The local economy of West Virginia and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
4.0%
-0.3 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Pendleton County 2.8%, highest McDowell County 10.6%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,188
+3.4%vs a year ago
693,317 jobs at 62,989 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
3,981
-0.5%this year vs last year
Most in Berkeley County 1,248, Jefferson County 1,153.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+3,106
+2.3 per 1,000residents
36,748 moved in and 33,642 moved out. Most newcomers came from Virginia.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
West Virginia gas price
$4.29
+$1.33vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Marshall County $3.88, highest Pendleton County $4.63. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, West Virginia, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
36K
+0.9%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
551K
+2.0%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (25.4%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$28.4B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$51,527
Highest sector: Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction $102,866.
Per employee per year
Share of West Virginia's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 53,587 | $68,703 |
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 52,033 | $18,692 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 16,581 | $29,167 |
| Individual and Family Services | 16,121 | $25,147 |
| Offices of Physicians | 14,061 | $119,601 |
| Coal Mining | 13,109 | $109,109 |
| Employment Services | 11,122 | $44,291 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | 10,668 | $67,123 |
| Grocery Stores | 10,097 | $25,569 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 10,025 | $28,143 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 9,177 | $62,376 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) | 9,105 | $38,016 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for West Virginia, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for West Virginia is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for West Virginia, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in West Virginia was 4.0% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 4.3% a year earlier. 740,961 people were employed out of a labor force of 772,230. Among its counties, Pendleton County had the lowest rate (2.8%) and McDowell County the highest (10.6%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in West Virginia was $1,188 in Q1 2026, up 3.4% from a year earlier, across 693,317 jobs at 62,989 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 274 new homes in West Virginia in August 2026 (267 single-family and 0 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 2,719, down 0.5% from the same months last year, and 3,981 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Berkeley County (1,248), Jefferson County (1,153), Putnam County (260) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 36,748 people moved to West Virginia and 33,642 moved away, a net gain of 3,106 (+2.3 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, and most people who left went to Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania.
Regular gasoline in West Virginia averaged $4.29 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.33 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.39. Among its counties, Marshall County had the lowest regular price ($3.88) and Pendleton County the highest ($4.63).
Health Care and Social Assistance (139,754 employees), Retail Trade (77,727 employees), Accommodation and Food Services (65,992 employees) were the largest sectors in West Virginia in 2023. In all, 35,839 business locations employed 551,240 people at an average pay of $51,527 a year.