Skilled Wages

Millwright salary in West Virginia

Median $32.34 an hour for 330 millwrights, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$32.34/hrMedian hourly wageWest Virginia, May data
$67,270/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$23.62 – $39.8610th to 90th percentilehourly range
330Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-13

Millwright pay in West Virginia: the full range

Wage percentiles, West VirginiaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$20$30$40$50/hrWest Virginia: 10th $23.62 · 25th $28.27 · median $32.34 · 75th $32.97 · 90th $39.86West Virginia$32.34$23.62$39.86United States: 10th $22.25 · 25th $27.11 · median $31.59 · 75th $39.18 · 90th $45.00United States$31.59
Hourly wage percentiles for millwrights: West Virginia vs United States, May 2025.

West Virginia ranks 19th of 48 states for median millwright pay, and 11th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $36.13). 330 millwrights work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.7× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$23.62 – $28.27$49,120 – $58,800roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$28.27 – $32.97$58,800 – $68,570the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$32.97 – $39.86$68,570 – $82,910the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Millwright pay by metro in West Virginia

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrHuntington: $29.27Huntington$29.27Washington DC: $26.65Washington DC$26.65
Median hourly wage for millwrights by metro area in West Virginia, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Huntington$28.27$29.27$33.11$38.161309% below
Washington DC$24.82$26.65$24.47$39.43—18% below

Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).

Millwright wages in West Virginia over time

West Virginia, 1999-2025West VirginiaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$32.34West Virginia$31.59United States
Median hourly wage for millwrights, West Virginia vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearWest Virginia $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$17.46$33.74$18.76310
2000$15.60$29.17$19.33200
2001$17.59$31.98$20.18440
2002$17.33$31.01$20.19420
2003$17.61$30.81$20.38280
2004$19.23$32.77$21.02380
2005$18.87$31.11$21.53—
2006$18.18$29.03$21.94300
2007$17.58$27.30$22.16520
2008$17.61$26.33$22.87420
2009$20.10$30.16$23.14590
2010$21.77$32.14$23.25270
2011$21.86$31.29$23.69330
2012$18.96$26.59$23.80100
2013$20.32$28.08$24.05110
2014$21.66$29.46$24.26150
2015$21.63$29.38$24.71210
2016$22.06$29.59$25.21230
2017$23.35$30.67$25.95250
2018$25.85$33.14$26.47280
2019$22.29$28.07$26.71530
2020$23.68$29.46$27.53660
2021$29.20$34.69$29.00470
2022$28.78$31.66$29.29710
2023$30.24$31.95$30.28560
2024$32.13$32.98$31.33440
2025$32.34$32.34$31.59330

In today's dollars, the median millwright wage in West Virginia changed by +10.1% over the last ten years of data and by +15.2% since 2019.

Are there more millwright jobs in West Virginia?

0.5Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 1.8× the US share, 15th of 47 states

BLS counted 330 millwrights in West Virginia in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 15%. 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 West Virginia

-5.7%Projected growth in West Virginia2024–2034, state agency
30Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
350Jobs in 2024330 projected for 2034
+0.9%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

West Virginia's labor market agency projects the number of millwrights in the state to change by -5.7% between 2024 and 2034, from 350 to 330, with about 30 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +0.9% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 330 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: West Virginia labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections.

Union scale and prevailing wage for millwrights in West Virginia

On federally funded construction in West Virginia, contractors must pay millwrights at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 50 of the 50 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $63.46 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $32.34.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, WVBarbour: $63.46 (union)Berkeley: $63.46 (union)Boone: n/aBraxton: $63.46 (union)Brooke: $63.46 (union)Cabell: n/aCalhoun: $63.46 (union)Clay: n/aDoddridge: $63.46 (union)Fayette: $63.46 (union)Gilmer: $63.46 (union)Grant: $63.46 (union)Greenbrier: $63.46 (union)Hampshire: $63.46 (union)Hancock: $63.46 (union)Hardy: $63.46 (union)Harrison: $63.46 (union)Jackson: $63.46 (union)Jefferson: $63.46 (union)Kanawha: $63.46 (union)Lewis: $63.46 (union)Lincoln: $63.46 (union)Logan: $63.46 (union)McDowell: $63.46 (union)Marion: $63.46 (union)Marshall: $63.46 (union)Mason: $63.46 (union)Mercer: $63.46 (union)Mineral: $63.46 (union)Mingo: $63.46 (union)Monongalia: $63.46 (union)Monroe: $63.46 (union)Morgan: $63.46 (union)Nicholas: $63.46 (union)Ohio: $63.46 (union)Pendleton: $63.46 (union)Pleasants: $63.46 (union)Pocahontas: $63.46 (union)Preston: $63.46 (union)Putnam: $63.46 (union)Raleigh: $63.46 (union)Randolph: $63.46 (union)Ritchie: $63.46 (union)Roane: $63.46 (union)Summers: n/aTaylor: $63.46 (union)Tucker: $63.46 (union)Tyler: $63.46 (union)Upshur: $63.46 (union)Wayne: n/aWebster: $63.46 (union)Wetzel: $63.46 (union)Wirt: $63.46 (union)Wood: $63.46 (union)Wyoming: $63.46 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hrn/a
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for millwrights by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (union)$20$40$60$80/hrJefferson (Washington DC): market median $26.65, prevailing (union) $63.46, gap +$36.81Jefferson (Washington DC)+$36.81Putnam (Huntington): market median $29.27, prevailing (union) $63.46, gap +$34.19Putnam (Huntington)+$34.19Berkeley (West Virginia): market median $32.34, prevailing (union) $63.46, gap +$31.12Berkeley (West Virginia)+$31.12
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for millwrights, metro counties in West Virginia.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
BarbourUnion CARP0443-009 2023-06-01$37.40$26.06$63.46WV20260033
BerkeleyUnion CARP0443-009 2023-06-01$37.40$26.06$63.46WV20260034
BraxtonUnion CARP0443-009 2023-06-01$37.40$26.06$63.46WV20260004
BrookeUnion CARP0443-009 2023-06-01$37.40$26.06$63.46WV20260050
CalhounUnion CARP0443-009 2023-06-01$37.40$26.06$63.46WV20260033
DoddridgeUnion CARP0443-009 2023-06-01$37.40$26.06$63.46WV20260005
FayetteUnion CARP0443-009 2023-06-01$37.40$26.06$63.46WV20260006
GilmerUnion CARP0443-009 2023-06-01$37.40$26.06$63.46WV20260007
GrantUnion CARP0443-009 2023-06-01$37.40$26.06$63.46WV20260008
GreenbrierUnion CARP0443-009 2023-06-01$37.40$26.06$63.46WV20260009
HampshireUnion CARP0443-009 2023-06-01$37.40$26.06$63.46WV20260036
HancockUnion CARP0443-009 2023-06-01$37.40$26.06$63.46WV20260050
HardyUnion CARP0443-009 2023-06-01$37.40$26.06$63.46WV20260010
HarrisonUnion CARP0443-009 2023-06-01$37.40$26.06$63.46WV20260011
JacksonUnion CARP0443-009 2023-06-01$37.40$26.06$63.46WV20260012

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the West Virginia prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in West Virginia?

35.2kConstruction jobsWest Virginia, 2026-09
-5.1%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202620k30k40k50k60k1990199520002005201020152020202535kSep 2026
Construction employment in West Virginia (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Millwright pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in West Virginia

More on West Virginia

Questions this page answers

How much do millwrights make in West Virginia?

The median millwright in West Virginia earned $32.34 an hour ($67,270 a year) in May 2025, 2% above the national median of $31.59. The middle half earn $28.27–$32.97; the top 10% earn more than $39.86.

Where does West Virginia rank for millwright pay?

West Virginia ranks 19th of 48 states for millwright pay, with a median of $32.34 an hour, and 11th after adjusting for West Virginia's cost of living (BEA price parity 89.5, US = 100).

What is the union millwright rate in West Virginia?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for millwrights in 50 counties, with a typical package of $63.46 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many millwrights work in West Virginia?

BLS counted 330 millwrights in West Virginia in May 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.80; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is millwright work growing in West Virginia?

West Virginia's labor market agency projects -5.7% growth for millwrights between 2024 and 2034, from 350 to 330 jobs.

How many millwright openings a year are there in West Virginia?

West Virginia projects about 30 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, West 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: West Virginia labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.