The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Putnam County is a county of West Virginia with 57,177 residents. Its economy produced $3,832 million in 2024 (ranked #9 of 55 counties) and had 21,217 jobs with an average annual pay of $64,360 (#5 for pay). The unemployment rate was 2.9% in 2026M09. It is part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH metropolitan area (central county).
Putnam County produced about $3,832 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 3.6% of the combined output of the 55 counties of West Virginia that BEA reports (about 3.2% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 9th of 55 on that measure. Per resident that is $67,015, 12% above the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $59,872. In current dollars output grew 8.7% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 21,217 jobs located in Putnam County on average in 2024, spread over 1,894 employer sites (about 11 jobs per site). That is 0.37 jobs for every resident, above 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 $64,360, 12% above the average of all counties in the state ($64,360 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 4.1% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are manufacturing (16.8% of private jobs, $85,778 a year on average), construction (14.2% of private jobs, $82,682 a year on average), health care and social assistance (13.9% of private jobs, $56,343 a year on average). Together they hold 44.8% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is manufacturing at $85,778 a year, followed by wholesale trade ($84,885). The county is specialised in several industries: construction (2.4 times the US share, 2,689 jobs); manufacturing (1.8 times the US share, 3,182 jobs); wholesale trade (1.4 times the US share, 1,173 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 ($39,017), accommodation and food services ($20,501). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Putnam County was 2.9%, 16% below the average of the state's counties (2.9% against 3.5%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 27,165. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 2.9% (2026M09) to 4.5% (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 $79,527 (ACS 2020–2024), 33% above the state median ($79,527 against $59,608). The guide covers 2 cities with this as the main county: Teays Valley, Hurricane. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate. Within the county, median rent runs from $878 in Hurricane to $1,102 in Teays Valley, so where you live matters as much as which county you pick.
Counties close to Putnam County in output are Wood County, Raleigh County, Marshall County, Marion County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 55 counties of West Virginia ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 57,177 | 10 of 55 |
| GDP 2024 | $3,832 million | 9 of 55 |
| GDP per resident | $67,015 | 13 of 55 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 21,217 | 9 of 55 |
| Average annual pay | $64,360 | 5 of 55 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +4.1% | 10 of 55 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 2.9% | 7 of 55 |
| Median household income | $79,527 | 3 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.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Putnam County (and 1 more that extend into it).
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teays Valley | 14,151 | $108,741 | $1,102 | $278,000 | 46.7% |
| Hurricane | 6,855 | $71,167 | $878 | $210,500 | 37.5% |
| Nitro | 6,853 | $53,848 | $949 | $128,900 | 17.2% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3,182 | 16.8% | $85,778 | 1.83 |
| Construction | 2,689 | 14.2% | $82,682 | 2.41 |
| Health care and social assistance | 2,633 | 13.9% | $56,343 | 0.87 |
| Retail trade | 2,290 | 12.1% | $39,017 | 1.08 |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,679 | 8.8% | $20,501 | 0.87 |
| Wholesale trade | 1,173 | 6.2% | $84,885 | 1.40 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,054 | 5.6% | $56,896 | 0.84 |
| Professional and technical services | 1,051 | 5.5% | $74,376 | 0.71 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 804 | 4.2% | $74,736 | 0.89 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 499 | 2.6% | $57,746 | 0.78 |
| Finance and insurance | 463 | 2.4% | $86,019 | 0.54 |
| Utilities | 398 | 2.1% | $125,079 | 4.93 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 291 | 1.5% | $16,330 | 0.82 |
| Management of companies | 288 | 1.5% | $78,977 | 0.81 |
| Information | 180 | 0.9% | $77,065 | 0.45 |
| Real estate and rental | 178 | 0.9% | $47,024 | 0.54 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 91 | 0.5% | $27,606 | 0.53 |
| Educational services | 36 | 0.2% | $41,092 | 0.08 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 8 | 0.0% | $138,161 | 0.10 |
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 | 27,165 |
| Employed residents | 26,389 |
| Unemployed residents | 776 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.9% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 21,217 |
| Employer sites | 1,894 |
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% |
57,177 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$3,832 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
2.9% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
21,217 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $64,360 (BLS QCEW).