Skilled Wages

Boilermaker salary in Virginia

Median $32.47 an hour for 150 boilermakers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$32.47/hrMedian hourly wageVirginia, May data
$67,540/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$19.88 – $37.7510th to 90th percentilehourly range
150Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Boilermaker pay in Virginia: the full range

Wage percentiles, VirginiaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrVirginia: 10th $19.88 · 25th $26.15 · median $32.47 · 75th $36.14 · 90th $37.75Virginia$32.47$19.88$37.75United States: 10th $24.28 · 25th $31.13 · median $36.74 · 75th $45.88 · 90th $53.06United States$36.74
Hourly wage percentiles for boilermakers: Virginia vs United States, May 2025.

Virginia ranks 30th of 37 states for median boilermaker pay, and 32nd once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $32.12). 150 boilermakers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$19.88 – $26.15$41,350 – $54,390roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$26.15 – $36.14$54,390 – $75,170the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$36.14 – $37.75$75,170 – $78,520the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Boilermaker pay by metro in Virginia

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrVirginia Beach: $32.86Virginia Beach$32.86
Median hourly wage for boilermakers by metro area in Virginia, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Virginia Beach$23.18$32.86$37.58901% above

Boilermaker wages in Virginia over time

Virginia, 1999-2025VirginiaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$36.74United States$32.47Virginia
Median hourly wage for boilermakers, Virginia vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearVirginia $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$16.95$32.75$18.09570
2000$18.24$34.10$17.80590
2001$18.12$32.94$19.06530
2002$18.32$32.78$20.17490
2003$17.99$31.48$20.79380
2004$17.76$30.27$21.68530
2005$19.53$32.19$23.10570
2006$19.83$31.67$22.58540
2007$22.14$34.38$24.38910
2008$22.33$33.39$25.13630
2009$23.02$34.54$26.97750
2010$21.83$32.23$26.27550
2011$22.56$32.29$27.36510
2012$23.01$32.27$27.19330
2013$24.19$33.43$27.74240
2014$24.61$33.47$28.78290
2015$25.07$34.05$28.90300
2016$26.11$35.02$29.84400
2017$27.22$35.75$29.93380
2018$26.45$33.91$29.88370
2019$26.62$33.52$30.34270
2020$26.20$32.59$31.42310
2021$23.72$28.18$30.91660
2022$24.87$27.36$32.17510
2023$27.98$29.56$34.20280
2024$29.06$29.82$35.26200
2025$32.47$32.47$36.74150

In today's dollars, the median boilermaker wage in Virginia changed by -4.6% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for boilermakers in Virginia

On federally funded construction in Virginia, contractors must pay boilermakers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 58 of the 58 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $66.36 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $32.47.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, VAAccomack: —Albemarle: $66.36 (union)Alleghany: —Amelia: $66.36 (union)Amherst: $66.36 (union)Appomattox: $66.36 (union)Arlington: $66.36 (union)Augusta: $66.36 (union)Bath: —Bedford: $66.36 (union)Bland: —Botetourt: $66.36 (union)Brunswick: —Buchanan: —Buckingham: $66.36 (union)Campbell: $66.36 (union)Caroline: $66.36 (union)Carroll: —Charles City: $66.36 (union)Charlotte: —Chesterfield: $66.36 (union)Clarke: $66.36 (union)Craig: $66.36 (union)Culpeper: $66.36 (union)Cumberland: —Dickenson: —Dinwiddie: $66.36 (union)Essex: —Fairfax: $66.36 (union)Fauquier: $66.36 (union)Floyd: $66.36 (union)Fluvanna: $66.36 (union)Franklin: $66.36 (union)Frederick: $66.36 (union)Giles: $66.36 (union)Gloucester: $66.36 (union)Goochland: $66.36 (union)Grayson: —Greene: $66.36 (union)Greensville: —Halifax: —Hanover: $66.36 (union)Henrico: $66.36 (union)Henry: —Highland: —Isle of Wight: $66.36 (union)James City: $66.36 (union)King and Queen: —King George: —King William: $66.36 (union)Lancaster: —Lee: —Loudoun: $66.36 (union)Louisa: —Lunenburg: —Madison: —Mathews: $66.36 (union)Mecklenburg: —Middlesex: —Montgomery: $66.36 (union)Nelson: $66.36 (union)New Kent: $66.36 (union)Northampton: —Northumberland: —Nottoway: —Orange: —Page: —Patrick: —Pittsylvania: —Powhatan: $66.36 (union)Prince Edward: —Prince George: $66.36 (union)Prince William: $66.36 (union)Pulaski: $66.36 (union)Rappahannock: $66.36 (union)Richmond: —Roanoke: $66.36 (union)Rockbridge: —Rockingham: $66.36 (union)Russell: —Scott: $66.36 (union)Shenandoah: —Smyth: —Southampton: —Spotsylvania: $66.36 (union)Stafford: $66.36 (union)Surry: —Sussex: $66.36 (union)Tazewell: —Warren: $66.36 (union)Washington: $66.36 (union)Westmoreland: —Wise: —Wythe: —York: $66.36 (union)Alexandria: —Bristol: —Buena Vista: —Charlottesville: —Chesapeake: $66.36 (union)Colonial Heights: —Covington: —Danville: —Emporia: —Fairfax: —Falls Church: —Franklin: —Fredericksburg: —Galax: —Hampton: $66.36 (union)Harrisonburg: —Hopewell: —Lexington: —Lynchburg: —Manassas: —Manassas Park: —Martinsville: —Newport News: $66.36 (union)Norfolk: $66.36 (union)Norton: —Petersburg: —Poquoson: —Portsmouth: $66.36 (union)Radford: —Richmond: —Roanoke: —Salem: —Staunton: —Suffolk: $66.36 (union)Virginia Beach: $66.36 (union)Waynesboro: —Williamsburg: —Winchester: —Union / prevailing package, $/hrn/a
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for boilermakers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AlbemarleUnion BOIL0045-003 2025-01-01$38.97$27.39$66.36VA20260011
AmeliaUnion BOIL0045-003 2025-01-01$38.97$27.39$66.36VA20260170
AmherstUnion BOIL0045-003 2025-01-01$38.97$27.39$66.36VA20260171
AppomattoxUnion BOIL0045-003 2025-01-01$38.97$27.39$66.36VA20260012
ArlingtonUnion BOIL0045-003 2025-01-01$38.97$27.39$66.36VA20260013
AugustaUnion BOIL0045-003 2025-01-01$38.97$27.39$66.36VA20260014
BedfordUnion BOIL0045-003 2025-01-01$38.97$27.39$66.36VA20260171
BotetourtUnion BOIL0045-003 2025-01-01$38.97$27.39$66.36VA20260172
BuckinghamUnion BOIL0045-003 2025-01-01$38.97$27.39$66.36VA20260173
CampbellUnion BOIL0045-003 2025-01-01$38.97$27.39$66.36VA20260171
CarolineUnion BOIL0045-003 2025-01-01$38.97$27.39$66.36VA20260015
Charles CityUnion BOIL0045-003 2025-01-01$38.97$27.39$66.36VA20260170
ChesterfieldUnion BOIL0045-003 2025-01-01$38.97$27.39$66.36VA20260017
ClarkeUnion BOIL0045-003 2025-01-01$38.97$27.39$66.36VA20260018
CraigUnion BOIL0045-003 2025-01-01$38.97$27.39$66.36VA20260172

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Virginia prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Virginia?

231.3kConstruction jobsVirginia, 2026-08
-1.4%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026100k150k200k250k300k19901995200020052010201520202025231kAug 2026
Construction employment in Virginia (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Contractor pay by county

Average pay at specialty trade contractors establishments by county (all employees, not just boilermakers), from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.

CountyEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Goochland County666$106,792$2,054
Arlington County336$104,574$2,011
Lexington City4$104,428$2,008
Loudoun County19,752$103,592$1,992
Northumberland County97$101,173$1,946
New Kent County276$92,843$1,785
Manassas City1,620$91,326$1,756
Newport News City3,274$89,428$1,720
Alexandria City1,070$85,539$1,645
Henrico County9,415$84,149$1,618
Fairfax County12,936$83,139$1,599
Louisa County596$83,083$1,598

Keep comparing

Boilermaker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Virginia

Questions this page answers

How much do boilermakers make in Virginia?

The median boilermaker in Virginia earned $32.47 an hour ($67,540 a year) in May 2025, 12% below the national median of $36.74. The middle half earn $26.15–$36.14; the top 10% earn more than $37.75.

Where does Virginia rank for boilermaker pay?

Virginia ranks 30th of 37 states for boilermaker pay, with a median of $32.47 an hour, and 32nd after adjusting for Virginia's cost of living (BEA price parity 101.1, US = 100).

What is the union boilermaker rate in Virginia?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for boilermakers in 58 counties, with a typical package of $66.36 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many boilermakers work in Virginia?

BLS counted 150 boilermakers in Virginia in May 2025, 0.0 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.56; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Virginia and metro areas, SOC 47-2011.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.