West Virginia Chamber 2024 Campaign for Jobs Digest
Key Indicators of West Virginia’s Business Climate
The 2024 Campaign for Jobs Digest provides a data-driven look at key measures of West Virginia’s economic health. It offers a side-by-side comparison of how West Virginia ranks on 57 economic indicators compared to other states.
Overall, the Campaign for Jobs Digest shows the state’s economic strengths and challenges. We encourage readers to use this book as a resource to help guide and champion West Virginia’s economy and to strengthen all people, industry sectors and communities.
Chamber in Action: Our Work
The West Virginia Chamber is our state’s largest advocate for economic policy improvement.
We unite our state’s employers around the goal of creating a state that is healthier, better educated, more prosperous and provides opportunity for all.
West Virginia Chamber members are your small business neighbors. They are located across all 55 counties and employ over half the state’s workforce.
The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce is proud of its role as the voice of business for nearly 90 years.
Table Title
1 State Populations (Change July 1, 2021–July 1, 2022)
2 Percentage of Population as Prime Working Age (2022)
3 Age Group by Percentage of Population (2022)
4 Net Migration by State (July 1, 2021-July 1, 2022)
5 Non-Agriculture Employment Growth (Oct. 2022-Oct. 2023)
6 Non-Agriculture Employment Growth (10 yr) (Oct. 2013-Oct. 2023)
7 Per Capita Personal Income by State (2022)
8 Per Capita Personal Income Growth by State (2022)
9 Gross Domestic Product Growth by State in Current Dollars (2022)
10 Exports Per Capita (2022)
11 Opening & Closing Rates of Establishments (Q2 2021–Q1 2022)
12 Census Estimates of State and Local Taxes (2021)
13 Business Taxes Per Employee as a Share of all Taxes and GSP (FY 2022)
14 Top Income Bracket by State (April 1, 2024)
15 Top Corporate NET Income Bracket by State (2024)
16 Sales Tax Rates by State (2024)
17 Motor Fuel Taxes (July 2023)
18 CNBC Top States for Business Rankings (July 2024)
19 Effective Property Tax Rate on a Primary Residence in the State’s Largest City (Payable 2022)
20 Effective Property Tax Rate on a Commercial Property in the State’s Largest City (Payable 2022)
21 Effective Property Tax Rate on an Industrial Property in the State’s Largest City (Payable 2022)
22 State and Local Government Employment (March 2022)
23 State and Local FTE Average Pay (March 2022)
24 State of the Tech Workforce (Cyberstates 2023)
25 Wages and Productivity of Production Workers in Manufacturing (2021)
26 Annual Average Investment Per Employee in Manufacturing (2021)
27 Union Members as a Share of Employment (2022)
28 Union Membership - Public vs. Private (2022)
29 Unemployment Insurance Taxes (2022)
30
(2nd Quarter 2023) 31
(January 1, 2024)
Capita by Performing Sector (2024)
West Virginia’s population consists of 19.8% who are less than 18 years old, 9.0% between the ages of 18-24, 23.9% ages 25-44, 26.1% ages 45-64, and 21.2% above the age of 64.
West Virgina ranks 23rd in
and 47th in net international
West Virginia ranks 41st in the number of jobs added and 33rd in percent growth of jobs added.
West Virginia ranks 50th in number of jobs added in the last 10 years and 48th in the percent growth of jobs in the last 10 years.
West Virginia ranks 39th in
West Virginia saw a significant increase in CNBC’s Best States for Business rankings, from 46th in 2023 to 40th in 2024, based on ten factors
1
2
3
4
5
West
West
West Virginia ranks 40th in the number of people that have been awarded a science and engineering doctorate degree and ranks 42nd in percentage of the workforce that hold a science, engineering, and health doctorate degree.
West Virginia ranks 49th in Percentage of the population (above age 25) that hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, 41st in percentage of the population that completed high school (or an equivalent) or higher, and ranks 46th in percentage of the population that holds an advanced degree.
West
West Virginia ranks as the 3rd highest importer of college bound high school graduates and ranks 37th for freshmen enrolled in institutions inside the state, with the into state migration being higher than the out of state migration.
West Virginia ranks 49th in 4th grade reading scores and 48th in 8th grade reading scores. For math scores, West Virginia ranks 49th in both 4th and 8th grade.
West Virginia ranks 48th for the 25-year annualized rate for housing appreciation, 43rd for the 5-year annualized rate, and 11th for the 1-year rate.
5
West
West
Contact the
West Virginia Chamber:
Steve Roberts, President
304-342-1136
sroberts@wvchamber.com
Kathy Thomas, Vice President & CFO
304-414-2472
kthomas@wvchamber.com
Brian Dayton, Vice President of Policy & Advocacy
304-342-1266
bdayton@wvchamber.com
Kaylin Jorge, Director of Communications
304-342-1765
kjorge@wvchamber.com
West Virginia Chamber of Commerce 1624 Kanawha Blvd. East, Charleston, WV 25311
304-342-1115