Appalachia’s labor force participation rates, and the employment rate of those participants, increased in 2020-2024. With 96% of Appalachia’s labor force employed, the region is on par with the national average. However, participation in the civilian labor force for Appalachians ages 25-64 is more than four percentage points below the nation as a whole. This gap is even greater in certain areas of the region.
Learn more about trends in Appalachia’s labor force, employment and unemployment.
Labor Force Participation in Appalachia
Unemployment by Subregion
Appalachia’s unemployment rate (4%) for working-age adults was 0.4 percentage points lower in 2020-2024 than in 2015-2019. As the unemployment rate fell, the employment rate increased in all subregions except for Northern Appalachia. Among the states, employment increased the most in the Appalachian sections of Kentucky and Virginia.
Transportation and Commuting Patterns
In 2020-2024, 6.6% of Appalachian households lacked an available vehicle to get to current and/or potential employment, down 0.5 points from 2015-2019. Within the region, the decline occurred among every subregion, every rural-urban county type, and in the Appalachian portions of nearly all 13 states.
Employment Location
