Half of West Virginians don’t work

West Virginia is the only state in recorded history to have less than half its civilian population in the work force.

Labor Department statistics show that West Virginia fell to 49.8% in November, from 50% in October. 

The national rate in December was 62.7%.

The records date to 1976.

Mississippi is next at 50.8%.

At 6.3%, West Virginia doesn’t have close to the worst state unemployment rate, with Mississippi, California and Rhode Island each having jobless rates above 7%, and 11 other states with unemployment rates in the 6% range that are worse.

But it’s a state where many have given up trying to find a job. At 17.6%, West Virginia has the highest percentage of working-age people on disability benefits, above the national average of 10.4%.

MAYBE COAL MINING HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT?

At 41.9, West Virginia has the fourth-highest median age.

The highest work participation rate belongs to North Dakota, in the midst of a fracking revolution that has drawn workers to the state.

State	Participation rate (%)	Unemployment rate (%)
Alabama	52.2	6
Alaska	63.4	6.6
Arizona	55.5	6.8
Arkansas	53.9	5.8
California	58	7.2
Colorado	64.9	4.1
Connecticut	61.7	6.5
Delaware	57.8	6
District of Columbia	64.5	7.4
Florida	57	5.8
Georgia	57.6	7.2
Hawaii	59.4	4
Idaho	60.4	3.9
Illinois	60.7	6.4
Indiana	60	5.7
Iowa	67.4	4.3
Kansas	65	4.3
Kentucky	54.6	6
Louisiana	57.2	6.5
Maine	60.8	5.7
Maryland	62.2	5.6
Massachusetts	61.5	5.8
Michigan	56.2	6.7
Minnesota	67.3	3.7
Mississippi	50.8	7.3
Missouri	61.1	5.6
Montana	61.3	4.3
Nebraska	68.7	3.1
Nevada	57.9	6.9
New Hampshire	66.1	4.1
New Jersey	60	6.4
New Mexico	54.2	6.4
New York	56.7	5.9
North Carolina	56.6	5.8
North Dakota	69.5	2.7
Ohio	59.8	5
Oklahoma	57.9	4.4
Oregon	57.6	7
Pennsylvania	59	5.1
Rhode Island	60.2	7.1
South Carolina	54.5	6.7
South Dakota	67	3.3
Tennessee	54.6	6.8
Texas	61.8	4.9
Utah	65.4	3.6
Vermont	65.3	4.3
Virginia	62.5	5
Washington	59.5	6.2
West Virginia	49.8	6.3
Wisconsin	64.9	5.2
Wyoming	65.2	4.5