Counties in West Virginia by unemployment rate

McDowell County had the highest unemployment rate of 55 counties in July 2026, at 10.6%. Pendleton County had the lowest, at 3%. The median was 4.2% and the figure for West Virginia was 4.1%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest10.6McDowell County
Median4.255 counties
West Virginia4.1History

All counties, July 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

McDowell CountyMcDowell County: 10.6 %10.6Mingo CountyMingo County: 8.2 %8.2Clay CountyClay County: 6.3 %6.3Logan CountyLogan County: 6.2 %6.2Wyoming CountyWyoming County: 6.2 %6.2Wetzel CountyWetzel County: 5.6 %5.6Roane CountyRoane County: 5.5 %5.5Webster CountyWebster County: 5.3 %5.3Calhoun CountyCalhoun County: 5.2 %5.2Lincoln CountyLincoln County: 5.1 %5.1Tyler CountyTyler County: 5 %5Boone CountyBoone County: 4.9 %4.9Jackson CountyJackson County: 4.9 %4.9Wirt CountyWirt County: 4.9 %4.9Brooke CountyBrooke County: 4.8 %4.8Hancock CountyHancock County: 4.8 %4.8Randolph CountyRandolph County: 4.8 %4.8Fayette CountyFayette County: 4.5 %4.5Nicholas CountyNicholas County: 4.5 %4.5Wayne CountyWayne County: 4.5 %4.5Barbour CountyBarbour County: 4.4 %4.4Gilmer CountyGilmer County: 4.4 %4.4Grant CountyGrant County: 4.4 %4.4Upshur CountyUpshur County: 4.4 %4.4Marshall CountyMarshall County: 4.3 %4.3Mercer CountyMercer County: 4.3 %4.3Ritchie CountyRitchie County: 4.3 %4.3Mineral CountyMineral County: 4.2 %4.2Monroe CountyMonroe County: 4.2 %4.2Summers CountySummers County: 4.2 %4.2Lewis CountyLewis County: 4.1 %4.1Raleigh CountyRaleigh County: 4.1 %4.1Tucker CountyTucker County: 4.1 %4.1Marion CountyMarion County: 4 %4Ohio CountyOhio County: 4 %4Taylor CountyTaylor County: 4 %4Cabell CountyCabell County: 3.9 %3.9Greenbrier CountyGreenbrier County: 3.9 %3.9Kanawha CountyKanawha County: 3.9 %3.9Pleasants CountyPleasants County: 3.9 %3.9Pocahontas CountyPocahontas County: 3.9 %3.9Wood CountyWood County: 3.9 %3.9Preston CountyPreston County: 3.8 %3.8Hampshire CountyHampshire County: 3.7 %3.7Berkeley CountyBerkeley County: 3.4 %3.4Braxton CountyBraxton County: 3.4 %3.4Doddridge CountyDoddridge County: 3.4 %3.4Hardy CountyHardy County: 3.4 %3.4Harrison CountyHarrison County: 3.4 %3.4Mason CountyMason County: 3.4 %3.4Putnam CountyPutnam County: 3.4 %3.4Monongalia CountyMonongalia County: 3.2 %3.2Morgan CountyMorgan County: 3.1 %3.1Jefferson CountyJefferson County: 3 %3Pendleton CountyPendleton County: 3 %3
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesJuly 2026 (%)Change on July 2025
1McDowell County10.6-0.7 pts
2Mingo County8.2+0.8 pts
3Clay County6.3-0.9 pts
4Logan County6.2+0.9 pts
4Wyoming County6.2+0.8 pts
6Wetzel County5.6-0.1 pts
7Roane County5.5-0.7 pts
8Webster County5.30 pts
9Calhoun County5.20 pts
10Lincoln County5.10 pts
11Tyler County5-0.4 pts
12Boone County4.9-0.3 pts
12Jackson County4.9-0.9 pts
12Wirt County4.9-0.7 pts
15Brooke County4.8-0.1 pts
15Hancock County4.8-0.6 pts
15Randolph County4.8-0.4 pts
18Fayette County4.5-0.1 pts
18Nicholas County4.5-0.4 pts
18Wayne County4.50 pts
21Barbour County4.4-0.8 pts
21Gilmer County4.4-0.1 pts
21Grant County4.4+0.5 pts
21Upshur County4.4-0.7 pts
25Marshall County4.3+0.1 pts
25Mercer County4.3-0.1 pts
25Ritchie County4.3-0.6 pts
28Mineral County4.2-0.3 pts
28Monroe County4.2-0.4 pts
28Summers County4.2-0.2 pts
31Lewis County4.1-0.4 pts
31Raleigh County4.10 pts
31Tucker County4.1+0.8 pts
34Marion County4-0.3 pts
34Ohio County40 pts
34Taylor County4-0.2 pts
37Cabell County3.9-0.1 pts
37Greenbrier County3.9-0.1 pts
37Kanawha County3.9-0.2 pts
37Pleasants County3.9-0.6 pts
37Pocahontas County3.9+0.2 pts
37Wood County3.9-0.2 pts
43Preston County3.8-0.1 pts
44Hampshire County3.7+0.2 pts
45Berkeley County3.4-0.2 pts
45Braxton County3.4-0.6 pts
45Doddridge County3.4+0.2 pts
45Hardy County3.4-0.1 pts
45Harrison County3.4-0.2 pts
45Mason County3.4-0.4 pts
45Putnam County3.4-0.1 pts
52Monongalia County3.2-0.2 pts
53Morgan County3.1-0.2 pts
54Jefferson County3-0.1 pts
54Pendleton County30 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 July 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Pendleton County, with 3% in July 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