Locally, West Virginians have long been aware that our labor force participation rate trails that of the rest of the nation. In the best case, we might have inched out Mississippi for a short stretch. Regardless, the safe assumption remains that West Virginia has the lowest labor force participation rate in the country, and that much holds true today, at 54.3%. That’s not just bad news for the West Virginia economy; it’s bad news for the overall health of our fellow Mountaineers.

The negative effects on our economy are painful. Our state has one of the highest poverty rates in the country. Median household income in West Virginia lags more than $20,000 behind the national average. These realities apply pressure to local and state levels of government by way of limited revenue, constrainin

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