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JJ
West Virginia•In office since 2017•Party: R
Jim Justice
Serving as Governor of West Virginia since 2017. Evaluation based on verified public data.
Overall GradeF
27.1 / 100
Ranked #49 of 50 nationally
Category
Economy
41.4 / 100D+
Unemployment RateD+
4.3%
National avg 3.9%
Rank 42 of 5016 pct
Trend since took officefrom 5.0%
Median Household IncomeD+
$55,217
National avg $74,580
Rank 49 of 502 pct
Trend since took officefrom $43,469
Job GrowthC-
2.0%
National avg 5.5%
Rank 48 of 505 pct
Trend since took officefrom 1.0%
Real GDP GrowthD+
3.0%
National avg 8.0%
Rank 49 of 502 pct
Trend since took officefrom 1.0%
Real Wage GrowthD+
1.8%
National avg 3.0%
Rank 50 of 501 pct
Trend since took officefrom 1.0%
Category
Fiscal Health
45.6 / 100C-
State Debt per CapitaD+
$4,400
National avg $3,580
Rank 39 of 5022 pct
Trend since took officefrom $4,800
Rainy Day FundA+
22.0%
National avg 14.0%
Rank 8 of 5087 pct
Trend since took officefrom 15.0%
State & Local Tax BurdenF
12.8%
National avg 11.2%
Rank 43 of 5014 pct
Trend since took officefrom 12.6%
Credit RatingF
78
National avg 90
Rank 48 of 505 pct
Trend since took officefrom 78
Category
Quality of Life
42.1 / 100C-
Poverty RateF
16.7%
National avg 11.5%
Rank 47 of 506 pct
Trend since took officefrom 17.9%
High School Graduation RateB+
90.7%
National avg 87.0%
Rank 6 of 5090 pct
Trend since took officefrom 90.0%
Life ExpectancyF
72.8 yrs
National avg 77.5 yrs
Rank 49 of 502 pct
Trend since took officefrom 74.1 yrs
Violent Crime RateB
322 / 100k
National avg 380 / 100k
Rank 21 of 5059 pct
Trend since took officefrom 358 / 100k
Bridges in Poor ConditionF
18.0%
National avg 6.6%
Rank 49 of 502 pct
Trend since took officefrom 18.5%
How this grade is built
Each metric gets two scores: how the state ranks among all 50 states (60%) and how much it changed under this governor (40%). These combine into a 0–100 score per metric, averaged within three pillars — Economy, Fiscal Health, Quality of Life — then curved across the cohort so grades spread A–F.
Full methodology →