Harrison County Among State's Leaders in New Businesses For March 2026
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on April 17, 2026
CHARLESTON - The West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office registered 2,152 new businesses statewide during the month of March, according to Secretary of State Kris Warner.
Harrison County tied for sixth with Wood County with 68 new businesses, bringing the county’s total to 4,851 and accounting for 1.42% growth.
Berkeley (154), Kanawha (148), Monongalia (122), Raleigh (99) and Jefferson (90) counties saw the most new businesses.
Of the 2,152 new businesses registered in March, 106 registered as non-profit and 263 qualified for one of the fee waiver programs offered by the Secretary of State’s Office.
The Boots to Business incentive is for veterans, active-duty service men and women and military spouses and saw 125 new registrations.
The other 138 qualifiers were new business owners under the age of 30.
Each program waives the initial registration fee for registering the business.
The Boots to Business incentive also waives the first four years of Annual Report filing fees, offering potential savings of up to $250 for new business owners.
Learn more about the Boots to Business and Young Entrepreneur fee waiver programs.
Statewide, West Virginia registered 19,686 new businesses in the previous 12-month period, from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.
To review county-by-county growth, visit the Business Statistics Database.
A total of 168,065 businesses are registered with the Secretary of State’s Office to do business in West Virginia.
