Counties in Virginia by wages and salaries paid

Arlington County had the highest wages and salaries paid of 82 counties in 2016, at $17.02 billion. Highland County had the lowest, at $18.15 million. The median was $270.92 million and the figure for Virginia was $231.29 billion. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest17,023.8Arlington County
Lowest18.2Highland County
Median270.982 counties
Virginia231,293.9History

Map of counties, 2016

Accomack County: 589.5 USD millionAmelia County: 97.8 USD millionAmherst County: 343.5 USD millionAppomattox County: 111 USD millionArlington County: 17,023.8 USD millionBath County: 101 USD millionBedford County: 788.6 USD millionBland County: 88.4 USD millionBotetourt County: 446.2 USD millionBrunswick County: 157.8 USD millionBuchanan County: 294.6 USD millionBuckingham County: 140.2 USD millionCaroline County: 247.2 USD millionCharles City County: 79.3 USD millionCharlotte County: 115.5 USD millionChesterfield County: 6,718.2 USD millionClarke County: 185.2 USD millionCraig County: 28.1 USD millionCulpeper County: 707.6 USD millionCumberland County: 50.7 USD millionDickenson County: 138.6 USD millionEssex County: 140.3 USD millionFauquier County: 1,163 USD millionFloyd County: 105.4 USD millionFluvanna County: 182.2 USD millionFranklin County: 541.1 USD millionGiles County: 202.2 USD millionGloucester County: 344.7 USD millionGoochland County: 1,444.8 USD millionGrayson County: 91.7 USD millionGreene County: 144 USD millionHalifax County: 477.3 USD millionHanover County: 2,367.1 USD millionHenrico County: 11,015.9 USD millionHighland County: 18.2 USD millionIsle of Wight County: 529.2 USD millionKing and Queen County: 46 USD millionKing George County: 935.6 USD millionKing William County: 183.3 USD millionLancaster County: 179.1 USD millionLee County: 168.6 USD millionLoudoun County: 10,825.1 USD millionLouisa County: 482.2 USD millionLunenburg County: 99.4 USD millionMadison County: 123.9 USD millionMathews County: 50.3 USD millionMecklenburg County: 430.4 USD millionMiddlesex County: 125.9 USD millionNelson County: 147.1 USD millionNew Kent County: 171.7 USD millionNorthampton County: 173.7 USD millionNorthumberland County: 106.3 USD millionNottoway County: 225.1 USD millionOrange County: 387.7 USD millionPage County: 200.3 USD millionPatrick County: 161.4 USD millionPowhatan County: 314.6 USD millionPrince Edward County: 347 USD millionPulaski County: 531.9 USD millionRappahannock County: 89.4 USD millionRichmond County: 119.8 USD millionRussell County: 310.1 USD millionScott County: 166.5 USD millionShenandoah County: 546.9 USD millionSmyth County: 479.9 USD millionStafford County: 2,336.4 USD millionSurry County: 181.3 USD millionSussex County: 150 USD millionTazewell County: 534.6 USD millionWarren County: 507.7 USD millionWestmoreland County: 120.8 USD millionWythe County: 427.6 USD millionAlexandria city: 7,659.9 USD millionChesapeake city: 4,585 USD millionHampton city: 3,173.9 USD millionNewport News city: 5,665.6 USD millionNorfolk city: 11,052.4 USD millionPortsmouth city: 2,873.6 USD millionRichmond city: 9,762.9 USD millionRoanoke city: 3,458.3 USD millionSuffolk city: 1,540 USD millionVirginia Beach city: 9,476.2 USD million
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 2,400
  • 2,400 and over
  • No data
USD million, 2016. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: BEA, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Arlington County: 17,023.8 USD millionArlington County17,023.8Norfolk city: 11,052.4 USD millionNorfolk city11,052.4Henrico County: 11,015.9 USD millionHenrico County11,015.9Loudoun County: 10,825.1 USD millionLoudoun County10,825.1Richmond city: 9,762.9 USD millionRichmond city9,762.9Virginia Beach city: 9,476.2 USD millionVirginia Beach city9,476.2Alexandria city: 7,659.9 USD millionAlexandria city7,659.9Chesterfield County: 6,718.2 USD millionChesterfield County6,718.2Newport News city: 5,665.6 USD millionNewport News city5,665.6Chesapeake city: 4,585 USD millionChesapeake city4,585Roanoke city: 3,458.3 USD millionRoanoke city3,458.3Hampton city: 3,173.9 USD millionHampton city3,173.9Portsmouth city: 2,873.6 USD millionPortsmouth city2,873.6Hanover County: 2,367.1 USD millionHanover County2,367.1Stafford County: 2,336.4 USD millionStafford County2,336.4Suffolk city: 1,540 USD millionSuffolk city1,540Goochland County: 1,444.8 USD millionGoochland County1,444.8Fauquier County: 1,163 USD millionFauquier County1,163King George County: 935.6 USD millionKing George County935.6Bedford County: 788.6 USD millionBedford County788.6Culpeper County: 707.6 USD millionCulpeper County707.6Accomack County: 589.5 USD millionAccomack County589.5Shenandoah County: 546.9 USD millionShenandoah County546.9Franklin County: 541.1 USD millionFranklin County541.1Tazewell County: 534.6 USD millionTazewell County534.6Pulaski County: 531.9 USD millionPulaski County531.9Isle of Wight County: 529.2 USD millionIsle of Wight County529.2Warren County: 507.7 USD millionWarren County507.7Louisa County: 482.2 USD millionLouisa County482.2Smyth County: 479.9 USD millionSmyth County479.9Halifax County: 477.3 USD millionHalifax County477.3Botetourt County: 446.2 USD millionBotetourt County446.2Mecklenburg County: 430.4 USD millionMecklenburg County430.4Wythe County: 427.6 USD millionWythe County427.6Orange County: 387.7 USD millionOrange County387.7Prince Edward County: 347 USD millionPrince Edward County347Gloucester County: 344.7 USD millionGloucester County344.7Amherst County: 343.5 USD millionAmherst County343.5Powhatan County: 314.6 USD millionPowhatan County314.6Russell County: 310.1 USD millionRussell County310.1Arlington County: 17,023.8 USD millionArlington County17,023.8Norfolk city: 11,052.4 USD millionNorfolk city11,052.4Henrico County: 11,015.9 USD millionHenrico County11,015.9Loudoun County: 10,825.1 USD millionLoudoun County10,825.1Richmond city: 9,762.9 USD millionRichmond city9,762.9Virginia Beach city: 9,476.2 USD millionVirginia Beach city9,476.2Alexandria city: 7,659.9 USD millionAlexandria city7,659.9Chesterfield County: 6,718.2 USD millionChesterfield County6,718.2Newport News city: 5,665.6 USD millionNewport News city5,665.6Chesapeake city: 4,585 USD millionChesapeake city4,585Roanoke city: 3,458.3 USD millionRoanoke city3,458.3Hampton city: 3,173.9 USD millionHampton city3,173.9Portsmouth city: 2,873.6 USD millionPortsmouth city2,873.6Hanover County: 2,367.1 USD millionHanover County2,367.1Stafford County: 2,336.4 USD millionStafford County2,336.4Suffolk city: 1,540 USD millionSuffolk city1,540Goochland County: 1,444.8 USD millionGoochland County1,444.8Fauquier County: 1,163 USD millionFauquier County1,163King George County: 935.6 USD millionKing George County935.6Bedford County: 788.6 USD millionBedford County788.6Culpeper County: 707.6 USD millionCulpeper County707.6Accomack County: 589.5 USD millionAccomack County589.5Shenandoah County: 546.9 USD millionShenandoah County546.9Franklin County: 541.1 USD millionFranklin County541.1Tazewell County: 534.6 USD millionTazewell County534.6Pulaski County: 531.9 USD millionPulaski County531.9Isle of Wight County: 529.2 USD millionIsle of Wight County529.2Warren County: 507.7 USD millionWarren County507.7Louisa County: 482.2 USD millionLouisa County482.2Smyth County: 479.9 USD millionSmyth County479.9Halifax County: 477.3 USD millionHalifax County477.3Botetourt County: 446.2 USD millionBotetourt County446.2Mecklenburg County: 430.4 USD millionMecklenburg County430.4Wythe County: 427.6 USD millionWythe County427.6Orange County: 387.7 USD millionOrange County387.7Prince Edward County: 347 USD millionPrince Edward County347Gloucester County: 344.7 USD millionGloucester County344.7Amherst County: 343.5 USD millionAmherst County343.5Powhatan County: 314.6 USD millionPowhatan County314.6Russell County: 310.1 USD millionRussell County310.1
USD million. Source: BEA, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
USD million
Change on 2015
1Arlington County17,023.8+3.5%
2Norfolk city11,052.4+3.1%
3Henrico County11,015.9+1.7%
4Loudoun County10,825.1+3.2%
5Richmond city9,762.9+2.7%
6Virginia Beach city9,476.2+5.6%
7Alexandria city7,659.9+0.8%
8Chesterfield County6,718.2+3.1%
9Newport News city5,665.6-2.8%
10Chesapeake city4,585+2.3%
11Roanoke city3,458.3+2.4%
12Hampton city3,173.9+1.7%
13Portsmouth city2,873.6+0.7%
14Hanover County2,367.1+3.9%
15Stafford County2,336.4+3.1%
16Suffolk city1,540+2.9%
17Goochland County1,444.8+3.2%
18Fauquier County1,163+4.4%
19King George County935.6+7.1%
20Bedford County788.6+1.3%
21Culpeper County707.6+2.9%
22Accomack County589.5+15%
23Shenandoah County546.9+2.8%
24Franklin County541.1+2.7%
25Tazewell County534.6-4.8%
26Pulaski County531.9-7.3%
27Isle of Wight County529.2+1.8%
28Warren County507.7+0.9%
29Louisa County482.2-2.9%
30Smyth County479.9+3.8%
31Halifax County477.3+2.1%
32Botetourt County446.2+1.7%
33Mecklenburg County430.4+2.3%
34Wythe County427.6+2.5%
35Orange County387.7+7.7%
36Prince Edward County347+4.9%
37Gloucester County344.7+3.8%
38Amherst County343.5-1.5%
39Powhatan County314.6+5.3%
40Russell County310.1+0.5%
41Buchanan County294.6-12%
42Caroline County247.2+3.7%
43Nottoway County225.1-1.1%
44Giles County202.2-1.2%
45Page County200.3+4.8%
46Clarke County185.2+1.5%
47King William County183.3+4.2%
48Fluvanna County182.2-5.2%
49Surry County181.3-14.3%
50Lancaster County179.1+3.4%
51Northampton County173.7-0.9%
52New Kent County171.7+6.2%
53Lee County168.6+2.6%
54Scott County166.5-2.5%
55Patrick County161.4+0.9%
56Brunswick County157.8+3.7%
57Sussex County150-1%
58Nelson County147.1+6.1%
59Greene County144+5.5%
60Essex County140.3+3.9%
61Buckingham County140.2+3.2%
62Dickenson County138.6-10.6%
63Middlesex County125.9+5%
64Madison County123.9+6.3%
65Westmoreland County120.8+5.6%
66Richmond County119.8+4.4%
67Charlotte County115.5+8.2%
68Appomattox County111+4.3%
69Northumberland County106.3+5.7%
70Floyd County105.4+4.5%
71Bath County101+5.4%
72Lunenburg County99.4+3.2%
73Amelia County97.8+0.5%
74Grayson County91.7+4.8%
75Rappahannock County89.4+2.5%
76Bland County88.4+1.4%
77Charles City County79.3+3.7%
78Cumberland County50.7+11.1%
79Mathews County50.3+2.1%
80King and Queen County46+1.5%
81Craig County28.1+4%
82Highland County18.2+4.6%

Other periods

About this ranking

Total wages and salaries paid to employees for jobs located in a place, including tips, bonuses and pay in kind, before deductions, in millions of current US dollars. United States: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional accounts, table SAINC4 line 50 for the nation and states and CAINC4 line 50 for counties.

Counted where the jobs are, not where the workers live, so places with many commuters coming in can pay more in wages than their residents receive in personal income (the District of Columbia does). Excludes employer contributions to pensions, insurance and social security, and the income of the self-employed.

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 Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. 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 Economic Analysis. (2026). CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents (Counties in Virginia by wages and salaries paid, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip

MLA 9

CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in Virginia by wages and salaries paid, 2016. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 5 Feb. 2026, https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/virginia-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. 2026. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Counties in Virginia by wages and salaries paid, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/virginia-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2026) CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in Virginia by wages and salaries paid, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/virginia-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_virginia_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis}},
  title = {{CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in Virginia by wages and salaries paid, 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/virginia-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
TI  - CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in Virginia by wages and salaries paid, 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/05
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/virginia-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/virginia-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Virginia by wages and salaries paid using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"wages_and_salaries","level":"province","within":"Virginia","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=wages_and_salaries&level=province&within=Virginia&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest wages and salaries paid?

Arlington County, with $17.02 billion in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which county has the lowest wages and salaries paid?

Highland County, with $18.15 million 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 Economic Analysis, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Wages and salaries paid: other rankings

Counties in Virginia: more rankings