How much do elevator installers make in Virginia in 2026?

Elevator installers in Virginia earn a median of $108,250 per year, which works out to roughly $52.04 per hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That puts this trade well above most construction occupations in the state, and it reflects both the technical complexity of the work and the licensing requirements that limit who can do it.

The pay range is wide. The bottom quarter of elevator installers — workers newer to the trade or in lighter-volume markets — earns around $74,880 per year, or about $36.00 per hour. The top quarter clears $125,740 per year, roughly $60.45 per hour. That $50,000 spread between the 25th and 75th percentiles tells you there's real room to move up once you build time and credentials in this trade.

Virginia's elevator work is heavily concentrated in two corridors: Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads metro area. Northern Virginia, which feeds into the broader Washington D.C. construction market, carries some of the heaviest commercial and mixed-use development in the entire Mid-Atlantic. High-rise office buildings, data centers, hospitals, and government facilities all require elevator installation and ongoing modernization work. Workers based in Fairfax, Arlington, or Loudoun counties are regularly exposed to larger, more complex jobs — and that complexity tends to push pay toward the upper end of the range. Hampton Roads has its own steady pipeline from military infrastructure, healthcare expansion, and hotel and residential towers near the waterfront.

Away from those two anchors, markets like Richmond, Charlottesville, and Roanoke are smaller but not slow. Elevator mechanics in those areas may see somewhat less overtime and fewer high-rise projects, which can explain why some workers land closer to the 25th percentile. Still, any licensed elevator installer with solid modernization experience has leverage in those markets because the qualified workforce is thin.

Experience is the single biggest driver of where you fall in this range. New elevator mechanics coming out of a multi-year apprenticeship typically start below the median. After five or more years — especially with exposure to hydraulic systems, traction elevators, escalators, and control modernization — pay moves decisively toward the 75th percentile and above. Mechanics who cross-train on escalators and moving walkways, or who pick up controller and drive system expertise, tend to be in demand across multiple employer types including independent contractors and building management firms.

Overtime is a meaningful income factor in this trade. Elevator installers are often called for weekend work, emergency repairs, and modernization projects that run on tight building-access windows (nights and weekends when a building's occupants aren't present). Those hours typically come with premium pay, but the BLS figures here are based on straight-time equivalent annual wages — they don't fully capture what a busy installer actually takes home once overtime is added. For workers consistently logging 48 to 55 hours a week, total annual compensation can run meaningfully above the $108,250 median.

Licensing matters in Virginia. The state requires elevator mechanics to hold a valid license issued through the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. That credential creates a hard floor on who can legally do this work, which structurally supports wages across the board. Workers who let a license lapse or who haven't yet obtained one will find their opportunities and pay rate limited regardless of their hands-on skills.

Some elevator installers in Virginia work under collective bargaining agreements. If you're covered by one, your base rate, benefit contributions, and overtime rules are set in that contract — check your agreement directly for exact figures rather than relying on state-level averages.

The BLS data here is from the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey. It reflects base wages reported by employers and does not include the value of employer-paid benefits such as health insurance, pension or annuity contributions, or paid time off. For trades workers with strong benefit packages, total compensation can add several dollars per hour to the effective value of the job.

If your current pay is sitting near the 25th percentile, the clearest moves are completing your apprenticeship if still in progress, adding certifications in specific elevator types or control systems, and targeting employers or markets with higher job complexity. Northern Virginia employers in particular are frequently looking for experienced mechanics who can handle modernization of older hydraulic systems and legacy control packages in commercial buildings — that's a skill set that commands top-quarter pay.