Key Facts
- Per Capita Real GDP
- $24,929 Rank: 50/50 (2007)
- Population
- 1,814,470 Rank: 37/50 (2008)
- Per Capita Personal Income
- $27,897 Rank: 49/50 (2006)
- Unemployment Rate
- 4.40% Rank: 23/50 (2008)
- Business Tax Climate Index
- Rank: 37/50 (2008)
State Map
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West Virginia: Introduction
West Virginia is located in the eastern United States within the Appalachian mountain range. The state is almost entirely mountainous, though a few flat areas are located in the river valleys. This gives the state a rugged landscape noted for its natural beauty. The mountainous nature of the terrain also makes large-scale farming virtually impossible. West Virginia was a part of Virginia until the mid 19th century, when 40 western counties opposed Virginia’s secession from the union. These counties subsequently seceded from Virginia and were granted statehood in 1863, creating West Virginia.
Agriculture made up the majority of the West Virginian economy until the twentieth century. The abundance of resources such as coal, oil, natural gas, and hardwood forests fueled an industrial expansion that shifted the economy’s focus from agriculture to the extraction of natural resources. The first and second world wars triggered a boom in the manufacturing industry, which then became the dominant industry in the state. Among West Virginia’s principal manufactures today are steel, chemicals and glass. The state’s coal industry is ranked second among all states and contributes 15% of the country’s total coal production. The service industry has been growing recently, though not to the extent of many other states. Within the service sector tourism is particularly noteworthy, augmented by dozens of state parks, forests and national forests within the state. Manufacturing and mining are still the pillars of the state’s economy.
