BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

09/16/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/16/2025 13:23

County Employment and Wages in West Virginia — First Quarter 2025

News Release Information

25-1442-PHI
Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

County Employment and Wages in West Virginia - First Quarter 2025

Employment declined 0.4 percent in West Virginia's only large county, Kanawha, from March 2024 to March 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the rate of employment change in Kanawha ranked 278th among the 364 largest U.S. counties with published data. (See table 1.)

Employment in Kanawha stood at 95,700 in March 2025, accounting for 13.8 percent of total employment in West Virginia. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.4 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)

Large county average weekly wages in the first quarter 2025

The average weekly wage in Kanawha increased 6.5 percent over the year to $1,250. The national average was $1,589, up 4.1 percent over the year. Kanawha's weekly wage ranked 249th nationally, and the percent change ranked 16th among the largest U.S. counties.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the first quarter of 2025

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 54 small counties in West Virginia, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels for all 54 smaller counties were below the national average. Doddridge reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,388). Clay reported the lowest average weekly wage ($744) in the state.

Among all 55 West Virginia counties, 18 reported average weekly wages of less than $950, 11 registered wages from $950 to $1,049, 14 had wages from $1,050 to $1,149, and 12 had average weekly wages of $1,150 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)

Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in West Virginia, first quarter 2025

(U.S. average = $1,589)

Select a filter: 9981,5901,4751,4401,0291,0981,2381,1911,0491,4189441,3531,7531,0622,0511,4781,1111,7311,1471,1031,1451,0859021,734
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1,734
Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.

Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

The County Employment and Wages release for the second quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.

County Changes for the 2025 County Employment and Wages News Releases

Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2024 are included in this release and will be included in future 2025 releases. Four counties have been added to the nationwide publication tables: Pinal, AZ; Henry, GA; Wood, OH; and Comal, TX. One county has been dropped from the publication tables: Gregg, TX.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the largest county in West Virginia, first quarter 2025
Area Establishments,
first quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2025
(thousands) 		Percent change,
March
2024-25 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3) 		First quarter
2025 ($) 		National ranking
by level (3) 		Percent change,
first quarter
2024-25 (2) 		National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

12,249.3 154,523.8 0.4 -- 1,589 -- 4.1 --

West Virginia

61.9 694.6 0.0 -- 1,149 50 3.3 34

Kanawha

6.8 95.7 -0.4 278 1,250 249 6.5 16

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in West Virginia, first quarter 2025
Area Establishments Employment March 2025 Average weekly wage ($) (1)

United States (2)

12,249,320 154,523,785 1,589

West Virginia

61,943 694,553 1,149

Barbour

395 3,827 1,112

Berkeley

3,800 38,363 1,162

Boone

423 4,708 1,178

Braxton

380 4,968 914

Brooke

620 7,357 1,096

Cabell

3,350 51,733 1,124

Calhoun

148 1,233 957

Clay

193 1,373 744

Doddridge

128 1,587 1,388

Fayette

1,203 10,001 920

Gilmer

164 1,828 957

Grant

367 3,724 982

Greenbrier

1,406 12,612 803

Hampshire

550 4,217 845

Hancock

934 8,753 1,016

Hardy

459 6,026 971

Harrison

2,484 37,330 1,276

Jackson

723 7,665 1,031

Jefferson

2,383 16,994 1,219

Kanawha

6,773 95,697 1,250

Lewis

559 5,893 1,015

Lincoln

340 2,661 757

Logan

1,038 11,731 1,118

McDowell

373 3,836 1,055

Marion

1,738 17,653 1,091

Marshall

682 10,253 1,258

Mason

496 6,581 1,227

Mercer

1,678 19,578 958

Mineral

715 8,622 1,124

Mingo

533 4,420 984

Monongalia

4,274 59,895 1,300

Monroe

323 2,088 878

Morgan

404 3,023 906

Nicholas

815 7,040 941

Ohio

1,786 26,396 1,087

Pendleton

222 1,430 843

Pleasants

188 2,225 1,139

Pocahontas

339 3,299 813

Preston

881 7,008 1,082

Putnam

1,913 21,617 1,240

Raleigh

2,616 32,379 1,033

Randolph

991 10,292 884

Ritchie

252 2,883 959

Roane

360 2,724 939

Summers

261 2,114 804

Taylor

341 3,504 1,113

Tucker

284 2,755 828

Tyler

173 1,970 1,139

Upshur

845 7,632 948

Wayne

705 8,579 1,177

Webster

217 1,467 793

Wetzel

444 4,883 1,168

Wirt

109 737 793

Wood

2,662 35,238 1,087

Wyoming

435 4,614 1,149

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, first quarter 2025
State Establishments,
first quarter
(thousands) 		Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2025
(thousands) 		Percent change,
March
2024-25 		First quarter
2025 ($) 		National ranking
by level 		Percent change,
first quarter
2024-25 		National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

12,249.3 154,523.8 0.4 1,589 -- 4.1 --

Alabama

163.3 2,102.3 0.3 1,245 39 3.8 23

Alaska

25.3 323.5 1.3 1,452 20 5.8 4

Arizona

226.1 3,259.3 0.3 1,431 21 3.8 23

Arkansas

107.6 1,304.4 0.7 1,236 40 5.6 6

California

1,945.4 18,066.2 0.1 1,905 6 4.2 13

Colorado

242.4 2,862.7 0.1 1,681 8 4.2 13

Connecticut

148.5 1,671.7 0.5 1,980 4 3.8 23

Delaware

45.4 474.3 0.8 1,535 15 3.4 30

District of Columbia

51.5 748.9 -1.4 2,606 1 7.2 1

Florida

886.5 9,958.4 0.9 1,456 19 5.1 8

Georgia

394.8 4,860.7 0.4 1,491 17 3.4 30

Hawaii

60.3 644.8 0.6 1,363 27 6.7 2

Idaho

102.7 848.2 1.2 1,178 48 4.2 13

Illinois

407.1 5,988.9 0.2 1,662 9 3.2 38

Indiana

194.8 3,161.4 0.3 1,323 30 4.2 13

Iowa

111.3 1,537.7 -0.5 1,253 36 3.2 38

Kansas

104.3 1,428.0 0.8 1,246 38 4.0 19

Kentucky

159.6 1,986.3 0.0 1,213 44 2.4 51

Louisiana

157.0 1,921.2 0.5 1,227 42 2.8 49

Maine

66.6 629.6 0.1 1,283 34 2.7 50

Maryland

197.7 2,739.0 -0.2 1,634 10 3.2 38

Massachusetts

289.8 3,575.8 -0.7 2,107 3 4.6 11

Michigan

307.3 4,337.3 -0.3 1,391 24 2.9 48

Minnesota

211.8 2,878.6 -0.1 1,570 14 3.7 27

Mississippi

91.3 1,160.4 -0.4 1,018 51 4.1 17

Missouri

252.4 2,886.9 0.1 1,310 31 3.2 38

Montana

67.1 505.8 0.6 1,189 46 5.6 6

Nebraska

78.6 1,008.4 -0.1 1,231 41 3.1 42

Nevada

106.1 1,541.2 0.2 1,359 29 4.1 17

New Hampshire

66.3 681.0 0.1 1,606 11 4.8 9

New Jersey

338.9 4,259.0 1.1 1,815 7 3.0 44

New Mexico

66.8 868.2 0.3 1,203 45 3.9 22

New York

716.1 9,757.0 1.4 2,213 2 6.2 3

North Carolina

373.2 4,888.5 0.2 1,467 18 4.8 9

North Dakota

36.4 422.8 0.6 1,302 33 3.3 34

Ohio

344.2 5,466.8 0.2 1,361 28 3.5 28

Oklahoma

130.9 1,700.2 0.5 1,186 47 3.0 44

Oregon

186.2 1,965.7 -0.8 1,420 23 3.3 34

Pennsylvania

394.5 6,003.5 0.6 1,500 16 3.5 28

Rhode Island

49.0 489.3 1.0 1,429 22 3.0 44

South Carolina

198.7 2,304.9 1.7 1,247 37 4.4 12

South Dakota

40.5 450.5 0.2 1,163 49 3.0 44

Tennessee

221.0 3,251.5 -0.4 1,364 26 4.0 19

Texas

847.6 14,015.9 1.2 1,587 13 3.1 42

Utah

138.1 1,720.5 1.1 1,365 25 4.0 19

Vermont

33.5 306.8 -0.4 1,280 35 3.8 23

Virginia

321.9 4,108.8 0.8 1,605 12 3.4 30

Washington

240.9 3,583.7 0.9 1,935 5 5.8 4

West Virginia

61.9 694.6 0.0 1,149 50 3.3 34

Wisconsin

208.9 2,898.4 -0.2 1,305 32 3.4 30

Wyoming

31.0 274.6 0.0 1,216 43 3.3 34

Puerto Rico

52.0 946.1 -0.7 699 (3) 3.2 (3)

Virgin Islands

2.9 33.8 -7.5 1,034 (3) 2.7 (3)

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on September 16, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on September 16, 2025 at 19:24 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]