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Salary Guides / Virginia
Rigger Salary in Virginia
Virginia rigger employee pay reflects lifting assignments across industries, with separate national sector figures for comparing different construction employment settings.
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.
Where do you stand?
Enter your hourly rate to see how it compares to other riggers in Virginia.
What are you making?
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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.
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
An estimate, not an offer. Overtime is paid at time and a half past forty hours.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What each certification is worth
Sorted by payback speed.
| Certification | Rate bump | Extra / year | Cost | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Apprentice School (Newport News Shipbuilding) Apprenticeship (journeyperson) | +$6.40 | $13,312 | $0 | 0 weeks |
| OSHA 30-Hour Construction | +$1.33 | $2,766 | $159 | 3 weeks |
| Fall Protection Competent Person | +$0.36 | $749 | $149 | 11 weeks |
| NCCCO Signalperson | +$0.36 | $749 | $225 | 16 weeks |
| NCCCO Rigger Level II | +$1.42 | $2,954 | $1,639 | 29 weeks |
| NCCCO Rigger Level I | +$1.07 | $2,226 | $1,750 | 41 weeks |
What overtime actually adds
Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $30.59/hr.
Questions workers ask
How long can a rigging apprenticeship keep me on probation?▾
Is the general contractor responsible if my rigging subcontractor misses payroll?▾
Does a fixed salary remove overtime rights?▾
See Open Rigger Jobs in Virginia
Verified positions matching this trade and location.
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.