Court, Municipal, and License Clerks Salary
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks in Virginia make a median of $45,650 a year, or about $21.95 an hour. The range runs from $40K at the entry level to $61K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.79), which stretches that salary to about $48,159 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,646/month, about 52.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Virginia. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $46K get you in Virginia?
About court, municipal, and license clerks
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What this looks like in Virginia
Court, municipal, and license clerks pay in Virginia tracks closely to the national median, $46K locally vs. $49K nationwide, a 6% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,646/month, which is 53.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.79 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Virginia
Entry-level court, municipal, and license clerks (10th percentile) start around $40K. Mid-career wages sit at $46K. Top earners bring in $61K or more, a $21K spread from bottom to top.
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks salary by metro in Virginia
9 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winchester | $43K | -6% | 60 |
| Roanoke | $43K | -6% | 180 |
| Harrisonburg | $43K | -6% | 60 |
| Lynchburg | $43K | -6% | 120 |
| Richmond | $43K | -7% | 860 |
| Charlottesville | $43K | -7% | 80 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk | $43K | -7% | 950 |
| Staunton-Stuarts Draft | $42K | -7% | 60 |
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford | $42K | -7% | 90 |
Compare to other states
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Virginia numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a court, municipal, and license clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Virginia?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $46K, rent takes 53.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,646/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for court, municipal, and license clerks in Virginia?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new court, municipal, and license clerks typically earn — is $40K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,425/month. At HUD’s $1,646/month FMR, rent would take 68% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is court, municipal, and license clerk a high-paying job in Virginia?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $46K locally vs. $49K nationally, a 6% difference.
How does Virginia compare to the national average for court, municipal, and license clerks?
Virginia pays $46K median vs. the U.S. average of $49K — that’s -6%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.79), the purchasing-power equivalent is $48K — below the national median.
How much do court, municipal, and license clerks make in Virginia?
The median is $45,650 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $40,410, and experienced court, municipal, and license clerks can clear $61,450. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $46K enough to live in Virginia?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,051/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,646/month, which eats 53.9% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a court, municipal, and license clerks salary go in Virginia?
Virginia has a Regional Price Parity of 94.79 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median court, municipal, and license clerks salary is worth about $48,159 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do court, municipal, and license clerks get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.