Average Salaries in Charlottesville, VA
Explore salaries across 354 occupations in Charlottesville, VA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $66.8K, +8.5% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 354 occupations and 98,950 total jobs in Charlottesville, VA.
How the metro compares
Charlottesville, VA pays modestly above the national average. Most occupations here earn more than their national equivalents, but the gap is smaller than in top-tier markets.
Charlottesville, VA is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Nurse Anesthetists. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Charlottesville, VA
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in Charlottesville, VA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $233.0K | 50 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $219.6K | 40 |
| Physicians, All Other | $212.9K | 950 |
| Dentists, General | $203.0K | 100 |
| Physicists | $170.0K | 60 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $163.2K | 400 |
| Marketing Managers | $162.4K | 150 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $162.1K | 100 |
| Financial Managers | $159.7K | 520 |
| Sales Managers | $153.5K | 220 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Charlottesville, VA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 2,860 | $30.1K |
| Registered Nurses | 2,850 | $95.2K |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,610 | $31.2K |
| General And Operations Managers | 2,300 | $102.1K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 2,130 | $38.0K |
| Cashiers | 2,020 | $29.8K |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,920 | $44.1K |
| Nursing Assistants | 1,740 | $38.9K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 1,730 | $27.7K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 1,500 | $35.1K |
What Charlottesville, VA specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Charlottesville, VA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Charlottesville, VA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Social Scientists And Related Workers, All Other | 13.21 | $118.8K |
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 6.22 | $62.0K |
| Foresters | 5.21 | $63.1K |
| Physical Scientists, All Other | 5.19 | $133.5K |
| Biological Technicians | 5.08 | $63.0K |
| Social Science Research Assistants | 4.22 | $50.2K |
| Physicians, All Other | 4.11 | $212.9K |
| Demonstrators And Product Promoters | 4.09 | $37.3K |
| Physicists | 3.96 | $170.0K |
| Bioengineers And Biomedical Engineers | 3.62 | $84.8K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for Charlottesville, VA
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.