Job Losses Continue to Pile Up in August – August marked the seventh straight month of job losses for West Virginia, as total nonfarm employment fell by 2,300 jobs. August was also the third straight month with job losses over 2,000, which hasn’t happened since 2009. Total nonfarm employment is now 750,700, which is 9,600 jobs below its pre-recession level in the state. The state’s unemployment rate rose to 7.5 percent, its highest level of 2012. Read
Median household income measures the income of the typical household – the household in the middle of the income distribution – and serves as a good barometer of how the middle class is faring. Among its neighboring states, West Virginia had the lowest median household income. In fact, West Virginia had the second lowest median household income in the nation behind Mississippi.
