According to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provisional estimates, in July 2003 the seasonally adjusted civilian labor force in West Virginia numbered 808,500, with approximately 54,600 workers unemployed, yielding an unemployment rate of 6.8%, compared to the national average of 6.2% for the same period. Since the beginning of the BLS data series in 1978, the highest unemployment rate recorded was 19.5% in February 1983. The historical low was 4.7% in October 2001. In 2001, an estimated 5.3% of the labor force was employed in construction; 11.8% in manufacturing; 6.2% in transportation, communications, and public utilities; 19.9% in trade; 3.7% in finance, insurance, and real estate; 26.6% in services; 15.9% in government; and 1.3% in agriculture.
Important milestones in the growth of unionism were the organization of the state as District 17 of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) in 1890 and the formation of the State Federation of Labor in 1903. The coal miners fought to gain union recognition by coal companies, and instances of violence were not uncommon in the early 1900s. Wages, working conditions, and benefits for miners improved rapidly after World War II. Membership in unions in 1980 was 222,000, or 34% of the work force, compared to 47% in 1970, an indication of the UMWA's waning strength.
The US Department of Labor reported that in 2002, 92,000 of West Virginia's 693,000 employed wage and salary workers were members of unions. This represented 13.3% of those so employed, down from 14.6% in 2001. The national average is 13.2%. In all, 97,000 workers (14.0%) were represented by unions. In addition to union members, this category includes workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union contract.