Coal Mining Jobs Drop 15 Percent In Eastern Kentucky In First Half Of 2019

CUMBERLAND, KENTUCKY - AUGUST 24: A man leaves a liquor store on August 24, 2019 in Cumberland, Kentucky. Cumberland is one of many communities in Eastern Kentucky struggling economically as coal jobs in the region have faded away. The town has lost more than 40 percent of its population since 1980. The Eastern Kentucky region has lost more than 15 percent of its mining jobs in the past year and less than a third of the jobs remain from a decade ago. Recently, more than 300 miners in Cumberland lost their jobs when Blackjewel LLC declared bankruptcy. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)