Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025 reference period
65 Highest Paying Jobs in Virginia (2026)
The highest-paying job in Virginia is Obstetrician/Gynecologist with a state-aggregated median salary of $224,240 as of 2026, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data weighted across the state's 1 BLS-tracked metro. Across all 65 occupations the average median is $110,020, with 38 occupations paying a six-figure ($100K+) median. Virginia's average cost-of-living index is 102, so the average median equates to $107,863 of buying power in an average-cost U.S. metro.
The 65 occupations below are ranked by median wage across Virginia — rolling up wage data across all metropolitan areas in the state. State-level rollups smooth over the substantial intra-state wage variation typical of larger states. For state-level wage comparisons, BLS OEWS state files aggregate across MSAs and non-MSA areas. The aggregation hides legitimate within-state differences: a job in Virginia's primary metro often pays substantially more (and costs substantially more to live near) than the same job in smaller cities.
Use the per-metro pages for the geographic-specific view. The state-level ranking is most useful for comparing Virginia to other states, not for comparing within-state options.
Top 10 Highest-Paying Jobs in Virginia
Ranked by state-aggregated median (50th percentile) salary, employment-weighted across Virginia's single tracked metro.
State median $224,240 · 250 jobs · top metro: Richmond ($224,240)
Obstetrician/Gynecologists in Virginia earn $224,240 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Richmond) pays $224,240 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $218,880 · 650 jobs · top metro: Richmond ($218,880)
Dentists in Virginia earn $218,880 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Richmond) pays $218,880 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $208,750 · 410 jobs · top metro: Richmond ($208,750)
Family Medicine Physicians in Virginia earn $208,750 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Richmond) pays $208,750 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $180,640 · 1,900 jobs · top metro: Richmond ($180,640)
Computer and Information Systems Managers in Virginia earn $180,640 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Richmond) pays $180,640 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $174,130 · 1,090 jobs · top metro: Richmond ($174,130)
Marketing Managers in Virginia earn $174,130 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Richmond) pays $174,130 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $173,140 · 3,480 jobs · top metro: Richmond ($173,140)
Financial Managers in Virginia earn $173,140 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Richmond) pays $173,140 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $168,590 · 1,320 jobs · top metro: Richmond ($168,590)
Sales Managers in Virginia earn $168,590 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Richmond) pays $168,590 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $165,370 · 130 jobs · top metro: Richmond ($165,370)
Pediatricians in Virginia earn $165,370 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Richmond) pays $165,370 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $162,910 · 160 jobs · top metro: Richmond ($162,910)
Software Quality Assurance Analysts in Virginia earn $162,910 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Richmond) pays $162,910 median, materially above the state aggregate.
State median $152,190 · 960 jobs · top metro: Richmond ($152,190)
Human Resources Managers in Virginia earn $152,190 median state-wide. Pay varies meaningfully across the state's metros — the top-paying metro (Richmond) pays $152,190 median, materially above the state aggregate.
Full Ranking: All 65 Tracked Occupations
| Rank | Role | Category | State Median | Top Metro | Top Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Obstetrician/Gynecologist | Healthcare | $224,240 | Richmond | $224,240 | 250 |
| 2 | Dentist | Healthcare | $218,880 | Richmond | $218,880 | 650 |
| 3 | Family Medicine Physician | Healthcare | $208,750 | Richmond | $208,750 | 410 |
| 4 | Computer and Information Systems Manager | Technology | $180,640 | Richmond | $180,640 | 1,900 |
| 5 | Marketing Manager | Management | $174,130 | Richmond | $174,130 | 1,090 |
| 6 | Financial Manager | Finance | $173,140 | Richmond | $173,140 | 3,480 |
| 7 | Sales Manager | Management | $168,590 | Richmond | $168,590 | 1,320 |
| 8 | Pediatrician | Healthcare | $165,370 | Richmond | $165,370 | 130 |
| 9 | Software Quality Assurance Analyst | Technology | $162,910 | Richmond | $162,910 | 160 |
| 10 | Human Resources Manager | Management | $152,190 | Richmond | $152,190 | 960 |
| 11 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $144,940 | Richmond | $144,940 | 1,350 |
| 12 | Lawyer | Legal | $144,910 | Richmond | $144,910 | 3,780 |
| 13 | Software Developer | Technology | $132,120 | Richmond | $132,120 | 7,680 |
| 14 | Optometrist | Healthcare | $131,080 | Richmond | $131,080 | 180 |
| 15 | Medical and Health Services Manager | Healthcare | $129,660 | Richmond | $129,660 | 1,760 |
| 16 | Computer Network Architect | Technology | $129,210 | Richmond | $129,210 | 870 |
| 17 | Nurse Practitioner | Healthcare | $127,820 | Richmond | $127,820 | 1,440 |
| 18 | Physician Assistant | Healthcare | $126,810 | Richmond | $126,810 | 620 |
| 19 | Information Security Analyst | Technology | $126,230 | Richmond | $126,230 | 1,690 |
| 20 | Data Scientist | Technology | $122,510 | Richmond | $122,510 | 1,050 |
| 21 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $121,670 | Richmond | $121,670 | 420 |
| 22 | Web Designer | Technology | $117,090 | Richmond | $117,090 | 0 |
| 23 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $116,760 | Richmond | $116,760 | 1,160 |
| 24 | Computer Programmer | Technology | $112,690 | Richmond | $112,690 | 310 |
| 25 | Computer Occupations (Other) | Technology | $111,070 | Richmond | $111,070 | 1,280 |
| 26 | Personal Financial Advisor | Finance | $110,910 | Richmond | $110,910 | 1,350 |
| 27 | Operations Research Analyst | Technology | $109,650 | Richmond | $109,650 | 1,020 |
| 28 | General and Operations Manager | Management | $108,670 | Richmond | $108,670 | 15,770 |
| 29 | Engineers (Other) | Engineering | $107,990 | Richmond | $107,990 | 330 |
| 30 | Software Quality Assurance Tester | Technology | $106,300 | Richmond | $106,300 | 720 |
| 31 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $105,550 | Richmond | $105,550 | 740 |
| 32 | Computer Systems Analyst | Technology | $105,190 | Richmond | $105,190 | 2,990 |
| 33 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $104,250 | Richmond | $104,250 | 780 |
| 34 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $104,160 | Richmond | $104,160 | 1,630 |
| 35 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $104,130 | Richmond | $104,130 | 640 |
| 36 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $103,180 | Richmond | $103,180 | 740 |
| 37 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $102,700 | Richmond | $102,700 | 1,300 |
| 38 | Financial Examiner | Finance | $100,540 | Richmond | $100,540 | 510 |
| 39 | Network Architect | Technology | $99,750 | Richmond | $99,750 | 1,660 |
| 40 | Database Architect | Technology | $99,690 | Richmond | $99,690 | 600 |
| 41 | Business Professor (Postsecondary) | Education | $98,170 | Richmond | $98,170 | 400 |
| 42 | Speech-Language Pathologist | Healthcare | $96,080 | Richmond | $96,080 | 770 |
| 43 | Architect | Engineering | $95,860 | Richmond | $95,860 | 410 |
| 44 | Management Analyst | Management | $95,660 | Richmond | $95,660 | 6,340 |
| 45 | Registered Nurse | Healthcare | $93,580 | Richmond | $93,580 | 15,700 |
| 46 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $91,300 | Richmond | $91,300 | 1,680 |
| 47 | Accountant | Finance | $84,220 | Richmond | $84,220 | 7,920 |
| 48 | Market Research Analyst | Management | $81,660 | Richmond | $81,660 | 4,550 |
| 49 | Statistician | Technology | $81,620 | Richmond | $81,620 | 160 |
| 50 | Audiologist | Healthcare | $80,010 | Richmond | $80,010 | 0 |
| 51 | Public Relations Specialist | Creative | $75,730 | Richmond | $75,730 | 1,760 |
| 52 | Writer/Author | Creative | $74,300 | Richmond | $74,300 | 230 |
| 53 | Loan Officer | Finance | $69,610 | Richmond | $69,610 | 1,480 |
| 54 | Graphic Designer | Creative | $66,350 | Richmond | $66,350 | 760 |
| 55 | Computer Network Support Specialist | Technology | $65,460 | Richmond | $65,460 | 610 |
| 56 | Web Developer | Technology | $63,660 | Richmond | $63,660 | 230 |
| 57 | Paralegal | Legal | $62,940 | Richmond | $62,940 | 1,930 |
| 58 | Secondary School Teacher | Education | $62,000 | Richmond | $62,000 | 4,420 |
| 59 | Clinical Laboratory Technologist | Healthcare | $61,830 | Richmond | $61,830 | 0 |
| 60 | Automotive Technician | Trades | $61,510 | Richmond | $61,510 | 2,930 |
| 61 | Plumber | Trades | $61,480 | Richmond | $61,480 | 2,340 |
| 62 | Electrician | Trades | $61,350 | Richmond | $61,350 | 3,600 |
| 63 | Elementary School Teacher | Education | $61,290 | Richmond | $61,290 | 5,270 |
| 64 | Welder | Trades | $57,710 | Richmond | $57,710 | 1,260 |
| 65 | Carpenter | Trades | $51,870 | Richmond | $51,870 | 3,070 |
Why These Roles Pay the Most in Virginia
Virginia's pay distribution reflects its mix of regional employers and industries, plus the local cost of living that affects nominal salary levels in the BLS data.
$Virginia tracks $1 BLS-published metros covering approximately $132,540 workers across the $65 occupations on this page. State-aggregated medians are employment-weighted across metros, which is the right way to read "state pay" when BLS publishes by metro. The Obstetrician/Gynecologist top spot reflects Richmond pulling the upper end of the distribution; smaller metros in Virginia typically pay 10–25% less for the same role.
Metro-by-Metro Detail
For salary data specific to one metro within Virginia, see:
Frequently Asked Questions
The highest paying job in Virginia is Obstetrician/Gynecologist with a state median salary of $224,240. The top-paying metro for this role is Richmond at $224,240 median. The role employs roughly 250 workers across Virginia.
38 of the 65 BLS-tracked occupations in Virginia have a state-aggregated median salary of $100,000 or higher. That places this state in the upper tier nationally for high-paying occupations.
Across 65 BLS-tracked occupations, the average median salary in Virginia is $110,020. The figure is employment-weighted across 1 metros, so larger occupations and larger metros contribute proportionally more. Cost-of-living-adjusted to a national-average baseline, it equates to $107,863.
BLS OEWS publishes wage data by Metropolitan Statistical Area. For Virginia, this page aggregates Richmond. Some non-MSA areas (small towns, rural counties) are excluded from OEWS metro tables but covered in BLS state-level summaries; we use metro-level data to preserve the percentile granularity.
Every wage figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal survey data covering about 1.2 million U.S. employers. State aggregates are computed by employment-weighting metro-level percentile wages across the BLS-tracked metros in Virginia.
State aggregates are employment-weighted across the BLS-tracked metros in Virginia, using OEWS 2025 data.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2026.