Electrical Lineworkers in the Virginia Beach area earn a median of $68,350 a year, 29% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #248 of 260 metros for electrical lineworkers nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Richmond and Goldsboro, but less in Rocky Mount.
It's one of 4 Virginia metros with published pay for this trade; see electrical lineworker pay in Virginia.
Electrical Lineworker pay in Virginia Beach at a glance
- Electrical lineworkers in the Virginia Beach, VA metro earn a median $68,350 a year ($32.86 an hour), #248 of 260 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $49,170 and $100,520.
- After local prices, that median buys what $69,787 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,484 a month, 26% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among electrical lineworkers in Virginia Beach.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker. The median here works out to about $33 an hour in yearly terms.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for electrical lineworkers here is in the bottom 20% of U.S. metros, and also in the bottom 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (3.5%) and the population is growing slowly (+0.9% since 2020).
Virginia Beach scorecard for electrical lineworkers Our calculation
Grades compare Virginia Beach with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($96,805).
Pay over time
The median pay for electrical lineworkers in the Virginia Beach area went from $57,230 in 2020 to $68,350 in 2025, up 19.4%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -4.7% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Virginia Beach Our calculation
Prices in the Virginia Beach area run 2% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $69,787 would in a typical place, ranking #255 of 258 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a cost-of-living budget for Virginia Beach from this pay, local rent and prices.
What electrical lineworkers do
Install or repair cables or wires used in electrical power or distribution systems. May erect poles and light or heavy duty transmission towers.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Adhere to safety practices and procedures, such as checking equipment regularly and erecting barriers around work areas.
- Drive vehicles equipped with tools and materials to job sites.
- Open switches or attach grounding devices to remove electrical hazards from disturbed or fallen lines or to facilitate repairs.
- Climb poles or use truck-mounted buckets to access equipment.
- Install, maintain, and repair electrical distribution and transmission systems, including conduits, cables, wires, and related equipment, such as transformers, circuit breakers, and switches.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, electrical lineworker jobs are projected to grow 10.3% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 10,900 openings a year. About 0% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often electrical lineworkers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in Virginia Official source
The main state licensing office in Virginia is the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. It can point you to the right license for electrical lineworkers.
Official Virginia licensing site ↗
Requirements for electrical lineworkers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, electrical lineworkers have 177 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 2.0× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is overexertion and repetitive strain.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying VA metros for electrical lineworkers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| BlacksburgVIRGINIA · VA | $84,840 | $91,511 | 50 |
| StauntonVIRGINIA · VA | $79,780 | $87,547 | 60 |
| RichmondVIRGINIA · VA | $78,110 | $79,820 | 490 |
| Virginia BeachVIRGINIA · VA | $68,350 | $69,787 | 420 |
See every metro in Virginia.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Virginia Beach area's unemployment rate was 3.5% in 2025 (all workers, not just electrical lineworkers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.5% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Virginia Beach area is 26 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 14% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 75% drive alone, 1% take transit and 11% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Virginia Beach area's population grew 0.9% from 2020 to 2025 (1,781,673 → 1,797,213), ranking #257 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +1,022) account for part of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Virginia Beach are down 46% from 2021 to 2025 (7,377 → 3,953).
In 2025 the Virginia Beach area approved permits for 3,953 new homes (3,223 single-family), or 2.2 per 1,000 residents, ranking #280 of 393 metros.
Traveling here for work
Out-of-town electrical lineworkers on travel jobs here are often paid per diem. The federal rate is $150 a night for lodging, up to $212 a night in peak season plus $74 a day for meals, the Virginia Beach rate: about $1,568 a week on top of wages. Compare a travel job here with a local one.
GSA per diem rates, FY2027 (October 2026–September 2027). Employers set their own per diem; many use the GSA rate as a guide.
Working outdoors in Virginia Beach Government data
In an average year, Virginia Beach has 36 days at 90°F or hotter (about typical; typical metro 33), including 1 at 100°F or more, 41 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 74 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 6 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 87°F and winter nights 36°F. That matters for electrical lineworkers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Norfolk International Airport, VA station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Where to train near Virginia Beach Government data
5 schools in or near Virginia Beach offer electrical and power line installer programs below the bachelor's level, 3 of them at public colleges. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
Where published, graduates earned a median of $35,618 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tidewater Community College Norfolk, VA · Public | Certificate | $19,873 | 57 | — |
| Centura College-Norfolk Norfolk, VA · Private for-profit | Certificate | $35,240 | 30 | $35,618 |
| Tidewater Community College Norfolk, VA · Public | Associate degree | $19,873 | 26 | — |
| Paul D Camp Community College Franklin, VA · Public | Certificate | $10,177 | 12 | — |
| College of the Albemarle Elizabeth City, NC · Public | Certificate | $9,655 | — | — |
| Centura College-Chesapeake Chesapeake, VA · Private for-profit | Certificate | $36,712 | — | $35,618 |
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (data updated October 2026). Cost is the school's average yearly cost of attendance before financial aid; earnings are the median for graduates one year after finishing, shown only where the school has enough graduates to publish. “—” means not published.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $68,350 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get electrical lineworker pricing & estimate templates →Compare Virginia Beach with another city →
Keep exploring
Could this trade pay more somewhere else?
ToolBest cities for electrical lineworkersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in Virginia BeachSee where it falls among local electrical lineworkers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolVirginia Beach budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Virginia Beach metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Virginia Beach against every other metro for electrical lineworkers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.
Report a data issue on this page
The Census doesn't publish one-person business or competition figures for electrical lineworkers as a separate industry, so that section is left out.