Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Some years ago I took a wrong turn in the state and found myself on Rt. 60. Suddenly I came out of the mountains to a community at the edge of the water. It is Gauley Bridge and the clean, clear water comes right up to the shoulder of the road. It is so clear, you an see almost to the bottom of the lake. Continuing on along Rt. 60, I found Hawk's Nest State Park. It was simply breathtaking.

West Virginia has been considered an economically depressed area int he past.

According to the US Department of Labor, the average annual salary in West Virginia is $31,440 among 710,560 total workers. The state capital of Charleston enjoys an annual average wage of $33,000.

Workers in the category of Office and Administrative staff comprise the largest group of workers in the state, earning an average of about $25,000 per year.

Other large employee groups include Sales, with an average salary of $25,000; Food Prep, which averages $15,570 per year; Health Care Techs, average yearly wages over $54,000; Transportation and Material Movers, earning an average of approximately $26,000 per year; Construction, making about $36,000 a year; Production, with an average annual wage of about $30,000; and Installation, Maintenance and Repair Workers, earning about $34,000 a year.

These largest worker groups are those the include service occupations, Health Care technologies, and skilled trades. The lowest-paid groups generally contain the highest numbers of employees, lowering the overall average annual wage earned by employees overall in West Virginia..

Even the Top 15 occupational categories for West Virginia through the year 2014 show an increase in growth of less than 4.00% annually.

Home Health Aides and Personal-type Aidesshow the greatest number of open positions yearly in West Virginia. It is possible for job seekers interested in the Health Care field to accept this type of work and then go to school while working in order to earn additional certifications to rise in the field.

The top 2 jobs with the most openings available in the State of West Virgina through 2014 are all computer related IT types of positions. Overall, 7 of the Top 15 job categories offering the most positions in the state will be IT and technology oriented occupations. Another 5 of the Top 15 will be Health Care related in nature. The remaining 3 jobs in the Top 15 are Gaming Managers, Physical Trainers, and Social Service and Human Services Assistants.

While Gaming Managersshow one of the highest increases in percentage of job openings, the actual number is only 6 per year in the whole state,through 2014. These jobs arise out of the emerging casino industry in West Virginia.

While also in the Top 15, there will be only 4 new positions in the state per year for Athletic Trainers.

However, Number 15 of the Top 15 jobs with most openings in W.V. is the category of Social Service and Human Services Assistants, with 138 job openings per year.

NOTE:

OJT= On the Job Training.

Voc-Ed = Vocational Education, generally for a certificate.

Certificates at Voc Ed schools take anywhere from a few weeks to several months of educational training in the clasroom and field.

Explanation

These high demand types of occupations are felt to be able to grow at a statistically meaningful rate in the future of West Virginia. Notice that these Top 20 High Demand Jobs are mainly in IT and Health Care fields, with additional jobs expected in Social Service and Human Services, teaching, and legal services and technologies.