Best Community Colleges in West Virginia

Why Attend Community College in West Virginia?

West Virginia is home to ample community college opportunities. Often seen as an attractive choice due to its affordability, there are numerous benefits to attending such an institution in the Mountain State. For example, both Eastern West Virginia Community & Technical College and Pierpont Community & Technical College offer traditional two-year and four-year degree programs with tuition costs that are often less than $3,000 per year. These institutions are just two of the seven campuses across the state and all offer quality education without the burden of inexplicably high tuition.

What Career Pathways Are Available in West Virginia?

There are 636 job types to choose from while searching for the perfect career path in West Virginia - though this is 11.9% lower than the national median found in Louisiana. That being said, the job market is still incredibly diverse and the state boasts a labor force of over 657 thousand employees - good enough for the 22nd percentile when compared to the rest of the nation. WV finds itself particularly strong in logistics, energy, tourism, and aerospace.

When looking at other states, West Virginia falls 8% short of the national median when compared to Oregon - the median state in terms of job quantity (1,167,690 less than Oregon's total of 1,825,370). Surprisingly, the two states closest to West Virginia in job quantity were DC, where 4,280 less were employed and New Hampshire, which had 22,450 more jobs than West Virginia.

What Are The Most Common Jobs in West Virginia?

Just like the rest of the nation, West Virginia is home to many different job types - with three of the most popular being retail salespersons, general office clerks and home health / personal care aides. Although there are plenty of options to pick from, here are a few details that make these three professions stand out.

Retail Salespersons

Those looking to pursue a career in retail sales, should expect 18,610 such roles in the state of West Virginia (as of 2022). This puts the state in the 40th percentile when it comes to retail salespeople positions available. However, the state pays rather poorly for such an occupation - as it ranks dead last in the country, with a median pay of just $23,260. That’s lower than what is offered in 98% of states - though if you’re one of the highest performers in the role, you could expect a 70% pay increase versus the median.

Office Clerks, General

The number of general office clerks in West Virginia is 15,960, making it the 36th most prevalent job type in the state. It also makes up about 0.62% of the 2,578,160 jobs found nationally. The pay for such a role sits in the 46th slot, with a median annual income of $29,380. On the bright side, this means the state is paying above the national median of $28,960 in the same position - but only by 10%, so the discrepancy is quite small.

Home Health and Personal Care Aides

Finally, there are approximately 15,680 home health and personal care aides in West Virginia, which is just a little bit more than in the national median state - Montana (15,250). The pay for this profession in West Virginia is quite low however - at just $22,280 for the median worker, this role pays 22.5% less than the national median of $28,760 - placing it in the 49th slot in terms of pay. Additionally, such a job pays the least of any in the entire nation, with an increase of just 7% for those in the top percentile of performance.