Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate / Counties in West Virginia

Counties in West Virginia by unemployment rate

McDowell County had the highest unemployment rate of 55 counties in March 2026, at 10.2%. Pendleton County had the lowest, at 2.9%. The median was 4.6% and the figure for West Virginia was 4.5%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest10.2McDowell County
Lowest2.9Pendleton County
Median4.655 counties
West Virginia4.5History

All counties, March 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

McDowell CountyMcDowell County: 10.2 %10.2Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 8.5 %8.5Clay CountyClay County: 7.5 %7.5Wirt CountyWirt County: 7 %7Mingo CountyMingo County: 6.8 %6.8Roane CountyRoane County: 6.8 %6.8Ritchie CountyRitchie County: 6.4 %6.4Wetzel CountyWetzel County: 5.8 %5.8Wyoming CountyWyoming County: 5.7 %5.7Webster CountyWebster County: 5.6 %5.6Jackson CountyJackson County: 5.3 %5.3Logan CountyLogan County: 5.3 %5.3Boone CountyBoone County: 5.1 %5.1Brooke CountyBrooke County: 5.1 %5.1Fayette CountyFayette County: 5.1 %5.1Nicholas CountyNicholas County: 5.1 %5.1Randolph CountyRandolph County: 5.1 %5.1Hancock CountyHancock County: 5 %5Lincoln CountyLincoln County: 4.9 %4.9Monroe CountyMonroe County: 4.9 %4.9Summers CountySummers County: 4.9 %4.9Barbour CountyBarbour County: 4.8 %4.8Tyler CountyTyler County: 4.8 %4.8Upshur CountyUpshur County: 4.8 %4.8Braxton CountyBraxton County: 4.7 %4.7Lewis CountyLewis County: 4.7 %4.7Marshall CountyMarshall County: 4.7 %4.7Wayne CountyWayne County: 4.6 %4.6Wood CountyWood County: 4.5 %4.5Greenbrier CountyGreenbrier County: 4.4 %4.4Pleasants CountyPleasants County: 4.4 %4.4Gilmer CountyGilmer County: 4.3 %4.3Mercer CountyMercer County: 4.3 %4.3Pocahontas CountyPocahontas County: 4.3 %4.3Mineral CountyMineral County: 4.2 %4.2Ohio CountyOhio County: 4.2 %4.2Raleigh CountyRaleigh County: 4.2 %4.2Doddridge CountyDoddridge County: 4.1 %4.1Marion CountyMarion County: 4.1 %4.1Preston CountyPreston County: 4.1 %4.1Taylor CountyTaylor County: 4.1 %4.1Grant CountyGrant County: 4 %4Tucker CountyTucker County: 4 %4Kanawha CountyKanawha County: 3.9 %3.9Hardy CountyHardy County: 3.8 %3.8Harrison CountyHarrison County: 3.8 %3.8Cabell CountyCabell County: 3.7 %3.7Hampshire CountyHampshire County: 3.7 %3.7Morgan CountyMorgan County: 3.7 %3.7Berkeley CountyBerkeley County: 3.6 %3.6Mason CountyMason County: 3.3 %3.3Putnam CountyPutnam County: 3.3 %3.3Monongalia CountyMonongalia County: 3.2 %3.2Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 3.1 %3.1Pendleton CountyPendleton County: 2.9 %2.9
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesMarch 2026 (%)Change on March 2025
1McDowell County10.2+1 pts
2Calhoun County8.5+1.2 pts
3Clay County7.5-0.4 pts
4Wirt County70 pts
5Mingo County6.8+0.6 pts
5Roane County6.8-1 pts
7Ritchie County6.4+0.8 pts
8Wetzel County5.8-0.4 pts
9Wyoming County5.7+1 pts
10Webster County5.6-0.9 pts
11Jackson County5.3-0.5 pts
11Logan County5.3+0.7 pts
13Boone County5.10 pts
13Brooke County5.1-0.2 pts
13Fayette County5.1+0.2 pts
13Nicholas County5.1-0.3 pts
13Randolph County5.1-0.4 pts
18Hancock County5-0.6 pts
19Lincoln County4.90 pts
19Monroe County4.9+0.1 pts
19Summers County4.9+0.6 pts
22Barbour County4.8-0.6 pts
22Tyler County4.8-0.7 pts
22Upshur County4.8-0.1 pts
25Braxton County4.7-0.3 pts
25Lewis County4.7-0.2 pts
25Marshall County4.7-0.2 pts
28Wayne County4.6+0.2 pts
29Wood County4.50 pts
30Greenbrier County4.40 pts
30Pleasants County4.4-0.6 pts
32Gilmer County4.3-0.6 pts
32Mercer County4.3-0.1 pts
32Pocahontas County4.3+0.1 pts
35Mineral County4.2-0.1 pts
35Ohio County4.2-0.1 pts
35Raleigh County4.20 pts
38Doddridge County4.1+0.4 pts
38Marion County4.1-0.1 pts
38Preston County4.1-0.1 pts
38Taylor County4.1+0.1 pts
42Grant County4+0.3 pts
42Tucker County4+0.5 pts
44Kanawha County3.9-0.2 pts
45Hardy County3.8+0.1 pts
45Harrison County3.8-0.1 pts
47Cabell County3.7-0.2 pts
47Hampshire County3.70 pts
47Morgan County3.7+0.1 pts
50Berkeley County3.6+0.1 pts
51Mason County3.3-0.5 pts
51Putnam County3.3-0.3 pts
53Monongalia County3.2-0.2 pts
54Jefferson County3.10 pts
55Pendleton County2.9-0.3 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 10.2% in March 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Pendleton County, with 2.9% in March 2026.

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