Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Morgantown, WV MSA — October 2026
Morgantown's jobless rate pulls ahead of state and nation.
Monongalia County unemployment sits at 3.2% against West Virginia's 4.0% and the national 4.1%, even as local data engineer and business analyst pay post significant declines.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Monongalia County unemployment: 3.2% — vs 4.0% WV, 4.1% national (Aug/Sep 2026)
- WV labor force participation: 53.8% — vs 61.8% national average
- Registered nurse advertised pay: $111,506 — up moderate, vs $102,252 national
- Data engineer advertised pay: $85,966 — down significant, vs $138,000 national
Key takeaways
Morgantown's unemployment edge over the state is widening.
Monongalia County's 3.2% unemployment compares to West Virginia's 4.0% and the national 4.1%, a gap that reflects the metro's university and healthcare anchor employment amid the state's flat payroll trend. Press and government economists should treat this as a metro-specific resilience story distinct from the state's flat payroll trend.
Healthcare and skilled trades pay are pulling away from the rest of the local basket.
Registered nurse pay ($111,506) and HVAC technician pay ($67,609) posted significant local gains, both outpacing their national medians, while manufacturing production worker pay fell to $34,320, a significant decline. Commerce leaders assessing the local business climate should note this bifurcation reflects sector-specific demand.
Data and analytical roles show the sharpest local pay contraction in the basket.
Data engineer advertised pay fell to $85,966 locally, a significant drop and well below the $138,000 national median, with business analyst pay down significantly as well. Pattern is consistent with the national information-sector job losses reported in October BLS data and may signal reduced local demand for analytical talent even as healthcare and trades tighten.
Public-sector stability locally stands apart from the state's government job losses.
West Virginia shed 500 government jobs statewide, yet Morgantown's university, WVU Medicine, and federal research presence (NIOSH, roughly 1,000 workers) appear to anchor local public and quasi-public employment. Government economists should watch whether this insulation holds if federal research funding or state higher-education appropriations shift.
Median advertised pay by role — Morgantown, WV MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $22,072 | $27,186 | $30,888 | Moderate decline | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $22,869 | $27,497 | $30,278 | Moderate decline | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $30,731 | $34,998 | $37,667 | Moderate decline | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $58,228 | $81,520 | $90,000 | Moderate increase | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $26,977 | $31,679 | $36,400 | Moderate decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $32,563 | $38,480 | $44,720 | Moderate decline | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $53,938 | $66,540 | $68,640 | Significant increase | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $32,760 | $34,320 | $37,544 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $32,307 | $39,250 | $41,600 | Significant increase | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $27,187 | $30,441 | $31,178 | Stable | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $31,557 | $36,875 | $41,811 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $31,315 | $37,440 | $39,294 | Stable | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $56,160 | $67,609 | $68,248 | Significant increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $90,456 | $111,506 | $121,337 | Moderate increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $97,534 | $122,275 | $134,003 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $85,933 | $85,966 | $86,094 | Significant decline | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $52,579 | $63,986 | $69,330 | Moderate increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $61,479 | $74,873 | $81,950 | Moderate increase | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $57,500 | $84,000 | $85,000 | Significant increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $38,751 | $49,451 | $51,802 | Significant increase | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $74,453 | $97,653 | $99,626 | Significant increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $27,300 | $44,123 | $53,560 | Significant increase | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $60,000 | $87,119 | $94,150 | Moderate increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager | — | — | — | No data | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $80,898 | $90,009 | $93,147 | Significant decline | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $55,089 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $80,844 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $32,159 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $58,180 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $53,901 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $54,538 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $67,751 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $91,364 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $31,200 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $60,012 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Morgantown's labor market holds a structural advantage over both the state and the nation this month, with Monongalia County unemployment at 3.2% in August against West Virginia's 4.0% and the national 4.1%, even as the metro's own June reading of 3.9% showed a slight year-over-year uptick. Advertised pay in the metro diverges sharply by sector: registered nurses ($111,506), HVAC technicians ($67,609), and electricians ($66,540) are posting significant increases alongside strong demand from WVU Medicine and West Virginia University, while manufacturing, data engineering, and business analyst postings show significant pay declines that track the state's broader stall in private-sector payroll growth.
What it means
Tight local unemployment combined with uneven sector-level pay movement signals a metro economy expanding in healthcare, skilled trades, and education while contracting or stagnating in manufacturing and technical analysis roles — a pattern commerce leaders should read as sector-specific opportunity. Public-sector stability remains intact locally even as West Virginia shed 500 government jobs statewide, suggesting Morgantown's university and federal research presence (including NIOSH's roughly 1,000 employees) may be insulating the metro from the state's public-sector contraction. Economic development leaders evaluating business recruitment pitches should consider highlighting this divergence — the metro's advertised wage strength in healthcare and skilled trades alongside its below-state unemployment rate — as a differentiator from statewide labor force participation concerns.
Looking ahead
Early indicator: West Virginia's labor force participation rate remains flat at 53.8%, well below the national 61.8%. Watch whether Morgantown's university-driven population draws a higher participation rate locally than the state average once county-level data updates.
Potential inflection point: Panther Creek Mine's WARN notice (109 miners, layoffs beginning December 5) adds to six coal-related WARN filings affecting roughly 900 workers statewide in 2026. This is a statewide signal; regional economic developers should watch for displaced worker migration into the metro's tighter labor market.
Worth watching: Official BLS October data for the Morgantown MSA has not yet posted; June remains the most recent confirmed metro unemployment figure. Government economists and press should flag this reporting lag when citing metro-level unemployment claims this month.
Emerging pressure point: National information-sector job losses (-10,000 in September) and local data engineer pay declines move in the same direction. Commerce leaders in tech-adjacent fields should monitor whether this reflects a durable local pullback or a temporary dip ahead of year-end budget cycles.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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