Counties in West Virginia by unemployment rate

McDowell County had the highest unemployment rate of 55 counties in April 2026, at 10.6%. Mason County had the lowest, at 3.2%. The median was 4.4% and the figure for West Virginia was 4.4%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest10.6McDowell County
Lowest3.2Mason County
Median4.455 counties
West Virginia4.4History

All counties, April 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

McDowell CountyMcDowell County: 10.6 %10.6Pocahontas CountyPocahontas County: 8 %8Mingo CountyMingo County: 7.1 %7.1Clay CountyClay County: 6.8 %6.8Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 6.1 %6.1Wyoming CountyWyoming County: 6 %6Roane CountyRoane County: 5.9 %5.9Wirt CountyWirt County: 5.8 %5.8Webster CountyWebster County: 5.7 %5.7Logan CountyLogan County: 5.4 %5.4Randolph CountyRandolph County: 5.3 %5.3Wetzel CountyWetzel County: 5.3 %5.3Boone CountyBoone County: 5.1 %5.1Jackson CountyJackson County: 5.1 %5.1Ritchie CountyRitchie County: 5.1 %5.1Lincoln CountyLincoln County: 4.9 %4.9Nicholas CountyNicholas County: 4.9 %4.9Tyler CountyTyler County: 4.9 %4.9Fayette CountyFayette County: 4.8 %4.8Barbour CountyBarbour County: 4.7 %4.7Hancock CountyHancock County: 4.7 %4.7Brooke CountyBrooke County: 4.6 %4.6Marshall CountyMarshall County: 4.6 %4.6Wood CountyWood County: 4.6 %4.6Lewis CountyLewis County: 4.5 %4.5Summers CountySummers County: 4.5 %4.5Tucker CountyTucker County: 4.4 %4.4Wayne CountyWayne County: 4.4 %4.4Upshur CountyUpshur County: 4.3 %4.3Mercer CountyMercer County: 4.2 %4.2Mineral CountyMineral County: 4.2 %4.2Raleigh CountyRaleigh County: 4.2 %4.2Grant CountyGrant County: 4.1 %4.1Greenbrier CountyGreenbrier County: 4.1 %4.1Monroe CountyMonroe County: 4.1 %4.1Kanawha CountyKanawha County: 4 %4Marion CountyMarion County: 4 %4Ohio CountyOhio County: 4 %4Preston CountyPreston County: 4 %4Pleasants CountyPleasants County: 3.9 %3.9Braxton CountyBraxton County: 3.8 %3.8Cabell CountyCabell County: 3.8 %3.8Harrison CountyHarrison County: 3.8 %3.8Taylor CountyTaylor County: 3.8 %3.8Hampshire CountyHampshire County: 3.7 %3.7Berkeley CountyBerkeley County: 3.6 %3.6Gilmer CountyGilmer County: 3.6 %3.6Hardy CountyHardy County: 3.6 %3.6Morgan CountyMorgan County: 3.6 %3.6Doddridge CountyDoddridge County: 3.5 %3.5Putnam CountyPutnam County: 3.4 %3.4Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 3.3 %3.3Monongalia CountyMonongalia County: 3.3 %3.3Pendleton CountyPendleton County: 3.3 %3.3Mason CountyMason County: 3.2 %3.2
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesApril 2026 (%)Change on April 2025
1McDowell County10.6+2.2 pts
2Pocahontas County8-0.1 pts
3Mingo County7.1+1.4 pts
4Clay County6.8+0.4 pts
5Calhoun County6.1+0.6 pts
6Wyoming County6+1.8 pts
7Roane County5.9-0.9 pts
8Wirt County5.8-0.2 pts
9Webster County5.7-0.9 pts
10Logan County5.4+1.2 pts
11Randolph County5.30 pts
11Wetzel County5.3+0.2 pts
13Boone County5.1+0.5 pts
13Jackson County5.10 pts
13Ritchie County5.1+0.2 pts
16Lincoln County4.9+0.6 pts
16Nicholas County4.9+0.2 pts
16Tyler County4.9+0.4 pts
19Fayette County4.8+0.5 pts
20Barbour County4.70 pts
20Hancock County4.7-0.5 pts
22Brooke County4.6+0.2 pts
22Marshall County4.6+0.5 pts
22Wood County4.6+0.9 pts
25Lewis County4.5+0.3 pts
25Summers County4.5+0.6 pts
27Tucker County4.4+0.7 pts
27Wayne County4.4+0.6 pts
29Upshur County4.3+0.2 pts
30Mercer County4.2+0.5 pts
30Mineral County4.2+0.7 pts
30Raleigh County4.2+0.5 pts
33Grant County4.1+1 pts
33Greenbrier County4.1+0.3 pts
33Monroe County4.1-0.5 pts
36Kanawha County4+0.4 pts
36Marion County4+0.5 pts
36Ohio County4+0.2 pts
36Preston County4+0.2 pts
40Pleasants County3.9-0.2 pts
41Braxton County3.8-0.3 pts
41Cabell County3.8+0.5 pts
41Harrison County3.8+0.5 pts
41Taylor County3.8+0.3 pts
45Hampshire County3.7+0.3 pts
46Berkeley County3.6+0.4 pts
46Gilmer County3.6-0.1 pts
46Hardy County3.6+0.4 pts
46Morgan County3.6+0.5 pts
50Doddridge County3.5+0.5 pts
51Putnam County3.4+0.4 pts
52Jefferson County3.3+0.7 pts
52Monongalia County3.3+0.5 pts
52Pendleton County3.3+0.8 pts
55Mason County3.20 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 10.6% in April 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Mason County, with 3.2% in April 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