Charleston, West Virginia Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Charleston rose 0.2 percentage points in October 2023 to 4.1%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.1 percentage points higher than the West Virginia rate. The unemployment rate in Charleston peaked in April 2020 at 17.3% and is now 13.2 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 3.2% in May 2023, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.9 percentage points. You can also compare Charleston unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | October 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.9% | +0.1 | +0.2 |
| West Virginia | 4.0% | +0.2 | -0.1 |
| Charleston | 4.1% | +0.2 | +0.2 |
Unemployment Rate: Charleston, West Virginia, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Charleston, West Virginia Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Charleston peaked in April 2020 at 15,867. There are now 12,202 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 2,888 in April 2023, the number of unemployed has now grown by 777.
| Unemployed Persons | October 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | 3,665 | +178 | +155 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Charleston, West Virginia Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
West Virginia Unemployment Rate |
Charleston Unemployment Rate |
Charleston Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2023 |
3.7% | — | — | — |
| October 2023 |
3.9% | 4.0% | 4.1% | 3,665 |
| September 2023 |
3.8% | 3.8% | 3.9% | 3,487 |
| August 2023 |
3.8% | 3.6% | 3.6% | 3,257 |
| July 2023 |
3.5% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3,034 |
| June 2023 |
3.6% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 2,931 |
| May 2023 |
3.7% | 3.3% | 3.2% | 2,889 |
| April 2023 |
3.4% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 2,888 |
| March 2023 |
3.5% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 2,943 |
| February 2023 |
3.6% | 3.7% | 3.5% | 3,121 |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 3.9% | 3.8% | 3,383 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 4.1% | 3.9% | 3,485 |
1. Metro area unemployment rates are now seasonally adjusted. The BLS has started publishing smoothed seasonally adjusted metropolitan area data which makes comparisons to state and national data more relevant than the unadjusted numbers. ↩
Department of Numbers
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