Overall unemployment rate moved down to 5.1% with the biggest shift in Government, which lost 1,000 roles, based on the most recently available information published in September 2021.

Total employment in the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH market declined by 90 jobs in July and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 50 bps to 5.1%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 43 bps over the same time to 5.7%.

  • Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH unemployment rate is 56 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 400 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) declined in July versus prior month by -0.5% and are up compared to last year at this time in the market.
Month over Month Unemployment Change
Year over Year Unemployment Change
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Unemployment July 2021

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs declined by -1.2%. Key sectors include:

  • Education & Healthcare: 28,000; no change
  • Transportation & Utilities: 25,300; -300
  • Government: 20,600; -1,000
  • Business Services: 13,200; +200
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 13,000; -300
  • Manufacturing: 10,800; no change
  • Construction, Mining: 7,800; -100
  • Financial Services: 4,400; no change
  • Other Jobs: 4,000; -100
  • IT & Development: 1,100; no change
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Unemployment by Industry July 2021

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through July 2021 (Data published September 2021 and reports created on September 1, 2021).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.