Rigger Salary in Virginia

$31/hr

Virginia rigger employee pay reflects lifting assignments across industries, with separate national sector figures for comparing different construction employment settings.

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What Riggers Earn in Virginia

Virginia rigger employee wages span $23.63–$36.80/hr, or $49,160–$76,540 a year. These figures cover multiple industries, including work outside construction. Premium pay and benefits are excluded. Include health coverage and retirement contributions in your comparison. Ask employers which loads, lifting gear and shifts the offer covers. The experience bands organize wage comparisons. They describe neither a licensing ladder nor automatic increases after a set number of years.

Hourly rates by level in Virginia

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

Apprentice · 0–2 yrs
$23.63–$24.19/hr
▲ 2.38% from last year
Journeyman · 4–8 yrs
$24.19–$34.18/hr
▲ 2.38% from last year
Master · 8+ yrs
$34.18–$36.80/hr
▲ 2.38% 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 Rigger
Virginia · Day Shift
Base rate$29.19
+ The Apprentice School (Newport News Shipbuilding) Apprenticeship (journeyperson)$6.40
+ OSHA 30-Hour Construction$1.33
+ NCCCO Signalperson$0.36
Effective hourly$37.28
Straight · 40 hrs$1,491
Overtime · 8 hrs @ 1.5×$447
Weekly gross$1,938
Annualised · 50 weeks
$96,915
8 OT hrs/week · Virginia

Who pays the most in Virginia

For construction applications in Virginia, compare these national rigger figures alongside the employer's loads, hours and travel expectations when discussing a written employment offer together.

01 / 03$36.15/hr

Utility System Construction

Water, power and communications projects involve different lifting needs. Ask utility employers about load access, crew coordination and moves between sites. Those details help you compare a steady assignment with work spread across locations.

+ Infrastructure work
+ Crew coordination
– Changing sites
– Access restrictions
02 / 03$29.43/hr

Other Specialty Trade Contractors

Site preparation and other specialist construction assignments bring changing load arrangements. Discuss equipment availability and how the employer schedules successive projects. Include expected gaps between assignments when reviewing the stated hours and benefits.

+ Varied assignments
+ Equipment experience
– Project gaps
– Travel demands
03 / 03$25.02/hr

Structural Specialty Contractors

Steel erection within this sector requires coordinated material placement. Ask Virginia contractors how they divide rigging, signaling and connecting duties on site. Match that division of work with the experience you can demonstrate.

+ Steelwork experience
+ Defined sequences
– Elevated work
– Delivery changes

Which states pay riggers 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$41.22/hr
  2. 02Virginiathis page$30.59/hr

What each certification is worth

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
The Apprentice School (Newport News Shipbuilding) Apprenticeship (journeyperson)+$6.40$13,312$00 weeks
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$1.33$2,766$1593 weeks
Fall Protection Competent Person+$0.36$749$14911 weeks
NCCCO Signalperson+$0.36$749$22516 weeks
NCCCO Rigger Level II+$1.42$2,954$1,63929 weeks
NCCCO Rigger Level I+$1.07$2,226$1,75041 weeks

What overtime actually adds

Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $30.59/hr.

40 hr week
$1,224
No OT
50 hr week
$1,682
+$22,942/yr
60 hr week
$2,141
+$45,885/yr
70 hr week
$2,600
+$68,828/yr

Questions workers ask

How long can a rigging apprenticeship keep me on probation?▾
No longer than 25% of the program or one year, whichever is shorter. Virginia Works counts probationary time fully toward completion, and every registered program must raise wages on a written progressive schedule.
Is the general contractor responsible if my rigging subcontractor misses payroll?▾
Yes, for subcontracts signed on or after July 1, 2026, on projects over $500,000 other than single-family homes. Va. Code § 11-4.6 treats the general contractor as your employer for wage-payment purposes when it knew or should have known wages went unpaid.
Does a fixed salary remove overtime rights?▾
No. A salary does not remove overtime for manual construction duties. Covered nonexempt employees receive overtime after 40 hours in a workweek, and Virginia DOLI accepts wage claims and enforces overtime earned from July 1, 2026. Keep weekly hours and earnings statements.

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Current BLS Virginia employee wages for Riggers, SOC 49-9096; cross-industry wages exclude premium pay and benefits.

Last updated October 26, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.