The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Preston County is a county of West Virginia with 34,160 residents. Its economy produced $1,012 million in 2024 (ranked #30 of 55 counties) and had 7,208 jobs with an average annual pay of $55,402 (#22 for pay). The unemployment rate was 3.2% in 2026M09. It is part of the Morgantown, WV metropolitan area (outlying county).
Preston County produced about $1,012 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 1.0% of the combined output of the 55 counties of West Virginia that BEA reports (about 1.9% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 30th of 55 on that measure. Per resident that is $29,626, 51% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $59,872. In current dollars output grew 6.0% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation. The gap between its output rank (30th) and its output-per-resident rank (45th) shows that population is large relative to the value of what is produced here.
BLS counts 7,208 jobs located in Preston County on average in 2024, spread over 884 employer sites (about 8 jobs per site). That is 0.21 jobs for every resident, below the 0.30 of the typical county in West Virginia, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $55,402, 4% below the average of all counties in the state ($55,402 against $57,450). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 1.3% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are health care and social assistance (21.6% of private jobs, $44,639 a year on average), construction (20.8% of private jobs, $68,050 a year on average), retail trade (15.9% of private jobs, $31,322 a year on average). Together they hold 58.4% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is construction at $68,050 a year, followed by finance and insurance ($65,888). The county is specialised in an industry: construction (2.7 times the US share, 1,020 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($31,322), accommodation and food services ($21,152). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Preston County was 3.2%, 8% below the average of the state's counties (3.2% against 3.5%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 14,132. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 3.2% (2026M09) to 5.4% (2026M02); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $61,880 (ACS 2020–2024), 4% above the state median ($61,880 against $59,608). None of the largest places of the guide has this as its main county, which usually means a smaller or more rural county; the figures above still describe the whole county.
Counties close to Preston County in output are Upshur County, Hardy County, Mingo County, Nicholas County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 55 counties of West Virginia ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 34,160 | 15 of 55 |
| GDP 2024 | $1,012 million | 30 of 55 |
| GDP per resident | $29,626 | 45 of 55 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 7,208 | 24 of 55 |
| Average annual pay | $55,402 | 22 of 55 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +1.3% | 31 of 55 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 3.2% | 13 of 55 |
| Median household income | $61,880 | 12 of 55 |
Federal jobs in West Virginia (239) →All cities of West VirginiaState guide: West Virginia
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
None of the 40 largest places of West Virginia has this as its main county, so the guide has no city page here. County figures on the other tabs are complete.
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 1,062 | 21.6% | $44,639 | 1.03 |
| Construction | 1,020 | 20.8% | $68,050 | 2.70 |
| Retail trade | 782 | 15.9% | $31,322 | 1.09 |
| Manufacturing | 534 | 10.9% | $60,604 | 0.90 |
| Accommodation and food services | 448 | 9.1% | $21,152 | 0.68 |
| Professional and technical services | 187 | 3.8% | $65,162 | 0.37 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 185 | 3.8% | $34,269 | 0.85 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 162 | 3.3% | $61,087 | 0.53 |
| Finance and insurance | 148 | 3.0% | $65,888 | 0.51 |
| Information | 121 | 2.5% | $71,299 | 0.90 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 102 | 2.1% | $18,381 | 0.84 |
| Utilities | 65 | 1.3% | $94,961 | 2.37 |
| Wholesale trade | 55 | 1.1% | $62,348 | 0.19 |
| Real estate and rental | 29 | 0.6% | $46,626 | 0.26 |
| Educational services | 7 | 0.1% | $57,659 | 0.05 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 14,132 |
| Employed residents | 13,676 |
| Unemployed residents | 456 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.2% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 7,208 |
| Employer sites | 884 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kanawha County | 176,537 | $14,448 million | $81,839 | 97,845 | $61,997 | 3.4% |
| Berkeley County | 129,514 | $6,087 million | $46,997 | 38,427 | $57,976 | 3.0% |
| Monongalia County | 107,163 | $9,411 million | $87,819 | 59,412 | $65,814 | 2.8% |
| Cabell County | 92,739 | $6,663 million | $71,842 | 52,015 | $57,829 | 3.3% |
| Wood County | 83,407 | $4,743 million | $56,862 | 35,511 | $54,626 | 3.6% |
| Raleigh County | 73,195 | $4,532 million | $61,918 | 32,322 | $54,223 | 3.7% |
| Harrison County | 64,984 | $6,048 million | $93,063 | 37,098 | $64,286 | 3.0% |
| Jefferson County | 59,260 | $3,037 million | $51,249 | 17,087 | $61,812 | 2.7% |
| Mercer County | 58,563 | $2,337 million | $39,898 | 19,314 | $50,193 | 3.7% |
| Putnam County | 57,177 | $3,832 million | $67,015 | 21,217 | $64,360 | 2.9% |
| Marion County | 55,909 | $3,048 million | $54,525 | 17,617 | $54,020 | 3.4% |
| Ohio County | 41,582 | $5,057 million | $121,607 | 27,100 | $55,864 | 3.5% |
| Fayette County | 39,519 | $1,578 million | $39,919 | 10,265 | $47,615 | 3.8% |
| Wayne County | 38,164 | $1,347 million | $35,306 | 8,494 | $59,886 | 3.8% |
| Preston County | 34,160 | $1,012 million | $29,626 | 7,208 | $55,402 | 3.2% |
| Greenbrier County | 32,386 | $1,454 million | $44,898 | 12,789 | $44,155 | 3.6% |
| Logan County | 31,418 | $2,101 million | $66,879 | 10,504 | $56,655 | 4.9% |
| Marshall County | 29,865 | $3,676 million | $123,080 | 10,545 | $65,055 | 3.5% |
| Hancock County | 28,431 | $1,249 million | $43,916 | 9,147 | $52,483 | 3.8% |
| Jackson County | 27,705 | $1,066 million | $38,463 | 7,810 | $52,922 | 4.0% |
| Randolph County | 27,576 | $1,145 million | $41,507 | 10,467 | $45,695 | 4.3% |
| Mineral County | 26,854 | $1,073 million | $39,953 | 8,694 | $54,612 | 3.6% |
| Mason County | 25,043 | $1,093 million | $43,665 | 6,171 | $59,568 | 2.9% |
| Nicholas County | 24,277 | $883 million | $36,379 | 7,321 | $50,930 | 4.0% |
| Upshur County | 23,712 | $1,053 million | $44,425 | 7,673 | $48,466 | 3.7% |
| Hampshire County | 23,465 | $563 million | $23,976 | 4,242 | $43,955 | 3.2% |
| Mingo County | 22,542 | $968 million | $42,935 | 4,951 | $60,807 | 6.4% |
| Brooke County | 21,805 | $1,317 million | $60,392 | 7,062 | $52,534 | 3.9% |
| Boone County | 21,026 | $1,088 million | $51,722 | 4,753 | $73,771 | 4.1% |
| Wyoming County | 20,629 | $1,087 million | $52,696 | 4,345 | $55,988 | 5.0% |
| Lincoln County | 19,902 | $333 million | $16,751 | 2,423 | $42,630 | 4.2% |
| McDowell County | 17,943 | $728 million | $40,563 | 3,934 | $56,048 | 8.7% |
| Morgan County | 17,426 | $413 million | $23,681 | 3,085 | $46,239 | 2.8% |
| Lewis County | 16,740 | $724 million | $43,256 | 5,743 | $51,319 | 4.1% |
| Taylor County | 16,487 | $854 million | $51,795 | 3,399 | $58,397 | 3.2% |
| Barbour County | 15,424 | $781 million | $50,643 | 3,995 | $58,157 | 4.0% |
| Hardy County | 14,243 | $1,030 million | $72,308 | 6,079 | $48,062 | 2.7% |
| Wetzel County | 14,078 | $1,371 million | $97,401 | 4,878 | $55,398 | 5.1% |
| Roane County | 13,786 | $367 million | $26,585 | 2,885 | $46,194 | 4.5% |
| Monroe County | 12,386 | $309 million | $24,980 | 2,046 | $47,016 | 3.5% |
| Braxton County | 12,208 | $417 million | $34,178 | 3,738 | $45,932 | 2.9% |
| Summers County | 11,729 | $271 million | $23,120 | 2,169 | $42,494 | 3.7% |
| Grant County | 10,983 | $619 million | $56,338 | 3,619 | $50,941 | 3.6% |
| Ritchie County | 8,286 | $716 million | $86,388 | 3,008 | $51,970 | 4.1% |
| Webster County | 8,144 | $179 million | $22,007 | 1,486 | $40,951 | 4.4% |
| Tyler County | 8,064 | $1,454 million | $180,346 | 1,914 | $59,271 | 4.4% |
| Clay County | 7,835 | $213 million | $27,227 | 1,693 | $53,390 | 5.5% |
| Pocahontas County | 7,784 | $353 million | $45,291 | 2,975 | $41,144 | 3.3% |
| Doddridge County | 7,711 | $665 million | $86,265 | 1,564 | $66,753 | 2.8% |
| Pleasants County | 7,521 | $575 million | $76,439 | 2,495 | $63,850 | 3.5% |
| Gilmer County | 7,288 | $230 million | $31,596 | 1,744 | $49,564 | 2.9% |
| Tucker County | 6,654 | $406 million | $61,002 | 2,837 | $45,378 | 3.3% |
| Calhoun County | 6,048 | $149 million | $24,578 | 1,175 | $51,568 | 4.2% |
| Pendleton County | 6,043 | $233 million | $38,487 | 1,496 | $40,455 | 2.5% |
| Wirt County | 5,053 | $93 million | $18,361 | 708 | $41,896 | 4.5% |
34,160 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$1,012 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
3.2% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
7,208 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $55,402 (BLS QCEW).