Jobless rates drop in 49 of 55 West Virginia counties

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Unemployment rates dropped in 49 of West Virginia’s 55 counties in July.

WorkForce West Virginia said jobless rates rose in five counties and remained steady in Webster County.

Pendleton County’s seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate of 5.3% was the lowest in the state, followed by Doddridge and Hampshire counties at 6.3%.

Mingo County had the highest unemployment rate at 18.2%. McDowell County was next at 16% and Calhoun County was at 15.7%.

West Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped six-tenths of a percentage point to 9.9% in July as thousands of workers were hired in the service-providing sector. The national rate was 10.2%.