Average Salaries in Roanoke, VA
Explore salaries across 398 occupations in Roanoke, VA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $58.6K, -4.7% 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: 398 occupations and 144,590 total jobs in Roanoke, VA.
How the metro compares
Wages in Roanoke, VA track close to the national average. Pay for most occupations here is similar to what workers earn nationally.
Roanoke, VA is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Chief Executives. 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 Roanoke, 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 Roanoke, VA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Executives | $230.3K | 130 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $207.0K | 110 |
| Dentists, General | $168.8K | 110 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $159.2K | 220 |
| Financial Managers | $146.2K | 520 |
| Pharmacists | $135.4K | 390 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $134.3K | 140 |
| Marketing Managers | $134.2K | 120 |
| Public Relations Managers | $133.7K | 50 |
| Physician Assistants | $129.8K | 180 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Roanoke, VA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses | 5,970 | $76.0K |
| Retail Salespersons | 4,380 | $29.8K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 3,430 | $27.0K |
| Cashiers | 3,310 | $28.3K |
| Heavy And Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 2,990 | $54.0K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 2,960 | $34.3K |
| General And Operations Managers | 2,910 | $95.9K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 2,900 | $42.3K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2,850 | $44.6K |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers And Fabricators | 2,850 | $43.6K |
What Roanoke, 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 Roanoke, VA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Roanoke, VA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Funeral Attendants | 5.42 | $30.1K |
| Paving, Surfacing, And Tamping Equipment Operators | 4.65 | $46.0K |
| Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Except Sawing | 4.31 | $37.2K |
| Orthotists And Prosthetists | 4.29 | $82.2K |
| Farm And Home Management Educators | 3.74 | $63.0K |
| Forensic Science Technicians | 3.24 | $66.5K |
| Telecommunications Line Installers And Repairers | 3.13 | $80.1K |
| Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, And Hearing Officers | 3.00 | $122.4K |
| Elevator And Escalator Installers And Repairers | 2.94 | $111.8K |
| Extruding And Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 2.91 | $39.3K |
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 Roanoke, 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.