Governor Patrick Morrisey has been crisscrossing West Virginia in recent weeks—signing legislation, making announcements, and hearing from communities across the state. With so much face-to-face engagement, one can only hope he’s taking stock of the deeper reality: West Virginia is losing the economic battle against many of its regional neighbors.
While there are a few bright spots, the larger picture tells a story of struggle. A recent WalletHub report titled “2025’s Best and Worst State Economies” ranked West Virginia 50th—just ahead of last-place Iowa. Surprisingly, even states like Mississippi and Louisiana are now outperforming us.
WalletHub placed the Mountain State 38th for economic activity, 45th for overall economic health, and dead last—51st—for innovation potential. Other concerning numbers: 48th in startup activity, 49th in high-tech job presence, and 51st for annual median household income.
To compare, neighboring states ranked significantly better: Kentucky came in at 41st, Ohio 36th, Pennsylvania 31st, Maryland an impressive 9th, and Virginia 15th.
These numbers highlight just how far West Virginia still has to go—and how urgent the need for change really is.
Experts in the WalletHub study recommend that states invest in the basics: solid infrastructure, safe and clean streets, reliable services, and a government that shows commitment to public service. But there’s more to it than just internal improvements.
Kenneth Troske, chair of the Department of Economics at the University of Kentucky, offered a critical insight: economic success isn’t just about keeping our young people from leaving—it’s about attracting new people and new businesses.
“Brain drain isn’t the core issue,” Troske said. “The problem is outsiders don’t want to move their businesses or families here because of poor infrastructure. If we make our communities attractive for newcomers, they bring new ideas and technology that help us grow. And many of our young people who left may return later in life, bringing back experience and vision.”
It’s a perspective that should reshape how leaders like Gov. Morrisey think. Instead of only focusing on holding on to what we have, we should be asking: What are we doing to make West Virginia a place people actually want to move to?
Unfortunately, it’s hard to believe that’s a question being asked regularly in the halls of power. But maybe it should be.
If we want to change the narrative—if we want to move up from the bottom of these lists—we must become a state that welcomes new ideas, new people, and new investments. Without that shift, we risk falling further behind in the economic race.
