In 2017, WalletHub ranked West Virginia as the worst state for job prospects. It was also one of seven states whose GDP shrunk over the course of a year. Many leave the state due to a lack of job opportunities.¹⁴ For example, in a Washington Post article titled "I want to return to my home state. But West Virginia doesn’t want me," India Amos describes her struggles as a West Virginian who went out-of-state for college and attended a liberal arts university. She describes her return to West Virginia and starting her job search as "bleak" and "limited" with little to no careers for her to apply her studies in modern languages and anthropology. She could opt to be a librarian or a waitress, but with the decline in manufacturing and coal industries, the state has shifted its focus to healthcare and social work.¹⁶ So if you are like Ms. Amos' and have no experience with clinicals or studying child development, but possess a college degree in other areas of study you might find yourself feeling like a non-competitive applicant for jobs, and therefore move out of state. Unfortunately, then that continues to fuel the growing negative net population of West Virginians and continues to increase out-migration in the state. The labor force participation in the state is the lowest-ranked state with 53% of the state's adult population either working or looking for work and has been in this position since at least 1976, while 23% of the workforce is employed in low-wage jobs.¹⁵

Much of West Virginia's population is on the older side, along with more people dying each year compared to the number of people being born each year. In 2016, West Virginia had the greatest decline in population in the country, and these declining rates have been expected to continue to decline for many more years.¹⁴ One easy solution would be to attract more young people into the state, for example attracting them with the low cost of living, especially in comparison to states like New York and California, but the lack of industries and plethora of experiences like Ms. Amos is a common symptom that young professionals and recent graduates experience when looking to live and work in West Virginia.¹⁴ The Register~Herald featured a piece on the out-migration that West Virginia experiences. The Noland's are like many other West Virginians who love their home state and what to stay to help make a difference in the beautiful mountain state, but they are also like many other young professionals and young families who eventually had to leave for better opportunities for their growing family.

The Noland's were active in the mountain state and had promising careers, but like many, they worried about their future with the birth of their son and budget cuts in Mr. Noland's job, so they relocated to California. However, their mindset was like many other residents who grapple with not wanting to leave the state, but also wanting a better future for their family, "if all the good people left – the educated people who can try to make things better – then what chance does the state have?" This is a common issue that many face, many want to help the state grow, but they don't have the resources or the know-how as to how to help the state.¹¹

In the 2016 Census Report, West Virginia bottomed out ranking amongst the four poorest states in the United States, with the average annual income falling at $43,385.¹⁷ However, if you are a teacher in the state you make more than the average, with the average annual teacher's salary being $45,240, but also ranking the fifth-lowest in the country.¹⁸