West Virginia Apprenticeship Programs
West Virginia's registered-apprenticeship system is small — 5,500 active apprentices across 255 programs as of September 2026 — so its structure, not its size, is the story below.
- Active apprentices
- 5,500
- National rank
- #36 / 51
- Completion rate
- 58.1%
- Completion wage
- $26
West Virginia ranks #36 of 51 jurisdictions by active registered apprentices - about 0.7% of all U.S. registered apprentices. Its 58.1% completion rate sits 0.1 pts below the 58.2% national average, and apprentices who finish raise their pay by 82% - from $14 to $26 an hour.
Apprenticeship filing desk
Jurisdiction WE · West Virginia
West Virginia registered-apprenticeship filing: 5,500 active apprentices (rank 36/51), 255 programs, 58.1% completion.
- BOOK-SMALL 5,500
- RANK-LOWER #36
- PROG-SPARSE 255
- COMP-MID 58.1%
- WAGE-STRONG +82%
- SHARE-SMALL 0.7%
- NEW-FY 1,450
Nearest enrollment peer: Nebraska (500 apprentice gap)
U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship filing stamps for this jurisdiction. Read: fastest growing occupations 2034
Where West Virginia sits among all 51 jurisdictions
Enrollment by jurisdiction; West Virginia is marked near the small end. Inventory size is not a quality ranking.
West Virginia vs all states by active apprentices
Where this state's DOL registered-apprenticeship enrollment sits among every tracked jurisdiction
5,500 36th of 51 higher than 15 of 51 states
States and territories, banded by active apprentices
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data · 2026-09-25
Source: U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data, compiled by PlainWorkforce.
Reading West Virginia's numbers
What stands out in this state's DOL filing, most distinctive first. Every figure below is computed from the state's own row in the dataset.
The signature stat: program size
West Virginia's most unusual number is how thinly enrollment spreads: only 21.6 apprentices per program, a smaller program size than 73% of states.
Where the scale sits
5,500 active apprentices rank 36 of 51 nationally, 0.7% of all registered enrollment.
Fast intake pipeline
New registrations are running hot: 1,450 in the latest fiscal year equals 26.4% of the active base (national pace 25.9%). If completions keep up, this system is compounding.
Completion near the average
A 58.1% completion rate holds within two points of the national average (58.2%).
Typical wage progression
Pay runs $14.00/hour at the start and $25.50 at completion — a 82.1% progression near the 82.7% norm.
West Virginia's largest registered-apprenticeship occupations, ranked by AI-exposure score, most sit well below the 37% occupation-wide average (the dotted line), which is exactly why the trades are AI-resilient. Bars link to the full occupation profile where tracked.
- Electrician 13%
- Boilermaker 21%
- Operating Engineer 25%
- Plumber 27%
- Pipefitter -
AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis of O*NET task data; the 37% line is the average across all 832 tracked occupations. Lower = more AI-resilient.
Frequently asked questions
How many apprentices does West Virginia have?
About 5,500 active registered apprentices, one of the smaller state totals (rank 36 of 51), in roughly 255 programs.
What is the apprenticeship completion rate in West Virginia?
Roughly 58.1%, effectively at the national average of 58.2%.
How much do apprentices earn in West Virginia?
Entry wages average $14.00/hour, rising to about $25.50 at completion (82.1% growth).
What are the top apprenticeship trades in West Virginia?
The dataset's largest registered-apprenticeship occupations for West Virginia are Electrician, Plumber, Pipefitter, Boilermaker, Operating Engineer — construction trades dominate registered apprenticeship in every state.
Is apprenticeship growing in West Virginia?
The intake numbers say yes: 1,450 new apprentices registered in the latest fiscal year, 26.4% of the current active base and above the 25.9% national pace.
Compare other states
Next steps here
Use West Virginia's apprenticeship numbers above to plan a specific trade path, not just compare states.
- Real wage and growth numbers weigh an apprenticeship path against a college degree. Apprenticeships vs college
- The full occupation directory covers wage and AI exposure for any specific trade. Browse all occupations
- See which occupations are projected to add the most jobs through 2034. Fastest-growing occupations
U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship data is the source here; enrollment and completion both vary by program and year.
Every figure on PlainWorkforce is rendered directly from BLS/O*NET source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Enrollment and wage figures are rounded. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these figures, or report a data error. Data current as of U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship (active apprentices, registered programs, completion rates, and wages by state), O*NET (occupation task data, for the linked AI-exposure scores).