The community of Sago is in Upshur County, West Virginia. Sago is within seventy miles of Morgantown, home of the West Virginia University, and is a two- to three-hour drive from other major West Virginia cities of Charleston, Parkersburg, Huntington and Wheeling. Map of West Virginia and Upshur County (accessed 01/07/06). This discussion presents a profile of Upshur County. To see Upshur County in its national and regional context, go to CensusMapper.
For many communities in the US, the seventy-mile drive between Morgantown and Sago is the equivalent of a morning’s commute to work. Thus, according to some measures, Sago is not an isolated place. Still, by other accounts, the community of Sago couldn’t be further from urban America in terms of economic conditions and employment opportunities. For those living in mining communities, low levels of education, poor health conditions, unstable work histories, and limited access to jobs paying a living wage explain why people work in the mines. With few alternatives, it is no wonder that when the price of coal goes up people risk their lives to take jobs in the mines. In 2004, wages at the Sago mine were in the range of $700/week (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette accessed 01/06/06). Mining roof bolters in West Virginia earned a median $38,580 a year, according to November 2004 estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (the latest data available Charleston Daily Mail accessed 01/06/06). This is well above annual wages in West Virginia, which averaged $28,612 in 2002 (BLS accessed 01/06/06).
The following is a county profile of Upshur. These first data are for 2000 and are drawn from the Census of Population and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Where possible, we compare the experience of the county with the state of West Virginia and the nation. We start with education and then move to labor force status and demographics. Using BLS data we then examine changes in unemployment and employment the county.(These data come from Poverty in America. This website can be accessed to produce additional analysis of US county economic conditions.)
Education
While most adults in Sago over the age of 25 had completed high school in 2000, few had completed a college education. In the county, the percent of the population over the age of 25 with 1-3 or 4 or more years of college education was only 60% of the national level. Education in Upshur County West Virginia
The Absence of Jobs and High Rates of Disability Result in Low Labor Force Participation
In Upshur County, labor force participation rates are low by state and national standards. Almost half of the working-age population is not in the labor force compared with the 36% for the nation. In 2000, the county unemployment level was even with that for the nation. However, these figures are deceiving. Low unemployment levels also are indicative of situations in which working-age individuals leave the labor force due to a lack of jobs. In Upshur County, low unemployment and low labor force participation rates reflect the tendency for working-age persons to leave the labor force either due to health problems or the lack of employment alternatives. One-fifth of the population is considered disabled by the Census (5,323 persons of a total of 23,996 persons).
The Population is Aging and Young People are Leaving
Over the last twenty years, Upshur County has seen a substantial decline in the population of the region under the age of 25. Over the same time period, working age persons and the elderly experienced a sharp increase. This is indicative of a county in which young people leave, presumably in search of jobs and other opportunities, while the working age and elderly population stays behind. Counties in Appalachia also experience significant flows of remigration as former middle and older age migrants return home to be near family.
The Unemployment Rate is about 17% Above the National Rate
The county has had a sluggish economy for several decades. Unemployment rates are considerably above the national average. Within the Appalachian region, the county has a high unemployment rate.
Looking at the Appalachian Coal Region
The following maps by CensusMapper provide a regional view of conditions in coal counties in Appalachia.. These maps compare counties within Appalachia with comparable rates for the nation. A “Coal County” is a county in which mining provides more than 3% of total income (this is approximately the coal region median). While it would be preferable to examine coal mining exclusively, disclosure rules make this estimate the best approximation possible. The bottom line is that these are poor counties with poverty rates substantially above the national median, particularly for white families, children, and dependent populations (persons <18 and > 65). These counties have populations with low median levels of education and high levels of unemployment. In 2003, median household income was substantially below the national median. Per-capita disability and supplemental Social Security income levels are high by national standards. These are communities that have suffered for many years through periods of economic uncertainty and have enjoyed few employment alternatives to coal. The population lacks the education opportunities that might lead to better jobs. People work in the coal industry because they have to. It is not always a matter of choice.