The jobless rate in West Virginia for 2015 was 6.7%, which was matched by that of Nevada, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This was against a national rate of 5.5% for the year.
The two states are islands of job misery among an almost entirely positive trend in the United States. The BLS reported:
In 2015, annual average unemployment rates decreased in 47 states and the District of Columbia, increased in 2 states, and were unchanged in 1 state, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment-population ratios increased in 35 states and the District of Columbia and decreased in 15 states.
The situation in West Virginia actually worsened in 2015, because the unemployment rate in 2014 was 6.6%.
The collapse of the coal industry was a major factor in the West Virginia jobs market. Coal exports from the state declined sharply in 2014, according to the Census.
Low income also plagues the state, a sort of multiplying effect of the overall jobs problem. The average personal income in the United States was $44,543. In West Virginia, the figure was $35,613, 47th among all states.
Combined, the jobless rate and low income make West Virginia among the worst, if not the worst, state to find a good job.
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