job destruction rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"job_destruction_rate","level":"province","within":"West Virginia","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=job_destruction_rate&level=province&within=West%20Virginia&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest job destruction rate?

Roane County, with 27.929% in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Ritchie County, with 4.765% in 2020.

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