Best Online Colleges in West Virginia

Benefits of Studying Online in West Virginia

West Virginia, the 39th largest state in the US by population, is often referred to as the “Mountain State” due to its various landscapes and terrain. Although not as large as neighboring western states and the nation leader (Texas), West Virginia still accounts for a total 24,230 square miles and is the 41st largest of all states by area. The capitol resides in Charleston, and this city serves as the state’s economic hub and largest city. Despite the state’s small population, it still provides many benefits for students who wish to study online in West Virginia.

Employment Stats

As of October 2022, West Virginia had 711,300 non-farm employees (the 40th most of any state), accounting for just 0.46% of the nation’s workforce. New jobs were added since 2021, when the total was just 689,000 - an increase of 3.24%, which makes West Virginia the 21st fastest growing state from the standpoint of jobs added year over year. West Virginia is within about 1.3 million fewer people employed than the median state (64% less to be exact). While this is below the national average growth rate, it’s still encouraging news for prospective students looking for future job opportunities.

West Virginia came in just above New Hampshire, which recorded just 686,000 jobs in 2022, meaning West Virginia had an advantage of 25,000 (3.64%) over the Granite State. West Virginia narrowly lost to the District of Columbia (by just under 7.5%, or 57k to be precise), which recorded more than 768 thousand jobs in 2022. Regardless, the Mountain State sits a whopping 96% below the nation leader (California), which is unsurprising given West Virginia accounts for just 0.5% of the nation’s population.

Job Opportunities

In terms of job diversity, West Virginia has 636 unique job types which puts it at the 39th slot, just behind the District of Columbia (which has 661,960 employed persons and 659 unique job types). This gives West Virginia a slight deficit of -0.6% when compared to the District of Columbia, and -11.9% when compared to the national median of 722 occupations. So although there’s a slightly smaller quantity of job types, the state still has a decent variety of employment possibilities, ranging from accounting to web design.

West Virginia is home to 2 colleges ranked in the top 200 nationally (though arguably their best institutions are Marshall University and West Virginia University). Marshall University is particularly well-known for its medical and business programs, while West Virginia University is best known for its engineering and science programs. Although most of the state is rural or mountainous, the cities of Charleston and Huntington offer some metropolitan attractions. The state is also home to a number of Fortune 500 companies, such as Walmart, Mylan, and FirstEnergy.

Overall, the stats point to West Virginia being a state with plenty of room for growth and job opportunity. While students may not get the same level of access to employment as larger states (due to population size), those who study online in West Virginia will be in a great position to take advantage of the state's relatively low cost of living and access to outdoor recreation.

*All data sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2023)