West Virginia tied with Wyoming for third place with 5.1% economic growth in 2014.
Coal mining remains a major contributor to West Virginia's economy. It accounted for an astonishing 98% of the state's growth last year.
While coal has powered the state's economy in the past, West Virginia's reliance on the industry puts the state's economic future in question.
The state has lost several thousand jobs since the April 2004 as the decline in energy prices has caused mass layoffs in mining and drilling. West Virginia's unemployment rate is now one of the nation's highest at 7.0%.
NMLS #1136
