These Are The 10 Laziest Places In West Virginia

Discover the 10 Least Active Places in West Virginia

In any workplace, encountering colleagues who seem to avoid responsibility can be frustrating. If you find yourself living in one of these West Virginia towns, you might question your own work ethic.

This isn’t about being harsh; rather, it’s an observation of how a culture of complacency can permeate a location and affect the workplace dynamics. After all, nobody enjoys collaborating with individuals who don’t pull their weight.

We conducted an extensive analysis to pinpoint the West Virginia towns where residents may be less engaged in work. Utilizing the latest American Community Survey data, we evaluated criteria linked to low productivity for each city.

After analyzing the data, we present to you the ten “Least Active Places in West Virginia” based on our findings:

Continue reading to learn where the least active individuals reside, or skip ahead to see how your town measures up. Notably, Charles Town stands out as the most industrious area in West Virginia.

How We Identified the Least Active Places in the Mountain State

At Zippia, we rely on thorough data analysis to tackle challenging inquiries. We pride ourselves on being data-driven, examining the most relevant information available.

For this analysis, we turned to the most recent American Community Survey data to uncover insights. We focused on the criteria that signify low engagement and productivity.

Our chosen criteria for identifying the least active places in West Virginia included:

Lowest average hours worked
Shortest commute times
Fewest workers per household (calculated as labor force divided by the number of households)
Highest unemployment rates
Lowest percentage of adults with a college degree

The rationale was straightforward: if a community has low educational attainment, minimal work hours, and fewer contributors to household income, it likely reflects a culture of inactivity.

We gathered data from 27 places in West Virginia, each with populations exceeding 5,000, and ranked them from 1 to 27 across the criteria, with 1 representing the “least active.”

By averaging these rankings, we established a “laziness index,” crowning the location with the lowest score as the “Least Active Place in West Virginia.” Ultimately, Keyser topped the list.

Refer to the detailed chart below for insights into each town’s ranking and data.

1. Keyser

Population: 5,350 College Educated: 15.5%
Unemployment Rate: 18.5%

2. Parkersburg

Population: 31,195 College Educated: 14.5%
Unemployment Rate: 10.5%

3. Moundsville

Population: 8,960 College Educated: 12.0%
Unemployment Rate: 10.2%

4. New Martinsville

Population: 5,322 College Educated: 14.1%
Unemployment Rate: 6.8%

5. Grafton

Population: 5,179 College Educated: 8.8%
Unemployment Rate: 13.0%

6. Huntington

Population: 49,053 College Educated: 28.7%
Unemployment Rate: 9.0%

7. Princeton

Population: 6,387 College Educated: 19.3%
Unemployment Rate: 9.1%

8. Dunbar

Population: 7,844 College Educated: 20.0%
Unemployment Rate: 9.4%

9. Elkins

Population: 7,241 College Educated: 29.5%
Unemployment Rate: 9.9%

10. Bluefield

Population: 10,465 College Educated: 24.0%
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%

The Path to Inactivity

As previously mentioned, assessing the least active places in West Virginia can often be subjective. However, by evaluating factors such as low employment engagement, limited educational attainment, and minimal workforce participation, this list provides a clear view of inactivity.

Comprehensive List of the Least Active Places in West Virginia

City	Rank	Population	College Educated	Unemployment Rate
Keyser	1	5,350	15.5%	18.5%
Parkersburg	2	31,195	14.5%	10.5%
Moundsville	3	8,960	12.0%	10.2%
New Martinsville	4	5,322	14.1%	6.8%
Grafton	5	5,179	8.8%	13.0%
Huntington	6	49,053	28.7%	9.0%
Princeton	7	6,387	19.3%	9.1%
Dunbar	8	7,844	20.0%	9.4%
Elkins	9	7,241	29.5%	9.9%
Bluefield	10	10,465	24.0%	4.9%
Beckley	11	17,529	24.0%	7.9%
Oak Hill	12	8,270	15.7%	8.3%
Buckhannon	13	5,646	27.7%	8.6%
Wheeling	14	28,129	28.0%	6.1%
Vienna	15	10,654	25.7%	6.2%
Martinsburg	16	17,508	19.6%	14.3%
Clarksburg	17	16,437	21.3%	7.8%
Morgantown	18	30,133	47.8%	8.1%
South Charleston	19	13,380	30.1%	4.0%
Weirton	20	19,523	19.8%	6.7%
Charleston	21	50,911	39.3%	6.6%
Nitro	22	6,860	18.6%	2.6%
Fairmont	23	18,746	23.7%	5.9%
St. Albans	24	10,939	24.2%	6.5%
Bridgeport	25	8,316	43.5%	6.2%
Hurricane	26	6,352	28.0%	6.0%
Charles Town	27	5,464	29.6%	9.7%

Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

Create Resume