Counties in Virginia by wages and salaries paid

Arlington County had the highest wages and salaries paid of 82 counties in 2019, at $20.32 billion. Highland County had the lowest, at $18.24 million. The median was $299.82 million and the figure for Virginia was $261.9 billion. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

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Highest20,324.6Arlington County
Lowest18.2Highland County
Median299.882 counties
Virginia261,901.9History

Map of counties, 2019

Accomack County: 796.6 USD millionAmelia County: 109.4 USD millionAmherst County: 347.7 USD millionAppomattox County: 123.4 USD millionArlington County: 20,324.6 USD millionBath County: 103.1 USD millionBedford County: 851.7 USD millionBland County: 100.5 USD millionBotetourt County: 553.2 USD millionBrunswick County: 152.5 USD millionBuchanan County: 360 USD millionBuckingham County: 149.5 USD millionCaroline County: 273.7 USD millionCharles City County: 88.5 USD millionCharlotte County: 114.7 USD millionChesterfield County: 7,530 USD millionClarke County: 201.4 USD millionCraig County: 30.5 USD millionCulpeper County: 797.6 USD millionCumberland County: 50.3 USD millionDickenson County: 157.2 USD millionEssex County: 144 USD millionFauquier County: 1,287.6 USD millionFloyd County: 125.3 USD millionFluvanna County: 207.9 USD millionFranklin County: 604.1 USD millionGiles County: 212.1 USD millionGloucester County: 392.6 USD millionGoochland County: 1,911.1 USD millionGrayson County: 110 USD millionGreene County: 157.9 USD millionHalifax County: 520.7 USD millionHanover County: 2,727.6 USD millionHenrico County: 12,282.1 USD millionHighland County: 18.2 USD millionIsle of Wight County: 537.7 USD millionKing and Queen County: 48.8 USD millionKing George County: 1,065.1 USD millionKing William County: 204.9 USD millionLancaster County: 237.2 USD millionLee County: 165.6 USD millionLoudoun County: 13,124.9 USD millionLouisa County: 539.9 USD millionLunenburg County: 106.9 USD millionMadison County: 131.6 USD millionMathews County: 58.2 USD millionMecklenburg County: 459.9 USD millionMiddlesex County: 137.8 USD millionNelson County: 162.5 USD millionNew Kent County: 229.2 USD millionNorthampton County: 150.7 USD millionNorthumberland County: 101.6 USD millionNottoway County: 247.6 USD millionOrange County: 434.1 USD millionPage County: 222.5 USD millionPatrick County: 159 USD millionPowhatan County: 355.1 USD millionPrince Edward County: 393.5 USD millionPulaski County: 659.1 USD millionRappahannock County: 66.3 USD millionRichmond County: 129.8 USD millionRussell County: 325.9 USD millionScott County: 197 USD millionShenandoah County: 620.6 USD millionSmyth County: 499 USD millionStafford County: 2,832.6 USD millionSurry County: 189.3 USD millionSussex County: 161.7 USD millionTazewell County: 591.1 USD millionWarren County: 591.1 USD millionWestmoreland County: 129.2 USD millionWythe County: 453.5 USD millionAlexandria city: 7,890.6 USD millionChesapeake city: 5,302.3 USD millionHampton city: 3,462.7 USD millionNewport News city: 6,580.5 USD millionNorfolk city: 10,309.5 USD millionPortsmouth city: 3,169.4 USD millionRichmond city: 11,224.9 USD millionRoanoke city: 3,630.4 USD millionSuffolk city: 1,821.9 USD millionVirginia Beach city: 10,347.6 USD million
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USD million, 2019. 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, 2019

Arlington County: 20,324.6 USD millionArlington County20,324.6Loudoun County: 13,124.9 USD millionLoudoun County13,124.9Henrico County: 12,282.1 USD millionHenrico County12,282.1Richmond city: 11,224.9 USD millionRichmond city11,224.9Virginia Beach city: 10,347.6 USD millionVirginia Beach city10,347.6Norfolk city: 10,309.5 USD millionNorfolk city10,309.5Alexandria city: 7,890.6 USD millionAlexandria city7,890.6Chesterfield County: 7,530 USD millionChesterfield County7,530Newport News city: 6,580.5 USD millionNewport News city6,580.5Chesapeake city: 5,302.3 USD millionChesapeake city5,302.3Roanoke city: 3,630.4 USD millionRoanoke city3,630.4Hampton city: 3,462.7 USD millionHampton city3,462.7Portsmouth city: 3,169.4 USD millionPortsmouth city3,169.4Stafford County: 2,832.6 USD millionStafford County2,832.6Hanover County: 2,727.6 USD millionHanover County2,727.6Goochland County: 1,911.1 USD millionGoochland County1,911.1Suffolk city: 1,821.9 USD millionSuffolk city1,821.9Fauquier County: 1,287.6 USD millionFauquier County1,287.6King George County: 1,065.1 USD millionKing George County1,065.1Bedford County: 851.7 USD millionBedford County851.7Culpeper County: 797.6 USD millionCulpeper County797.6Accomack County: 796.6 USD millionAccomack County796.6Pulaski County: 659.1 USD millionPulaski County659.1Shenandoah County: 620.6 USD millionShenandoah County620.6Franklin County: 604.1 USD millionFranklin County604.1Warren County: 591.1 USD millionWarren County591.1Tazewell County: 591.1 USD millionTazewell County591.1Botetourt County: 553.2 USD millionBotetourt County553.2Louisa County: 539.9 USD millionLouisa County539.9Isle of Wight County: 537.7 USD millionIsle of Wight County537.7Halifax County: 520.7 USD millionHalifax County520.7Smyth County: 499 USD millionSmyth County499Mecklenburg County: 459.9 USD millionMecklenburg County459.9Wythe County: 453.5 USD millionWythe County453.5Orange County: 434.1 USD millionOrange County434.1Prince Edward County: 393.5 USD millionPrince Edward County393.5Gloucester County: 392.6 USD millionGloucester County392.6Buchanan County: 360 USD millionBuchanan County360Powhatan County: 355.1 USD millionPowhatan County355.1Amherst County: 347.7 USD millionAmherst County347.7Arlington County: 20,324.6 USD millionArlington County20,324.6Loudoun County: 13,124.9 USD millionLoudoun County13,124.9Henrico County: 12,282.1 USD millionHenrico County12,282.1Richmond city: 11,224.9 USD millionRichmond city11,224.9Virginia Beach city: 10,347.6 USD millionVirginia Beach city10,347.6Norfolk city: 10,309.5 USD millionNorfolk city10,309.5Alexandria city: 7,890.6 USD millionAlexandria city7,890.6Chesterfield County: 7,530 USD millionChesterfield County7,530Newport News city: 6,580.5 USD millionNewport News city6,580.5Chesapeake city: 5,302.3 USD millionChesapeake city5,302.3Roanoke city: 3,630.4 USD millionRoanoke city3,630.4Hampton city: 3,462.7 USD millionHampton city3,462.7Portsmouth city: 3,169.4 USD millionPortsmouth city3,169.4Stafford County: 2,832.6 USD millionStafford County2,832.6Hanover County: 2,727.6 USD millionHanover County2,727.6Goochland County: 1,911.1 USD millionGoochland County1,911.1Suffolk city: 1,821.9 USD millionSuffolk city1,821.9Fauquier County: 1,287.6 USD millionFauquier County1,287.6King George County: 1,065.1 USD millionKing George County1,065.1Bedford County: 851.7 USD millionBedford County851.7Culpeper County: 797.6 USD millionCulpeper County797.6Accomack County: 796.6 USD millionAccomack County796.6Pulaski County: 659.1 USD millionPulaski County659.1Shenandoah County: 620.6 USD millionShenandoah County620.6Franklin County: 604.1 USD millionFranklin County604.1Warren County: 591.1 USD millionWarren County591.1Tazewell County: 591.1 USD millionTazewell County591.1Botetourt County: 553.2 USD millionBotetourt County553.2Louisa County: 539.9 USD millionLouisa County539.9Isle of Wight County: 537.7 USD millionIsle of Wight County537.7Halifax County: 520.7 USD millionHalifax County520.7Smyth County: 499 USD millionSmyth County499Mecklenburg County: 459.9 USD millionMecklenburg County459.9Wythe County: 453.5 USD millionWythe County453.5Orange County: 434.1 USD millionOrange County434.1Prince Edward County: 393.5 USD millionPrince Edward County393.5Gloucester County: 392.6 USD millionGloucester County392.6Buchanan County: 360 USD millionBuchanan County360Powhatan County: 355.1 USD millionPowhatan County355.1Amherst County: 347.7 USD millionAmherst County347.7
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

RankCounties2019
USD million
Change on 2018
1Arlington County20,324.6+6.5%
2Loudoun County13,124.9+5.9%
3Henrico County12,282.1+4.2%
4Richmond city11,224.9+6.2%
5Virginia Beach city10,347.6+4.8%
6Norfolk city10,309.5-1.5%
7Alexandria city7,890.6-0.5%
8Chesterfield County7,530+2%
9Newport News city6,580.5+6.2%
10Chesapeake city5,302.3+4.8%
11Roanoke city3,630.4+2.5%
12Hampton city3,462.7+3.9%
13Portsmouth city3,169.4+6.8%
14Stafford County2,832.6+7.9%
15Hanover County2,727.6+5.8%
16Goochland County1,911.1+11.5%
17Suffolk city1,821.9+8.8%
18Fauquier County1,287.6+2.6%
19King George County1,065.1+5.6%
20Bedford County851.7+2.7%
21Culpeper County797.6+4.8%
22Accomack County796.6+6.9%
23Pulaski County659.1+7.1%
24Shenandoah County620.6+3%
25Franklin County604.1+2.9%
26Warren County591.1+3.7%
27Tazewell County591.1-3%
28Botetourt County553.2+8.3%
29Louisa County539.9-1.7%
30Isle of Wight County537.7-4.6%
31Halifax County520.7+5.2%
32Smyth County499+4%
33Mecklenburg County459.9+2.1%
34Wythe County453.5+2.2%
35Orange County434.1+6.3%
36Prince Edward County393.5+4%
37Gloucester County392.6+4.9%
38Buchanan County360+7.1%
39Powhatan County355.1+9.8%
40Amherst County347.7+0.4%
41Russell County325.9+2.6%
42Caroline County273.7+3.4%
43Nottoway County247.6+5.9%
44Lancaster County237.2+25.6%
45New Kent County229.2+21.8%
46Page County222.5+2.1%
47Giles County212.1+0.3%
48Fluvanna County207.9+5.7%
49King William County204.9+2.9%
50Clarke County201.4+1.8%
51Scott County197+7.5%
52Surry County189.3-12.7%
53Lee County165.6+1.4%
54Nelson County162.5+2.4%
55Sussex County161.7+6.2%
56Patrick County159-2.2%
57Greene County157.9+5.8%
58Dickenson County157.2+7.4%
59Brunswick County152.5+5.8%
60Northampton County150.7+2%
61Buckingham County149.5+5.1%
62Essex County144+2.8%
63Middlesex County137.8-0.5%
64Madison County131.6+6.3%
65Richmond County129.8-2.9%
66Westmoreland County129.2+0.8%
67Floyd County125.3+5.6%
68Appomattox County123.4+2.5%
69Charlotte County114.7+1.8%
70Grayson County110+9.7%
71Amelia County109.4+5.8%
72Lunenburg County106.9+3.5%
73Bath County103.1+5.8%
74Northumberland County101.6-17.9%
75Bland County100.5+2.5%
76Charles City County88.5-1.2%
77Rappahannock County66.3+4.8%
78Mathews County58.2+6.7%
79Cumberland County50.3-1.7%
80King and Queen County48.8-0.3%
81Craig County30.5+4.6%
82Highland County18.2+0.8%

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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/virginia-counties?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_virginia_by_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/virginia-counties?period=2019.
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  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest wages and salaries paid?

Arlington County, with $20.32 billion in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which county has the lowest wages and salaries paid?

Highland County, with $18.24 million in 2019.

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