Best Cities to Start a Business in West Virginia

West Virginia’s economy expanded by 5.1% in 2015, growth more than twice the national average, making it one of the fastest-growing economies in the nation. As the state transitions from coal production into natural gas mining and other industries, new opportunities are presenting themselves.

With low housing prices, a low cost of living, and average business expenses 13% under the national average, West Virginia presents much promise to those looking to start a new business with limited overhead.

After a rocky period coinciding with the decline of coal mining, West Virginia is poised for an economic resurgence. The Mountain State Business Index, a regularly updated gauge of overall economic performance, has posted eight improvements in nine months as of April 2017, and the trend is likely to continue.

Only cities with over 50,000 inhabitants are reported in the results. Some data had to be interpolated to the county level and extrapolated to all the cities in the county. We concentrated on the following metrics to obtain our ranking: Cost of living, Best state for business, Unemployment, Kauffman index, and Universities.