Kanawha County, WV jobs, unemployment and layoffs
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Show me jobs near meKanawha County economy
3.4%
unemployment, Sep 2026
4.2% the month before
77,661
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
178,198
people in Kanawha County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$58,887
median household income
Source: Census ACS
41%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Kanawha County outlook: Steady
Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.
- Private-sector jobs up 3.6% from 2022 to 2025
- Population down 4.3% from 2020 to 2025
- Unemployment 3.4%, down 0.8 points from a year ago
- Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+2,819 jobs), wholesale (+351 jobs)
- Sectors losing the most jobs: finance & insurance (−452 jobs), retail (−325 jobs)
Learn and get funded in Kanawha County
- Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
- Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
- Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
- Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.
Kanawha County layoffs
No layoff notices naming Kanawha County in the last 12 months are on file. The WARN Act covers employers with 100 or more workers, so smaller layoffs are not in it.
Employers hiring most in Kanawha County
Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.
- Worley Group5 open roles
- Air National Guard Units3 open roles
- Army National Guard Units3 open roles
- EY3 open roles
- Powerx3 open roles
- Aspen Careers2 open roles
- Cintas2 open roles
- Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Office of the U.S. Attorneys2 open roles
- Graybar2 open roles
- Helion2 open roles
Colleges in Kanawha County
| College | City | Type | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Charleston | Charleston | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| West Virginia State University | Institute | Public 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
Conferences in Kanawha County
Industry conferences and trade shows held in Kanawha County. No dates announced yet for the next edition.
- West Virginia State Bar Annual Meeting
Usually April (next dates not announced) · Charleston, WV
Paid ticket, price not listed
- WVML Annual Conference
Usually August (next dates not announced) · Charleston, WV
Paid ticket, price not listed
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Kanawha County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.
Laid off in West Virginia? How to file for unemployment in West Virginia (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).
Workforce WV - Charleston
Charleston · Comprehensive
Monday through Friday 8:30 to 4:30
Cities in Kanawha County
Other West Virginia counties
Laid off or looking for work in Kanawha County?
See what to do first and the jobs open near you.
See your options after a layoffSources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from West Virginia’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. West Virginia unemployment benefits and severance rules.
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