Millwright salary in Virginia
Median $24.73 an hour for 690 millwrights, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.
Millwright pay in Virginia: the full range
Virginia ranks 47th of 48 states for median millwright pay, and 48th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $24.46). 690 millwrights work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.9× what the bottom 10% earn.
| Career stage (approximate) | Hourly | Annual | Where it sits in the distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $20.54 – $22.00 | $42,730 – $45,760 | roughly the 10th to 25th percentile |
| Journeyman | $22.00 – $29.84 | $45,760 – $62,070 | the middle half, around the median |
| Master, foreman or specialist | $29.84 – $39.43 | $62,070 – $82,010 | the 75th to 90th percentile and above |
Where does your pay fall?
Millwright pay by metro in Virginia
| Metro | 10th | Median $/hr | Cost-of-living adjusted | 90th | Jobs | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingsport | $23.01 | $32.00 | $37.04 | $35.85 | 50 | 29% above |
| Washington DC | $24.82 | $26.65 | $24.47 | $39.43 | — | 8% above |
| Virginia Beach | $21.39 | $24.32 | $24.84 | $38.68 | — | 2% below |
| Richmond | $21.89 | $23.50 | $24.00 | $36.23 | 150 | 5% below |
| Lynchburg | $20.59 | $22.00 | $24.61 | $24.17 | 50 | 11% below |
Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).
Millwright wages in Virginia over time
Table
| Year | Virginia $/hr | In 2025 $ | US $/hr | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | $15.81 | $30.55 | $18.76 | 1,390 |
| 2000 | $16.55 | $30.94 | $19.33 | 1,300 |
| 2001 | $17.07 | $31.03 | $20.18 | 1,510 |
| 2002 | $18.26 | $32.68 | $20.19 | 1,530 |
| 2003 | $18.44 | $32.26 | $20.38 | 1,410 |
| 2004 | $20.06 | $34.19 | $21.02 | 1,370 |
| 2005 | $19.80 | $32.64 | $21.53 | 1,170 |
| 2006 | $20.33 | $32.47 | $21.94 | 1,100 |
| 2007 | $19.29 | $29.95 | $22.16 | 1,020 |
| 2008 | $20.14 | $30.12 | $22.87 | 1,050 |
| 2009 | $20.47 | $30.72 | $23.14 | 850 |
| 2010 | $21.15 | $31.23 | $23.25 | 880 |
| 2011 | $22.20 | $31.77 | $23.69 | 660 |
| 2012 | $24.15 | $33.86 | $23.80 | 640 |
| 2013 | $25.83 | $35.70 | $24.05 | 560 |
| 2014 | $26.44 | $35.96 | $24.26 | 540 |
| 2015 | $25.26 | $34.31 | $24.71 | 630 |
| 2016 | $23.49 | $31.51 | $25.21 | 730 |
| 2017 | $23.81 | $31.27 | $25.95 | 710 |
| 2018 | $24.28 | $31.13 | $26.47 | 670 |
| 2019 | $25.26 | $31.81 | $26.71 | 880 |
| 2020 | $26.03 | $32.38 | $27.53 | 910 |
| 2021 | $28.94 | $34.38 | $29.00 | 460 |
| 2022 | $27.51 | $30.26 | $29.29 | 330 |
| 2023 | $26.70 | $28.21 | $30.28 | 630 |
| 2024 | $24.18 | $24.82 | $31.33 | 850 |
| 2025 | $24.73 | $24.73 | $31.59 | 690 |
In today's dollars, the median millwright wage in Virginia changed by -27.9% over the last ten years of data and by -22.3% since 2019.
Are there more millwright jobs in Virginia?
BLS counted 690 millwrights in Virginia in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 28%. With fewer than 3,000 jobs or a wide margin of error, year-to-year changes are within the survey's noise and are not shown as a trend.
Outlook for millwrights in Virginia
Virginia's labor market agency projects the number of millwrights in the state to change by +5.1% between 2024 and 2034, from 740 to 780, with about 60 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +0.9% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 690 counted by the BLS employer survey.
Source: Virginia labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).
Is construction work growing in Virginia?
Keep comparing
Millwright pay in neighbouring states
Other trades in Virginia
More on Virginia
Questions this page answers
How much do millwrights make in Virginia?
The median millwright in Virginia earned $24.73 an hour ($51,430 a year) in May 2025, 22% below the national median of $31.59. The middle half earn $22.00–$29.84; the top 10% earn more than $39.43.
Where does Virginia rank for millwright pay?
Virginia ranks 47th of 48 states for millwright pay, with a median of $24.73 an hour, and 48th after adjusting for Virginia's cost of living (BEA price parity 101.1, US = 100).
What is the union millwright rate in Virginia?
Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a millwright classification for most Virginia counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.
How many millwrights work in Virginia?
BLS counted 690 millwrights in Virginia in May 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.65; 1.0 is the national average concentration).
Is millwright work growing in Virginia?
Virginia's labor market agency projects +5.1% growth for millwrights between 2024 and 2034, from 740 to 780 jobs.
How many millwright openings a year are there in Virginia?
Virginia projects about 60 openings a year for millwrights over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 3,200 a year.
Sources and notes
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Virginia and metro areas, SOC 49-9044. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
- BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
- BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
- SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Not the official determination.
- BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
- State projection: Virginia labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.