Statewide pay Government data
Paving equipment operators in Virginia earn a statewide median of $48,060 a year, 4% below the typical U.S. metro, ranking #37 of 49 states and DC. About 1,660 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Virginia
See all states on the paving equipment operators nationwide.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes paving equipment operator pay for 4 Virginia metros: Richmond, Roanoke, Virginia Beach and Winchester.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| RichmondVIRGINIA · VA | $49,880 | $50,972 | 250 |
| RoanokeVIRGINIA · VA | $47,620 | $50,866 | 160 |
| WinchesterVIRGINIA · VA | $47,530 | $49,279 | 40 |
| Virginia BeachVIRGINIA · VA | $46,320 | $47,294 | 340 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for Virginia's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
Operate equipment used for applying concrete, asphalt, or other materials to road beds, parking lots, or airport runways and taxiways or for tamping gravel, dirt, or other materials. Includes concrete and asphalt paving machine operators, form tampers, tamping machine operators, and stone spreader operators.
Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 0.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,100 openings a year. Typical training: moderate-term on-the-job training.
Nationally, paving equipment operators have 19 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 78% below the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
What the work is like Government data
How often paving equipment operators 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 paving equipment operators.
Official Virginia licensing site ↗
Requirements for paving equipment operators vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 5.4% of wage and salary workers in Virginia were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#38 of 51 states and D.C.), and 6.4% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only paving equipment operators.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in Virginia
All trades in Virginia.