Counties in West Virginia by unemployment rate

McDowell County had the highest unemployment rate of 55 counties in August 2025, at 11.6%. Pendleton County had the lowest, at 3.2%. The median was 4.7% and the figure for West Virginia was 4.3%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest11.6McDowell County
Median4.755 counties
West Virginia4.3History

All counties, August 2025

CSVChart (SVG)

McDowell CountyMcDowell County: 11.6 %11.6Mingo CountyMingo County: 7.8 %7.8Clay CountyClay County: 6.8 %6.8Wyoming CountyWyoming County: 6.5 %6.5Roane CountyRoane County: 6.3 %6.3Monroe CountyMonroe County: 6.1 %6.1Webster CountyWebster County: 6.1 %6.1Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 5.9 %5.9Boone CountyBoone County: 5.7 %5.7Wetzel CountyWetzel County: 5.7 %5.7Jackson CountyJackson County: 5.6 %5.6Logan CountyLogan County: 5.6 %5.6Nicholas CountyNicholas County: 5.6 %5.6Hancock CountyHancock County: 5.5 %5.5Wirt CountyWirt County: 5.5 %5.5Lincoln CountyLincoln County: 5.4 %5.4Randolph CountyRandolph County: 5.4 %5.4Tyler CountyTyler County: 5.4 %5.4Barbour CountyBarbour County: 5.3 %5.3Brooke CountyBrooke County: 5.3 %5.3Summers CountySummers County: 5.2 %5.2Lewis CountyLewis County: 5.1 %5.1Ritchie CountyRitchie County: 5.1 %5.1Upshur CountyUpshur County: 4.9 %4.9Wayne CountyWayne County: 4.9 %4.9Mercer CountyMercer County: 4.8 %4.8Fayette CountyFayette County: 4.7 %4.7Mineral CountyMineral County: 4.7 %4.7Greenbrier CountyGreenbrier County: 4.6 %4.6Marion CountyMarion County: 4.6 %4.6Raleigh CountyRaleigh County: 4.6 %4.6Taylor CountyTaylor County: 4.6 %4.6Marshall CountyMarshall County: 4.5 %4.5Pleasants CountyPleasants County: 4.5 %4.5Preston CountyPreston County: 4.5 %4.5Wood CountyWood County: 4.5 %4.5Kanawha CountyKanawha County: 4.4 %4.4Ohio CountyOhio County: 4.4 %4.4Braxton CountyBraxton County: 4.3 %4.3Cabell CountyCabell County: 4.2 %4.2Gilmer CountyGilmer County: 4.2 %4.2Grant CountyGrant County: 4.2 %4.2Pocahontas CountyPocahontas County: 4.2 %4.2Berkeley CountyBerkeley County: 4.1 %4.1Hampshire CountyHampshire County: 4 %4Tucker CountyTucker County: 4 %4Harrison CountyHarrison County: 3.9 %3.9Mason CountyMason County: 3.9 %3.9Doddridge CountyDoddridge County: 3.8 %3.8Morgan CountyMorgan County: 3.8 %3.8Putnam CountyPutnam County: 3.8 %3.8Hardy CountyHardy County: 3.7 %3.7Monongalia CountyMonongalia County: 3.7 %3.7Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 3.5 %3.5Pendleton CountyPendleton County: 3.2 %3.2
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesAugust 2025 (%)Change on August 2024
1McDowell County11.6+3.2 pts
2Mingo County7.8+0.8 pts
3Clay County6.8+0.1 pts
4Wyoming County6.5+1.5 pts
5Roane County6.3-0.3 pts
6Monroe County6.1+1.7 pts
6Webster County6.1+0.5 pts
8Calhoun County5.90 pts
9Boone County5.7+0.9 pts
9Wetzel County5.7-1.1 pts
11Jackson County5.60 pts
11Logan County5.6+0.8 pts
11Nicholas County5.6+0.9 pts
14Hancock County5.5-1.2 pts
14Wirt County5.5-0.4 pts
16Lincoln County5.4+0.1 pts
16Randolph County5.4+0.2 pts
16Tyler County5.4-1 pts
19Barbour County5.3+0.1 pts
19Brooke County5.3-0.7 pts
21Summers County5.2+0.9 pts
22Lewis County5.1+0.3 pts
22Ritchie County5.1-0.3 pts
24Upshur County4.9+0.5 pts
24Wayne County4.9+0.4 pts
26Mercer County4.8+0.5 pts
27Fayette County4.7+0.6 pts
27Mineral County4.7+0.3 pts
29Greenbrier County4.6+1 pts
29Marion County4.6+0.2 pts
29Raleigh County4.6+0.6 pts
29Taylor County4.6+0.7 pts
33Marshall County4.5-0.6 pts
33Pleasants County4.5-0.5 pts
33Preston County4.50 pts
33Wood County4.5+0.2 pts
37Kanawha County4.4+0.3 pts
37Ohio County4.4+0.2 pts
39Braxton County4.3-0.9 pts
40Cabell County4.2+0.1 pts
40Gilmer County4.2-0.3 pts
40Grant County4.20 pts
40Pocahontas County4.2-0.6 pts
44Berkeley County4.1+0.5 pts
45Hampshire County4+0.3 pts
45Tucker County4+0.3 pts
47Harrison County3.9+0.1 pts
47Mason County3.9-0.6 pts
49Doddridge County3.8+0.2 pts
49Morgan County3.8+0.3 pts
49Putnam County3.8+0.2 pts
52Hardy County3.7+0.1 pts
52Monongalia County3.7+0.2 pts
54Jefferson County3.5+0.5 pts
55Pendleton County3.2-0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work. Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over. EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74. United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.

Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.

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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

McDowell County, with 11.6% in August 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Pendleton County, with 3.2% in August 2025.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Counties in West Virginia: more rankings