Manufacturing jobs in West Virginia fell 1.3 percent between July 2011 and July 2012, which means the state now employs 83,225 workers from 1,947 manufacturers, according to the 2013 West Virginia Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News Inc. in Evanston, Ill.

"West Virginia still struggles with decreased demand and high business costs," says Tom Dubin, president of MNI. "When choosing a location for a new plant, manufacturers look at labor and energy costs as well as the tax and regulatory burdens. West Virginia often has not been competitive with other states in these areas."

Coal mining reports a 7.5 percent employment increase for West Virginia's top industrial sector with 13,661 jobs, MNI finds. Coming in at second is the chemicals sector with 8,220 jobs at 6.4 percent over the year, and industrial equipment and machinery ranks as third with 7,064 manufacturing jobs at minus 8.8 percent in the last year.