What skilled trades pay in Virginia, where the jobs are and how work is changing, from 37 public government sources. The best-paying trade here is elevator installer at a $108,250 median. For every trade and metro, start from the Virginia pay page.
How Virginia compares
19 of the 41 trades we track in Virginia pay more than in a typical U.S. metro. The biggest premiums are for auto mechanic (+21%), telecom line installer (+19%) and appliance repair technician (+18%), and the biggest gaps for electrical lineworker (-21%) and fence installer (-17%). Prices in Virginia's metros run about 5% below the U.S. average, and a typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,180 a month (U.S. metros: $1,097).
Best-paying trades in Virginia
Statewide median pay, BLS May 2025. The lowest-paying trade we track here is landscaper at $38,410.
Every trade in Virginia
Statewide medians and jobs, BLS OEWS May 2025. “vs. U.S.” compares with the typical U.S. metro median for the trade.
Where the jobs are
- Maintenance Technician: 34,540 jobs
- Construction Laborer: 25,830 jobs
- Landscaper: 25,180 jobs
- Construction Supervisor: 24,970 jobs
- Electrician: 23,630 jobs
Virginia metros, best pay first
Ranked by how each metro's trade pay compares with all U.S. metros, averaged across trades.
Construction hiring
- Roanoke: +3.8% (7,172 workers)
- Richmond: +3.6% (42,234 workers)
- Virginia Beach: +0.4% (34,521 workers)
Change in private construction jobs from a year earlier, 2026 Q1, metros with at least 5,000 construction workers (BLS QCEW).
Unions
5.4% of Virginia workers belong to a union (6.4% are covered by a union contract), compared with about 10% nationally (all jobs, 2025).
Apprenticeships
Registered apprentices in Virginia who finished or left a program in FY2020–2024 completed most often in rigger (83%), heavy equipment operator (77%) and machinist (67%).
Wages and safety
Unpaid wages recovered
Since 2018, the U.S. Labor Department has concluded 344 wage cases against construction employers in Virginia, recovering $11,354,456 in back wages for 6,388 workers.offer check and keep your own record of hours.
DOL Wage and Hour Division enforcement data, cases concluded 2018–2026. Counts only; employers aren't named here.
Safety inspections
In 2025, Virginia's state-run safety program and federal OSHA opened 1,406 inspections of construction worksites in the state. About 24% were set off by a complaint, a referral or an accident (53 after an accident or fatality); the rest were planned spot checks.
OSHA inspection data via the U.S. Department of Labor, construction (NAICS 23), inspections opened in 2025. Counts only.
Storm and disaster rebuild work
Since 2016, the Virginia metros with the most federal major disasters are Richmond (6), Blacksburg (5) and Lynchburg (5) (FEMA).
Veterans
Veterans: train on the job with the GI Bill
In Virginia, 350 employers and programs are approved for GI Bill on-the-job training and apprenticeships, across all fields. Veterans in an approved trade apprenticeship can get a monthly housing allowance on top of apprentice pay. Search approved employers with the VA's GI Bill Comparison Tool.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, GI Bill Comparison Tool data, October 2026.
Common questions
What is the highest-paying skilled trade in Virginia?
Elevator Installer pays the most of the trades we track, with a $108,250 statewide median (BLS, May 2025), followed by telecom line installer and construction supervisor.
Which trade has the most jobs in Virginia?
maintenance technicians, with about 34,540 jobs statewide, followed by construction laborers and landscapers.
Which Virginia city pays the trades best?
Charlottesville, compared with other U.S. metros across the trades we track, followed by Richmond.
Is construction hiring growing in Virginia?
In 2026 Q1, private construction jobs were up 3.8% from a year earlier in Roanoke, the fastest-changing large market in the state, and up 0.4% in Virginia Beach.
Part of the State of Trade Pay 2026 report. Cite as “PayByTrade, State of Trade Pay in Virginia 2026, payby.trade/report/va/.”