Excavation Worker Salary in Virginia

$21/hr

Virginia excavation-labor pay ranges, with construction-laborer benchmarks and national sector context for comparing hand digging, backfill preparation and compaction-support offers.

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What Excavation Workers Earn in Virginia

Virginia construction-laborer employee wages span $15.82–$27.46/hr, or $32,900–$57,110 a year. This occupation includes manual excavation and trench labor across construction settings. Equipment operators have a separate wage benchmark. For a ground-crew offer, match the stated rate to hand digging, backfill and compaction duties. Ask how the employer records paid hours when utility clearance interrupts digging. Include required loading and transfers between sites when discussing the hours behind an offer.

Hourly rates by level in Virginia

What each rung of the trade is paid, before overtime and per diem.

Apprentice · 0–2 yrs
$15.82–$17.80/hr
▲ 8.33% from last year
Journeyman · 4–8 yrs
$17.80–$22.86/hr
▲ 8.33% from last year
Master · 8+ yrs
$22.86–$27.46/hr
▲ 8.33% from last year

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Where do you stand?

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$/ hr

Use your base rate, not what you take home after overtime.

You're right around the middle

$28.00 is above roughly 46% of this market. The top quarter starts at $36.00, and the median sits at $29.00.

10th
$18
25th
$23
Median
$29
75th
$36
90th
$45
YOU · $28.00
Your percentile
46th
Among this market
Your annual · 40 hrs
$58,240
Before overtime and per diem
Gap to median
−$2,080
Below the median

Calculate pay with extra credentials

Pick your level, add certifications, select shift — the estimate updates live.

1Your level

2Certifications you hold

3Shift & work type

4Overtime & per diem

Weekly overtime hours8 hrs
Per diem (per day away)$0

An estimate, not an offer. Overtime is paid at time and a half past forty hours.

American RecruitsEstimate
Journeyman Excavation Worker
Virginia · Day Shift
Base rate$20.33
+ West Virginia Laborers' Training Trust Fund / LIUNA Local 980 Apprenticeship (journeyperson)$0.52
+ OSHA 30-Hour Construction$0.65
+ Permit-Required Confined Space Entrant/Attendant (8-hr)$0.17
Effective hourly$21.67
Straight · 40 hrs$867
Overtime · 8 hrs @ 1.5×$260
Weekly gross$1,127
Annualised · 50 weeks
$56,342
8 OT hrs/week · Virginia

Who pays the most in Virginia

These national construction-laborer figures cover road crews, site-preparation specialists and commercial builders. Ask Virginia employers which ground-work duties their current excavation vacancies actually include.

01 / 03$24.08/hr

Highway and Bridge Construction

Road drainage and bridge approaches put excavation labor beside moving traffic. Ask about shift timing, protected access and paid site moves. Discuss how the crew handles drainage work during road reconstruction.

+ Road experience
+ Crew coordination
– Traffic exposure
– Weather delays
02 / 03$22.79/hr

Other Specialty Trade Contractors

Site-preparation contractors handle excavation and grading packages. Ask who supplies tools and how crews move between digging, backfill and compaction assignments. A focused excavation vacancy needs a clear explanation of these tasks.

+ Groundwork focus
+ Varied projects
– Changing sites
– Uneven schedules
03 / 03$24.01/hr

Nonresidential Building Construction

Commercial building crews coordinate footing excavation with later construction stages. Discuss ground-work responsibilities when the excavation phase gives way to building work. Ask whether the next assignment keeps you on the ground crew.

+ Building experience
+ Task variety
– Phase changes
– Shared access

Which states pay excavation workers the most

Median hourly across every state with a published guide for this trade. Cost of living is not netted out — compare take-home, not just the rate.

  1. 01California$28.98/hr
  2. 02Virginiathis page$20.94/hr

What each certification is worth

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
West Virginia Laborers' Training Trust Fund / LIUNA Local 980 Apprenticeship (journeyperson)+$0.52$1,082$00 weeks
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$0.65$1,352$1597 weeks
OSHA 10-Hour Construction+$0.22$458$597 weeks
Permit-Required Confined Space Entrant/Attendant (8-hr)+$0.17$354$15924 weeks
Excavation & Trenching Competent Person+$0.17$354$19529 weeks
OSHA Silica in Construction (29 CFR 1926.1153) Training+$0.02$42$3038 weeks

What overtime actually adds

Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $20.94/hr.

40 hr week
$838
No OT
50 hr week
$1,152
+$15,705/yr
60 hr week
$1,466
+$31,410/yr
70 hr week
$1,780
+$47,115/yr

Questions workers ask

Must I buy my own hard hat for trench work?▾
No. VOSH adopts the federal construction rule requiring employers to provide required protective equipment, such as hard hats, at no cost. You can still be expected to supply everyday work boots and weather gear.
Does moving between Virginia jobsites count toward my paid hours?▾
Yes. Travel between jobsites during the workday counts as working time, while ordinary commuting generally does not. Record yard loading and each site transfer, and raise unpaid hours with Virginia DOLI's wage claim process.
Can a registered laborer apprenticeship raise my pay?▾
Yes. Under Virginia Works rules, an apprenticeship standard must set a progressively increasing wage schedule, and time-based programs require at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning. Ask the sponsor how many hours each raise requires.

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Current BLS Virginia employee wages for Construction Laborers, SOC 47-2061; includes manual excavation and trench labor. Equipment operators excluded. Employee wages exclude premium pay and benefits.

Last updated October 29, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.