WAGE DATA · SOC 47-2152

PIPEFITTER PAY
IN VIRGINIA.

Virginia pipefitters earn a median of $28.64/hr (BLS 2024). 13,190 workers employed statewide. Compare market wages, federal prevailing rates, and per-diem baselines below.

// SWITCH VIEW
ALL 50 STATES · PIPEFITTER
// BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS · STATEWIDEOEWS · MAY 2024
HOURLY MEDIAN
$28.64/hr
MEAN HOURLY
$28.28/hr
ANNUAL MEDIAN
$60K
EMPLOYED
13,190
10th · $19.73MEDIAN · $28.6490th · $36.85
// DAVIS-BACON · FEDERAL PREVAILING WAGE188 ACTIVE WDS

Active Wage Determinations · Virginia

188 active Davis-Bacon Wage Determinations cover Virginia. Each WD sets the legal minimum wage (base + fringe by trade classification) on federally-funded construction in the counties it applies to. Showing the 12 most recently modified — click through for the per-trade rates on sam.gov.

VA20260010 · MOD 1
Building · Southampton, Surry, Brunswick +7
MOD
2026-01-30
VA20260156 · MOD 1
Building · Isle of Wight
MOD
2026-01-30
VA20260157 · MOD 1
Building · James*
MOD
2026-01-30
VA20260159 · MOD 1
Building · Newport News*
MOD
2026-01-30
VA20260016 · MOD 1
Building · Chesapeake*
MOD
2026-01-30
VA20260160 · MOD 1
Building · Norfolk*
MOD
2026-01-30
VA20260161 · MOD 1
Building · Portsmouth*
MOD
2026-01-30
VA20260167 · MOD 1
Building · Virginia Beach*
MOD
2026-01-30
VA20260169 · MOD 1
Building · York
MOD
2026-01-30
VA20260176 · MOD 1
Building · Gloucester, Mathews, Suffolk*
MOD
2026-01-30
VA20260002 · MOD 1
Building · Halifax
MOD
2026-01-30
VA20260001 · MOD 1
Heavy · Bristol*, Buchanan, Dickenson +133
MOD
2026-01-30

Per-trade rates (the actual $/hr for pipefitters by county) are published on the SAM.gov detail page for each WD. Browse all 188 Virginia Wage Determinations on sam.gov. If a contractor on a federal job is paying below the WD, file a WH-3 with DOL WHD.

// GSA PER DIEM · FY 2026GSA

Lodging + M&IE by City

The federal government's per-diem rate is the baseline most contractors use. If your job's per diem is below this, you're subsidizing the contractor.

District of Columbia
Washington DC (also the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax, and the counties of Arlington and Fairfax, in Virginia; and the counties of Montgomery and Prince George's in Maryland)
$326
/day · meals $92
Richmond
City of Richmond
$237
/day · meals $80
Virginia Beach
City of Virginia Beach
$220
/day · meals $74
Wallops Island
Accomack
$219
/day · meals $68
Charlottesville
City of Charlottesville / Albemarle
$216
/day · meals $80
Williamsburg / York
James City / York Counties / City of Williamsburg
$202
/day · meals $80
Loudoun
Loudoun
$195
/day · meals $80
Roanoke
City limits of Roanoke
$193
/day · meals $74
Blacksburg
Montgomery
$190
/day · meals $68
Lynchburg
Campbell / Lynchburg City
$182
/day · meals $68
Standard Rate
Virginia
$178
/day · meals $68
// ROADHAND COMMUNITY DATABE FIRST

What are workers actually earning?

Government data is a baseline. Real take-home pay — including per diem, OT rules, housing allowances — comes from workers on the ground. Submit your pay anonymously to help the next hand.

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OTHER TRADES IN VIRGINIA

ElectricianWelderIronworkerMillwrightBoilermakerCarpenterOperating EngineerPlumberInsulator

PIPEFITTER PAY IN OTHER STATES

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FAQ

How much does a pipefitter earn in Virginia?+
According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2024), pipefitters in Virginia earn a median of $28.64/hr. That's roughly $60K/year for a full-time schedule at straight time.
What's the top pay for pipefitters in Virginia?+
The top 10% of pipefitters in Virginia earn more than $36.85/hr (BLS 2024). That represents experienced workers, supervisors, or those on high-per-diem travel contracts.
How many pipefitters work in Virginia?+
BLS reports 13,190 pipefitters employed in Virginia as of 2024. Numbers fluctuate with major construction cycles — when big projects like LNG terminals or data centers start, demand spikes.
Do pipefitters in Virginia get per diem?+
Per diem is standard on travel contracts. The federal GSA baseline for Virginia is typically $150-$260/day depending on the city. Contractors may set their per diem higher or lower — if it's below the GSA floor, you're subsidizing the contractor's housing budget out of pocket.
What's Davis-Bacon prevailing wage?+
Davis-Bacon rates are the legally-required minimum wages on federally-funded construction projects — base pay plus fringe benefits. Every contractor working a federal job must pay at least the Davis-Bacon rate for that county and trade. Private-sector jobs don't have to match, but many do as a competitive floor.