Question 1

What is the cost of living in Virginia?

Accepted Answer

Virginia's overall price level (BEA Regional Price Parity) is 94.79, where 100 equals the U.S. average. That means everyday goods, services, and housing cost about 5.2% less than the national average. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom is $1,646/month.

Question 2

What is the average salary in Virginia?

Accepted Answer

Across the 100 BLS-tracked occupation categories with published data in Virginia, the average median wage is $166,038. The single highest-paying occupation here is Anesthesiologists at $488,310/year (BLS OEWS).

Question 3

What are the highest-paying jobs in Virginia?

Accepted Answer

Based on BLS OEWS data, the top-paying occupations in Virginia are: 1) Anesthesiologists at $488,310; 2) Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric at $478,710; 3) Cardiologists at $461,450; 4) Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons at $403,430; 5) Radiologists at $376,270. Click any occupation above to see the full wage breakdown (10th to 90th percentile).

Question 4

How much does it cost to rent a 2-bedroom apartment in Virginia?

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a 2-bedroom unit in Virginia is $1,646/month. FMR is the rent level HUD uses to administer housing assistance and reflects the 40th percentile of standard-quality rentals, updated annually.

Question 5

Where does AffordMap's Virginia data come from?

Accepted Answer

Salary figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. Cost of living comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (RPP). Rent comes from HUD Fair Market Rents. All three are federal datasets, updated annually, and free to use. AffordMap pairs them so you can see what a salary actually buys after local costs.

Rank	Occupation	Category	Median salary	Hourly
91	Detectives and Criminal Investigators	Public Safety	$113K	$54.21/hr
92	Artists and Related Workers, All Other	Arts & Media	$112K	$53.62/hr
93	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	Technology	$110K	$52.7/hr
94	Education Administrators, All Other	Management	$109K	$52.32/hr
95	Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers	Construction & Trades	$108K	$52.04/hr
96	Geographers	Science	$108K	$51.93/hr
97	Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	Education	$107K	N/A
98	Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary	Education	$107K	N/A
99	Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers	Engineering	$106K	$51.03/hr
100	Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary	Management	$106K	N/A

Top Paying Jobs in Virginia

Highest paying careers in Virginia

Affordability snapshot: Virginia

Metro areas in Virginia