CHARLESTON — Roane County was fifth among counties in West Virginia in new business registrations in August, the Office of the Secretary of State reported.
Based on the percentage of new business registrations to existing registrations, Roane County logged a 1.45% increase, placing it fifth behind Fayette County with 1.48%, Hardy County with 1.53%, Raleigh County with 1.69% and Wayne County at 1.78%.
Statewide, the office reported 1,113 new businesses registered in August.
Ritchie and Wirt were in the top 10, sixth and seventh with 1.42% and 1.39%, respectively.
Ritchie started the reporting period with 563, with eight new registrations and five closings for a net of 566. Wirt began with 216, three new, one closure for a net of 218.
Based on percentages, Wood County was 33rd among the 55 counties with 37 new, 18 closed for a total of 4,532 registrations, a .82% increase in August.
The numbers for other counties in the region (ranking, total beginning of period, new, closed, net, percentage growth:
* Pleasants, 44, 311, 2, 1, .64%
* Tyler, 48, 365, 2, 0, 367, .55%
* Doddridge, 52, 284, 1, 1, 284, .35%
* Jackson, 53, 1,490, 5, 11, 1,484, .34%
* Wetzel, 54, 631, 2, 4, 629, .32%
The top five counties in total new registrations were Kanawha with 135, Berkeley with 100, Monongalia with 84, Raleigh with 82 and Jefferson with 54. Wood County was 11th.
Statewide, 13,564 new businesses registered from Sept. 1, 2023, to Aug. 31, 2024. Wayne County led all 55 counties with a 17.66% growth rate during the one-timespan.