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Salary Guides / Virginia
Scaffold Competent Person Salary in Virginia
Virginia carpenter wages help scaffold erectors assess offers that include inspection, crew supervision and authority to correct hazards.
What Scaffold Competent Persons Earn in Virginia
Virginia carpenter employee wages span $18.38–$35.70/hr, or $38,230–$74,250 a year. This broader benchmark covers scaffold erectors with competent-person duties, alongside other carpenter work. BLS measures no separate scaffold competent-person occupation or appointment premium. Match offers to the underlying work, inspection coverage and required reporting. Employee figures exclude premium pay and benefits, which need separate discussion. Years worked describe experience without proving competence for assigned systems.
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 scaffold competent persons 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
These national carpenter comparisons cover three building sectors. Ask Virginia employers how scaffold inspection, erection and travel fit the offered role and equipment.
Nonresidential Building Construction
Commercial building crews coordinate scaffold access across trades. Ask how the employer assigns inspection coverage when work continues across shifts. Include handover time in discussions about the hours you will be expected to cover.
Residential Building Construction
Homebuilding and remodeling move scaffold work between properties. Discuss paid moves, equipment transport and who inspects each newly assembled setup. Separate employee wage discussions from transport reimbursement so equipment moves have clear payment terms.
Building Finishing Contractors
Interior finishing puts scaffold platforms near ongoing trade work. Discuss access restrictions, material loads and inspection duties when platforms are altered. Ask who handles repairs and whether inspection responsibility includes directing changes to scaffold components.
Which states pay scaffold competent persons 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EAS Carpenters Technical Centers Apprenticeship (journeyperson) | +$4.43 | $9,214 | $0 | 0 weeks |
| OSHA 30-Hour Construction | +$0.92 | $1,914 | $159 | 5 weeks |
| Supported Scaffold User | +$0.12 | $250 | $35 | 8 weeks |
| Fall Protection Competent Person | +$0.25 | $520 | $149 | 15 weeks |
| Scaffold Competent Person | +$0.15 | $312 | $89 | 15 weeks |
| Suspended Scaffold User (4-hr) | +$0.12 | $250 | $100 | 21 weeks |
What overtime actually adds
Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $26.77/hr.
Questions workers ask
Will a state license raise my competent-person pay?▾
Does an inspection title remove overtime rights?▾
Who else owes my wages if a scaffold subcontractor stops paying?▾
See Open Scaffold Competent Person Jobs in Virginia
Verified positions matching this trade and location.
Current BLS Virginia employee wages for Carpenters, SOC 47-2031; a broader scaffold-erector benchmark, not scaffold-only pay, excluding premium pay and benefits.
Last updated October 26, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.