Employment declined 0.6 percent in West Virginia’s only large county, Kanawha, from December 2023 to December 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the rate of employment change in Kanawha ranked 323^rd among the 363 largest U.S. counties with published data. (See table 1.)

Employment in Kanawha stood at 98,300 in December 2024, accounting for 14.0 percent of total employment in West Virginia. Nationwide, the 369 largest counties comprise 73.3 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 2023.)

The average weekly wage in Kanawha increased 5.5 percent over the year to $1,255. The national average was $1,507, up 5.0 percent over the year. Kanawha’s weekly wage ranked 240^th nationally, and the percent change ranked 80^th among the largest U.S. counties.

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 2023. (See table 2.) Wage levels for all 54 smaller counties were below the national average. Doddridge reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,339). Pocahontas reported the lowest average weekly wage ($781) in the state.

Among all 55 West Virginia counties, 16 reported average weekly wages of less than $950, 10 registered wages from $950 to $1,049, 15 had wages from $1,050 to $1,149, and 14 had average weekly wages of $1,150 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)