{"schema_version": 1, "id": "wv-nonmetropolitan-area/metro-job-market/2026-09", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 459, "label": "WV NONMETROPOLITAN AREA", "slug": "wv-nonmetropolitan-area"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-09", "public_after": "2026-09-01", "frozen_at": "2026-10-09T13:44:07.855486+00:00", "headline": "WV nonmetro jobless rate falls \u2014 but workforce keeps shrinking.", "headline_summary": "West Virginia's unemployment rate eased to 4.0% in August even as the state's labor force participation rate, lowest in the nation at 54.5%, continued to slide and county unemployment ranged from 3.1% in Pendleton to 10.7% in McDowell.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "WV labor force participation", "value": "54.5%", "context": "Lowest nationally; vs 62.5% U.S. average"}, {"label": "County unemployment spread", "value": "3.1%\u201310.7%", "context": "Pendleton County vs McDowell County, June 2026"}, {"label": "Statewide unemployment rate", "value": "4.0%", "context": "Down 0.1 pt from July; down from 4.3% a year ago"}, {"label": "WV average weekly wage growth", "value": "3.4%", "context": "WV ranks 50th in wage level, 32nd in growth pace"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Unemployment improvement is a participation story, not a growth story.", "body": "Statewide unemployment fell to 4.0% even as West Virginia shed 1,800 net payroll jobs over the year, a combination consistent with workers exiting the labor force rather than finding work. Nonmetro counties, where participation deficits are most acute, likely drive much of this dynamic."}, {"headline": "County-level disparity is the real story behind the state average.", "body": "A 7.6-point gap between McDowell County (10.7%) and Pendleton County (3.1%) shows no single 'nonmetro WV' labor market exists. Economic development strategy calibrated to a statewide average risks missing which counties actually have workforce capacity to support new investment."}, {"headline": "Skilled operational pay is pulling away from office and retail work.", "body": "CDL truck driver pay rose to a metro median of $88,547 and registered nurse pay to $101,246, both up significantly, while retail cashier pay fell to $25,085 and financial analyst pay dropped to $77,055. Divergence signals scarce logistics and healthcare capacity even as administrative and retail demand softens locally."}, {"headline": "Mining-sector layoffs remain a live drag on rural counties.", "body": "Recent WARN filings \u2014 ECM Energy Services (200 workers), Eagle Horizon Resources (71), Felman Production (98) \u2014 concentrate in counties with already-elevated unemployment. Continued extraction-sector contraction limits the tax base and consumer spending capacity local chambers depend on for broader commercial activity."}], "local_conditions": "Rural West Virginia counties continue to post sharply divergent conditions beneath a statewide unemployment rate of 4.0% in August, with McDowell County at 10.7% against Pendleton County's 3.1%, underscoring that the state's gradual rate improvement masks persistent weakness in resource-dependent counties still absorbing mining-sector WARN notices. Labor force participation statewide sits at 54.5%, last among all states and nearly eight points below the national 62.5% average, meaning even modest job creation in nonmetro counties runs into a structurally thin available workforce rather than genuine demand-side strength.", "implications": "Flat-to-negative payroll movement in rural counties combined with the nation's weakest labor force participation rate suggests nonmetro business expansion decisions should weigh workforce availability, not just unemployment optics, since a low jobless rate here often reflects people exiting the labor force rather than full absorption into jobs. Advertised pay softening across several nonmetro-relevant roles \u2014 administrative, financial, retail \u2014 while CDL driver and registered nurse pay rise sharply, points to a local economy rewarding scarce operational skills while broader office and retail functions face real softening. Commerce leaders and economic development officials should evaluate whether local workforce participation programs or transportation/childcare barriers are limiting labor supply before attributing stagnation purely to demand-side weakness.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Watch whether West Virginia's next labor force participation reading (currently 54.5%) stabilizes or continues its decline from 55.1% in 2024. Continued erosion would signal demographic or structural barriers worsening independent of job availability."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Mining and logging WARN filings have concentrated in a handful of rural counties this year; any additional notices in September or October would further strain county-level unemployment figures already running well above the state average in places like McDowell."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "National wage growth has slipped to 3.0% against 3.4% inflation, the weakest real-wage position since 2021. If that national squeeze persists, nonmetro WV consumer spending \u2014 already constrained by the state's 50th-ranked wage level \u2014 could soften further."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Federal September payroll data (29,000 jobs added, well below the 45,000 trailing average) raises the question of whether national hiring cooling reaches rural WV with a lag. Local chambers should monitor whether healthcare and construction, the two national bright spots, show comparable momentum in nonmetro counties."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 20861.0, "metro_p50": 25073.0, "metro_p75": 28930.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33325.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 21681.5, "metro_p50": 25085.0, "metro_p75": 27975.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 31200.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 28775.5, "metro_p50": 34251.0, "metro_p75": 37684.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 38000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 62491.0, "metro_p50": 88547.4, "metro_p75": 94998.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 78000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 25680.0, "metro_p50": 29551.0, "metro_p75": 31435.75, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 34344.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 30895.0, "metro_p50": 37440.0, "metro_p75": 41600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 40560.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 52618.0, "metro_p50": 65291.0, "metro_p75": 69122.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 71404.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29121.0, "metro_p50": 34591.0, "metro_p75": 38885.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 29932.0, "metro_p50": 36051.0, "metro_p75": 39512.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Food Service Worker", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 27352.0, "metro_p50": 30777.0, "metro_p75": 31200.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 33756.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 32190.0, "metro_p50": 39010.0, "metro_p75": 43903.75, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 41106.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 28600.0, "metro_p50": 35360.0, "metro_p75": 41275.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 43680.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 46800.0, "metro_p50": 55120.0, "metro_p75": 57791.75, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 70720.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 82533.0, "metro_p50": 101246.0, "metro_p75": 113672.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 102581.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 97638.0, "metro_p50": 135077.0, "metro_p75": 150807.25, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 153652.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 104453.75, "metro_p50": 143867.6, "metro_p75": 152955.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 139500.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 41496.0, "metro_p50": 57200.0, "metro_p75": 60999.75, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 72182.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 65670.0, "metro_p50": 77055.2, "metro_p75": 87194.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 94782.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 48665.0, "metro_p50": 56598.4, "metro_p75": 69013.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 38751.0, "metro_p50": 64435.8, "metro_p75": 86333.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 62354.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 68211.75, "metro_p50": 98179.0, "metro_p75": 100283.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 85216.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 44581.0, "metro_p50": 56136.0, "metro_p75": 59498.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 56731.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 56182.0, "metro_p50": 70000.0, "metro_p75": 81026.25, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 92749.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": null, "metro_p25": null, "metro_p50": null, "metro_p75": null, "metro_trend_direction": null, "metro_trend_magnitude": null, "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 72333.0, "metro_p50": 80956.4, "metro_p75": 93690.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 98279.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 49252.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 82500.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 33082.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 70265.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 51000.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 57274.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 47476.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "up", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 68153.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 31112.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 66337.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}], "citations": [], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "October 2026", "files": {"html": "wv-nonmetropolitan-area/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "pdf": "wv-nonmetropolitan-area/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf", "sources_html": "wv-nonmetropolitan-area/metro-job-market/2026-09.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-10-09T14:38:10.728381+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/wv-nonmetropolitan-area/metro-job-market/2026-09.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/wv-nonmetropolitan-area/metro-job-market/2026-09.pdf"}