Huffington Post – In the world according to Donald Trump, West Virginia is “producing record setting numbers and doing really well” ― a complete reversal from when he took office, when “it was practically shut down and closed for business.” Read article.
In the actual world, West Virginia has increasing poverty, more deaths than births each year, a significantly smaller workforce than a decade ago and the lowest median household income in the country.
“We’re not this gangbusters economy that sometimes we’re portrayed as,” said Sean O’Leary, an analyst at the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, who said the main employment growth has been in construction jobs for new natural gas pipelines, which are temporary. “If you look outside that sector of the economy, there is almost no growth.”
