West Virginia cash-for-worker program welcomes new residents

By JOHN RABY
Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A program offering cash incentives for out-of-state workers to move to West Virginia has welcomed its second round of new residents. The public-private program says 33 newcomers were chosen for the Greenbrier Valley in the southeastern corner of the state. The program’s first phase last year chose dozens of applicants for the northern college town of Morgantown. The next round of applicants will include those two areas along with the state’s Eastern Panhandle. The program leverages West Virginia’s natural beauty to reverse an exodus of people. The 2020 census found that West Virginia lost a greater percentage of its residents than any other state in the past decade.