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    HomeAbout the Appalachian RegionThe ChartbookEmployment and Commuting in Appalachia

        
      
Employment and Commuting in Appalachia
	
	
				
	
	
	Appalachia’s labor force participation rates, and the employment rate of those participants, increased in 2017-2021. With 95.5% 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.




	



73.8%
              
              Labor Force Participation							  


95.5%
              
              Employment Rate

Labor Force Participation in Appalachia



View larger map






	


  
Unemployment by Subregion
          
                      Appalachia’s unemployment rate (4.5%) for working-age adultswas 1.7percentage points lower in 2017-2021 than in 2012-2016. As the unemployment rate fell, the employment rate increased, especially in Southern Appalachia. Among the states, employment increased the most in the Appalachian sections ofGeorgia, Mississippi, NorthCarolina,Kentucky,and South Carolina.
          
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Transportation and Commuting Patterns
          
                      In 2017-2021, 6.8% of Appalachian households lacked an available vehicle to get to current and/or potential employment, down 0.7points from 2012-2016. Within the Region, the decline occurred among every subregion, every rural-urban county type, and in the Appalachian portionsof all13 states.
          
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Employment Location
							
															Over 31% of Appalachians commute to work outside of the county they live in, surpassing the national average of 26.4%. This could be due to fewer nearby employment opportunities in the Region.
							
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																			Appalachian Development Highlight System Corridor 8, Near Norton, VA





	



Related Content    
    
    The Chartbook
																				
								

  The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2017-2021 American Community Survey
																				
								

  Income and Poverty in Appalachia Appalachian Regional Commission

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