High paying construction jobs in Virginia with no degree

The best paid construction occupations in Virginia that require no bachelor's degree — a high school diploma, a certificate, or an associate's degree is the typical entry. This is the narrowest cut on the site, so it is also the shortest list: where a field has only two or three such occupations, there is no page at all rather than a page pretending otherwise.

Cost of living: prices in Virginia run 1.1% above the national average (2024), so a Virginia salary is worth about 0.99× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in Virginia.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find construction jobs in Virginia

OccupationMedian, Virginia · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers$78,640
High school diploma or equivalent
$54,340 – $117,50024,970
2Construction and Building Inspectors$75,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,090 – $104,4806,550
3Electricians$62,900
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,780 – $105,72023,630
4Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$60,470
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,970 – $78,05013,780
5Structural Iron and Steel Workers$60,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,040 – $73,8902,300
6Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators$57,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,870 – $78,25012,100
7Insulation Workers, Mechanical$57,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,010 – $63,5001,350
8Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers$55,840
No formal educational credential
$39,040 – $71,3302,480
9Carpenters$55,690
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,230 – $74,25020,460
10Brickmasons and Blockmasons$54,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,360 – $66,2502,350
11Sheet Metal Workers$52,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,440 – $73,6404,520
12Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$50,930
No formal educational credential
$37,420 – $72,6904,020
13Highway Maintenance Workers$50,800
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,540 – $62,8503,400
14Roofers$48,420
No formal educational credential
$38,220 – $66,4202,070
15Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators$48,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,130 – $60,4101,660
16Painters, Construction and Maintenance$47,470
No formal educational credential
$36,400 – $63,3105,930
17Helpers--Electricians$44,530
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,710 – $59,1202,180
18Construction Laborers$43,560
No formal educational credential
$32,900 – $57,11025,830
19Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$38,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$30,860 – $49,5701,640

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianVirginia	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$78,640	$54,340 – $117,500	24,970
2	Construction and Building InspectorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$75,660	$50,090 – $104,480	6,550
3	ElectriciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,900	$40,780 – $105,720	23,630
4	Plumbers, Pipefitters, and SteamfittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,470	$43,970 – $78,050	13,780
5	Structural Iron and Steel WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,260	$47,040 – $73,890	2,300
6	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,160	$40,870 – $78,250	12,100
7	Insulation Workers, MechanicalHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,010	$41,010 – $63,500	1,350
8	Drywall and Ceiling Tile InstallersNo formal educational credential	$55,840	$39,040 – $71,330	2,480
9	CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,690	$38,230 – $74,250	20,460
10	Brickmasons and BlockmasonsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,680	$39,360 – $66,250	2,350
11	Sheet Metal WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,220	$37,440 – $73,640	4,520
12	Cement Masons and Concrete FinishersNo formal educational credential	$50,930	$37,420 – $72,690	4,020
13	Highway Maintenance WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,800	$41,540 – $62,850	3,400
14	RoofersNo formal educational credential	$48,420	$38,220 – $66,420	2,070
15	Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,060	$38,130 – $60,410	1,660
16	Painters, Construction and MaintenanceNo formal educational credential	$47,470	$36,400 – $63,310	5,930
17	Helpers--ElectriciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,530	$33,710 – $59,120	2,180
18	Construction LaborersNo formal educational credential	$43,560	$32,900 – $57,110	25,830
19	Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and SteamfittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,190	$30,860 – $49,570	1,640

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Virginia. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for Virginia

Metro areas in Virginia

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in Virginia

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Virginia to rank honestly.

High paying construction jobs in Virginia with no degree

More for Virginia

Metro areas in Virginia

By field in Virginia

Without a degree

High paying construction jobs in each state with no degree