Counties in Virginia by average weekly wage (QCEW)

Goochland County had the highest average weekly wage (QCEW) of 133 counties in 2016, at $1,671. Patrick County had the lowest, at $512. The median was $722 and the figure for Virginia was $1,055. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest1,671Goochland County
Median722133 counties
Virginia1,055History

Map of counties, 2016

Accomack County: 691 USDAlbemarle County: 1,003 USDAlleghany County: 658 USDAmelia County: 665 USDAmherst County: 685 USDAppomattox County: 546 USDArlington County: 1,653 USDAugusta County: 806 USDBath County: 735 USDBedford County: 699 USDBland County: 802 USDBotetourt County: 741 USDBrunswick County: 659 USDBuchanan County: 796 USDBuckingham County: 696 USDCampbell County: 849 USDCaroline County: 724 USDCarroll County: 582 USDCharles City County: 798 USDCharlotte County: 660 USDChesterfield County: 863 USDClarke County: 821 USDCraig County: 660 USDCulpeper County: 788 USDCumberland County: 619 USDDickenson County: 715 USDDinwiddie County: 759 USDEssex County: 623 USDFairfax County: 1,567 USDFauquier County: 904 USDFloyd County: 560 USDFluvanna County: 735 USDFranklin County: 623 USDFrederick County: 814 USDGiles County: 738 USDGloucester County: 630 USDGoochland County: 1,671 USDGrayson County: 575 USDGreene County: 657 USDGreensville County: 725 USDHalifax County: 679 USDHanover County: 798 USDHenrico County: 996 USDHenry County: 615 USDHighland County: 582 USDIsle of Wight County: 819 USDJames City County: 723 USDKing and Queen County: 722 USDKing George County: 1,403 USDKing William County: 827 USDLancaster County: 677 USDLee County: 627 USDLoudoun County: 1,178 USDLouisa County: 919 USDLunenburg County: 632 USDMadison County: 682 USDMathews County: 532 USDMecklenburg County: 636 USDMiddlesex County: 642 USDMontgomery County: 806 USDNelson County: 628 USDNew Kent County: 701 USDNorthampton County: 609 USDNorthumberland County: 727 USDNottoway County: 655 USDOrange County: 687 USDPage County: 586 USDPatrick County: 512 USDPittsylvania County: 630 USDPowhatan County: 752 USDPrince Edward County: 659 USDPrince George County: 970 USDPrince William County: 886 USDPulaski County: 702 USDRappahannock County: 995 USDRichmond County: 709 USDRoanoke County: 771 USDRockbridge County: 592 USDRockingham County: 806 USDRussell County: 736 USDScott County: 601 USDShenandoah County: 670 USDSmyth County: 653 USDSouthampton County: 652 USDSpotsylvania County: 727 USDStafford County: 941 USDSurry County: 1,393 USDSussex County: 695 USDTazewell County: 620 USDWarren County: 718 USDWashington County: 681 USDWestmoreland County: 578 USDWise County: 647 USDWythe County: 628 USDYork County: 721 USDAlexandria city: 1,423 USDBristol city: 708 USDBuena Vista city: 657 USDCharlottesville city: 989 USDChesapeake city: 791 USDColonial Heights city: 592 USDCovington city: 943 USDDanville city: 677 USDEmporia city: 582 USDFairfax city: 1,045 USDFalls Church city: 1,267 USDFranklin city: 577 USDFredericksburg city: 812 USDGalax city: 565 USDHampton city: 870 USDHarrisonburg city: 682 USDHopewell city: 1,039 USDLexington city: 782 USDLynchburg city: 808 USDManassas city: 1,155 USDManassas Park city: 871 USDMartinsville city: 654 USDNewport News city: 984 USDNorfolk city: 1,015 USDNorton city: 699 USDPetersburg city: 743 USDPoquoson city: 598 USDPortsmouth city: 979 USDRadford city: 824 USDRichmond city: 1,122 USDRoanoke city: 872 USDSalem city: 904 USDStaunton city: 655 USDSuffolk city: 889 USDVirginia Beach city: 789 USDWaynesboro city: 704 USDWilliamsburg city: 762 USDWinchester city: 900 USD
  • Under 630
  • 630 to 670
  • 670 to 720
  • 720 to 800
  • 800 to 920
  • 920 and over
USD, 2016. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Goochland County: 1,671 USDGoochland County1,671Arlington County: 1,653 USDArlington County1,653Fairfax County: 1,567 USDFairfax County1,567Alexandria city: 1,423 USDAlexandria city1,423King George County: 1,403 USDKing George County1,403Surry County: 1,393 USDSurry County1,393Falls Church city: 1,267 USDFalls Church city1,267Loudoun County: 1,178 USDLoudoun County1,178Manassas city: 1,155 USDManassas city1,155Richmond city: 1,122 USDRichmond city1,122Fairfax city: 1,045 USDFairfax city1,045Hopewell city: 1,039 USDHopewell city1,039Norfolk city: 1,015 USDNorfolk city1,015Albemarle County: 1,003 USDAlbemarle County1,003Henrico County: 996 USDHenrico County996Rappahannock County: 995 USDRappahannock County995Charlottesville city: 989 USDCharlottesville city989Newport News city: 984 USDNewport News city984Portsmouth city: 979 USDPortsmouth city979Prince George County: 970 USDPrince George County970Covington city: 943 USDCovington city943Stafford County: 941 USDStafford County941Louisa County: 919 USDLouisa County919Fauquier County: 904 USDFauquier County904Salem city: 904 USDSalem city904Winchester city: 900 USDWinchester city900Suffolk city: 889 USDSuffolk city889Prince William County: 886 USDPrince William County886Roanoke city: 872 USDRoanoke city872Manassas Park city: 871 USDManassas Park city871Hampton city: 870 USDHampton city870Chesterfield County: 863 USDChesterfield County863Campbell County: 849 USDCampbell County849King William County: 827 USDKing William County827Radford city: 824 USDRadford city824Clarke County: 821 USDClarke County821Isle of Wight County: 819 USDIsle of Wight County819Frederick County: 814 USDFrederick County814Fredericksburg city: 812 USDFredericksburg city812Lynchburg city: 808 USDLynchburg city808Goochland County: 1,671 USDGoochland County1,671Arlington County: 1,653 USDArlington County1,653Fairfax County: 1,567 USDFairfax County1,567Alexandria city: 1,423 USDAlexandria city1,423King George County: 1,403 USDKing George County1,403Surry County: 1,393 USDSurry County1,393Falls Church city: 1,267 USDFalls Church city1,267Loudoun County: 1,178 USDLoudoun County1,178Manassas city: 1,155 USDManassas city1,155Richmond city: 1,122 USDRichmond city1,122Fairfax city: 1,045 USDFairfax city1,045Hopewell city: 1,039 USDHopewell city1,039Norfolk city: 1,015 USDNorfolk city1,015Albemarle County: 1,003 USDAlbemarle County1,003Henrico County: 996 USDHenrico County996Rappahannock County: 995 USDRappahannock County995Charlottesville city: 989 USDCharlottesville city989Newport News city: 984 USDNewport News city984Portsmouth city: 979 USDPortsmouth city979Prince George County: 970 USDPrince George County970Covington city: 943 USDCovington city943Stafford County: 941 USDStafford County941Louisa County: 919 USDLouisa County919Fauquier County: 904 USDFauquier County904Salem city: 904 USDSalem city904Winchester city: 900 USDWinchester city900Suffolk city: 889 USDSuffolk city889Prince William County: 886 USDPrince William County886Roanoke city: 872 USDRoanoke city872Manassas Park city: 871 USDManassas Park city871Hampton city: 870 USDHampton city870Chesterfield County: 863 USDChesterfield County863Campbell County: 849 USDCampbell County849King William County: 827 USDKing William County827Radford city: 824 USDRadford city824Clarke County: 821 USDClarke County821Isle of Wight County: 819 USDIsle of Wight County819Frederick County: 814 USDFrederick County814Fredericksburg city: 812 USDFredericksburg city812Lynchburg city: 808 USDLynchburg city808
USD. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
USD
Change on 2015
1Goochland County1,671+0.7%
2Arlington County1,653+1%
3Fairfax County1,567+0.6%
4Alexandria city1,423+2.2%
5King George County1,403+0.4%
6Surry County1,393-8.5%
7Falls Church city1,267+4.9%
8Loudoun County1,1780%
9Manassas city1,155+0.3%
10Richmond city1,122+0.1%
11Fairfax city1,045+1.3%
12Hopewell city1,039+4.1%
13Norfolk city1,015+0.7%
14Albemarle County1,003+0.8%
15Henrico County996+0.5%
16Rappahannock County995-3.5%
17Charlottesville city989+0.1%
18Newport News city984+0.2%
19Portsmouth city979+0.8%
20Prince George County970+2%
21Covington city943+0.5%
22Stafford County941+1.1%
23Louisa County919+0.3%
24Fauquier County904+2%
24Salem city904-0.4%
26Winchester city900+2.2%
27Suffolk city889-1.7%
28Prince William County886+2.4%
29Roanoke city872+2.2%
30Manassas Park city871+2%
31Hampton city870+0.7%
32Chesterfield County863+0.9%
33Campbell County849+2.8%
34King William County827-0.7%
35Radford city824+1.1%
36Clarke County821-1.6%
37Isle of Wight County819+1.2%
38Frederick County814+1.6%
39Fredericksburg city812+0.5%
40Lynchburg city808+0.9%
41Augusta County806+0.8%
41Montgomery County806+2.3%
41Rockingham County806+0.9%
44Bland County802+0.8%
45Charles City County798+2.8%
45Hanover County798+2.6%
47Buchanan County796-7.4%
48Chesapeake city791+0.9%
49Virginia Beach city789+0.8%
50Culpeper County788+3.7%
51Lexington city782+2.1%
52Roanoke County771+2%
53Williamsburg city762+4.8%
54Dinwiddie County759+3.5%
55Powhatan County752+2.7%
56Petersburg city743-0.3%
57Botetourt County741+0.3%
58Giles County738-0.1%
59Russell County736+1.5%
60Bath County735+6.1%
60Fluvanna County735+0.5%
62Northumberland County727+2.3%
62Spotsylvania County727-1%
64Greensville County725+2.1%
65Caroline County724+1.8%
66James City County723+5.5%
67King and Queen County722+2.1%
68York County721-2.8%
69Warren County718+0.6%
70Dickenson County715-4.3%
71Richmond County709+1.7%
72Bristol city708+0.1%
73Waynesboro city704+3.2%
74Pulaski County702-2.1%
75New Kent County701+2.6%
76Bedford County699+1.9%
76Norton city699-3.1%
78Buckingham County696+1.5%
79Sussex County695+0.3%
80Accomack County691+1.6%
81Orange County687+1.6%
82Amherst County685+8.4%
83Harrisonburg city682-1.7%
83Madison County682+6.7%
85Washington County681-1.6%
86Halifax County679+2.9%
87Danville city677+1.8%
87Lancaster County677+2.6%
89Shenandoah County670+3.9%
90Amelia County665-3.6%
91Charlotte County660+4.8%
91Craig County660+0.8%
93Brunswick County659+3.3%
93Prince Edward County659+1.9%
95Alleghany County658+1.9%
96Buena Vista city657+2.7%
96Greene County657+2.7%
98Nottoway County655+2.2%
98Staunton city655+3.3%
100Martinsville city654+4%
101Smyth County653-0.8%
102Southampton County652+3.8%
103Wise County647-0.9%
104Middlesex County642+2.6%
105Mecklenburg County636+3.4%
106Lunenburg County632+1.4%
107Gloucester County630+3.4%
107Pittsylvania County630+3.1%
109Nelson County628-6.3%
109Wythe County628+1.5%
111Lee County627+2.8%
112Essex County623+2%
112Franklin County623+2%
114Tazewell County620-0.6%
115Cumberland County619+8%
116Henry County615+1.5%
117Northampton County6090%
118Scott County601+0.3%
119Poquoson city598-1.2%
120Colonial Heights city592+3.9%
120Rockbridge County592-1.2%
122Page County586+3.4%
123Carroll County582+2.5%
123Emporia city582+3.7%
123Highland County582+6.8%
126Westmoreland County578+3.4%
127Franklin city577-3.7%
128Grayson County575+0.2%
129Galax city565-0.5%
130Floyd County560+0.5%
131Appomattox County546+0.7%
132Mathews County532+0.6%
133Patrick County512-1.9%

Other periods

About this ranking

Total wages paid during the year divided by the average number of covered jobs and by 52, in US dollars, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

In current dollars, not adjusted for inflation. An average per job, so part-time jobs pull it down and high earners pull it up; for the typical job use median_annual_wage. Wages include bonuses, stock options exercised, severance pay and tips, which makes counties with corporate headquarters stand out. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Virginia by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Virginia by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/virginia-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Virginia by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/virginia-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Virginia by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/virginia-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_virginia_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Virginia by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/virginia-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Virginia by average weekly wage (QCEW), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/virginia-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-weekly-wage/virginia-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest average weekly wage (QCEW)?

Goochland County, with $1,671 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest average weekly wage (QCEW)?

Patrick County, with $512 in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average weekly wage, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Average weekly wage (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Virginia: more rankings