Virginia
Across all occupations in Virginia, the median wage is $55,690 a year ($26.78 an hour) and the mean $74,040, May 2025. That median is +9% against the US median of $50,980. BLS counts 4,109,320 jobs in the state. The highest-paying occupation is anesthesiologists; the largest is fast food and counter workers.
All occupations: Virginia vs the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Virginia | Hourly | $14.68 | $18.14 | $26.78 | $42.99 | $66.83 | $35.60 | 4,109,320 |
| Annual | $30,530 | $37,720 | $55,690 | $89,420 | $139,010 | $74,040 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
Minimum wage in Virginia
The wage floor is a separate question from these survey figures. See the Virginia minimum wage page for the current rate, scheduled increases and tipped rules, verified against the U.S. Department of Labor.
20 highest-paying occupations in Virginia
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anesthesiologists | $488,310 | $234.77 | ** |
| 2 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $478,710 | $230.15 | 170 |
| 3 | Cardiologists | $461,450 | $221.85 | 810 |
| 4 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | $403,430 | $193.96 | 210 |
| 5 | Radiologists | $376,270 | $180.90 | ** |
| 6 | Surgeons, All Other | $360,510 | $173.32 | 260 |
| 7 | Chief Executives | $310,740 | $149.40 | 4,870 |
| 8 | Psychiatrists | $295,010 | $141.83 | 370 |
| 9 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $282,410 | $135.77 | ** |
| 10 | Dermatologists | $280,060 | $134.65 | ** |
| 11 | Physicians, All Other | $278,530 | $133.91 | 8,480 |
| 12 | Nurse Anesthetists | $252,110 | $121.21 | 700 |
| 13 | Physicians, Pathologists | $240,780 | $115.76 | 110 |
| 14 | Family Medicine Physicians | $222,630 | $107.03 | 2,930 |
| 15 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | $201,490 | $96.87 | 17,550 |
| 16 | Dentists, General | $197,110 | $94.76 | 4,140 |
| 17 | Pediatricians, General | $195,940 | $94.20 | 750 |
| 18 | Air Traffic Controllers | $191,820 | $92.22 | 1,120 |
| 19 | Sales Managers | $191,130 | $91.89 | 9,670 |
| 20 | Marketing Managers | $187,820 | $90.30 | 6,890 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Virginia
Occupation groups in Virginia
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $141,720 | $157,270 | 266,570 | 64.87 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $128,700 | $130,240 | 248,190 | 60.40 |
| Legal | $110,300 | $137,770 | 36,930 | 8.99 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $100,380 | $108,500 | 76,470 | 18.61 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $95,010 | $104,640 | 387,820 | 94.38 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $87,270 | $107,020 | 230,590 | 56.11 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $85,670 | $103,000 | 43,270 | 10.53 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $62,540 | $73,210 | 52,910 | 12.88 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $61,100 | $67,550 | 252,970 | 61.56 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $59,820 | $63,090 | 155,070 | 37.74 |
| Community and Social Service | $59,470 | $63,800 | 67,270 | 16.37 |
| Construction and Extraction | $56,460 | $59,630 | 176,990 | 43.07 |
| Protective Service | $51,120 | $58,510 | 114,200 | 27.79 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $47,180 | $51,270 | 426,040 | 103.68 |
| Production | $46,750 | $50,850 | 163,860 | 39.88 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $44,270 | $50,530 | 325,070 | 79.11 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $41,000 | $44,910 | 4,800 | 1.17 |
| Healthcare Support | $37,610 | $40,000 | 162,910 | 39.64 |
| Sales and Related | $37,420 | $54,710 | 355,320 | 86.47 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $36,010 | $38,790 | 128,150 | 31.19 |
| Personal Care and Service | $35,710 | $40,190 | 94,200 | 22.92 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $35,110 | $38,540 | 339,730 | 82.67 |
Metropolitan areas in Virginia
11 metropolitan areas touch Virginia, plus 4 nonmetropolitan areas, with the all-occupations median of each. A linked metropolitan area has its own profile; nonmetropolitan areas appear here only.
| Area | Type | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | Metropolitan | $48,120 | $23.14 | 74,070 |
| Charlottesville, VA | Metropolitan | $55,180 | $26.53 | 114,780 |
| Harrisonburg, VA | Metropolitan | $46,110 | $22.17 | 65,460 |
| Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | Metropolitan | $45,240 | $21.75 | 119,560 |
| Lynchburg, VA | Metropolitan | $46,190 | $22.21 | 97,190 |
| Richmond, VA | Metropolitan | $51,460 | $24.74 | 660,350 |
| Roanoke, VA | Metropolitan | $47,140 | $22.67 | 153,980 |
| Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | Metropolitan | $48,040 | $23.10 | 51,640 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | Metropolitan | $49,430 | $23.76 | 763,060 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | Metropolitan | $71,060 | $34.16 | 3,136,190 |
| Winchester, VA-WV | Metropolitan | $47,070 | $22.63 | 67,740 |
| Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $44,440 | $21.37 | 116,480 |
| Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $45,510 | $21.88 | 103,030 |
| Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $47,010 | $22.60 | 57,660 |
| Northwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $46,320 | $22.27 | 65,220 |
Occupation pages for Virginia
63 occupations have a dedicated Virginia page with the state's percentiles, its metro table and a comparison with neighbouring states.
- Accountants and Auditors $93,290
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $59,330
- Bartenders $47,070
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $51,620
- Business Operations Specialists, All Other $85,200
- Carpenters $55,690
- Cashiers $30,580
- Computer and Information Systems Managers $201,490
- Computer User Support Specialists $65,040
- Construction Laborers $43,560
- Cooks, Fast Food $29,950
- Cooks, Restaurant $36,750
- Customer Service Representatives $42,730
- Electricians $62,900
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $65,550
- Fast Food and Counter Workers $30,110
- Financial Managers $185,220
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $78,640
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $45,550
- First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $80,770
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $67,170
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $74,150
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $47,990
- First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $62,130
- Food Preparation Workers $34,900
- General and Operations Managers $122,080
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $56,860
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides $30,300
- Human Resources Specialists $82,090
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators $46,920
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $35,170
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $39,380
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $38,410
- Lawyers $167,210
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $64,920
- Light Truck Drivers $42,450
- Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $33,820
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $49,470
- Management Analysts $117,580
- Managers, All Other $166,230
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $76,980
- Medical Assistants $44,740
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $46,180
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $63,520
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $44,900
- Nursing Assistants $43,200
- Office Clerks, General $46,410
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $65,870
- Project Management Specialists $120,840
- Receptionists and Information Clerks $37,060
- Registered Nurses $93,600
- Retail Salespersons $34,240
- Sales Managers $191,130
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $72,640
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $63,400
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $72,170
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $47,620
- Security Guards $43,640
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $44,290
- Software Developers $136,460
- Stockers and Order Fillers $36,380
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $38,520
- Waiters and Waitresses $44,760
Take-home pay and benefits calculators for Virginia
FastCalc, a sister site, has these calculators for Virginia. Each takes your own figures; this site computes nothing.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Virginia estimates.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in Virginia.