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Legislators in Virginia

Thinking about a career as a Legislators in Virginia? Below are the key facts. Develop, introduce, or enact laws and statutes at the local, tribal, state, or federal level. Includes only workers in elected positions.

What do Legislators Make in Virginia?

For legislators working in Virginia, the median annual wage is $47,730 per year.Pay can range from $24,960 at the 10th percentile to $102,600 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$24,960	n/a
25th percentile	$25,940	n/a
Median (50th)	$47,730	$0.00
75th percentile	$79,420	n/a
90th percentile	$102,600	n/a

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, legislators earn a median of $167,600 per year ($80.58/hour), below the Virginia median.

Employment Outlook

There are roughly 103,736 legislators nationwide.

Top Virginia Metros for Legislators

The metro areas below employ the most legislators in Virginia.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC	30	$34,480

Top States for Legislators Employment

The table below shows the states where the most legislators work.

State	Number Employed
California	2,470
Texas	2,040
New York	1,440
Ohio	1,360
Washington	1,300
Missouri	1,210
Alabama	1,120
Wisconsin	960
Georgia	960
Indiana	950
Florida	810
Pennsylvania	770
West Virginia	750
South Carolina	660
Colorado	530
Idaho	530
Maryland	500
Arkansas	460
Arizona	450
Montana	440

Highest-Paying States for Legislators

The highest-paying states for legislators.

State	Annual Median Salary
Washington	$109,390
New York	$97,050
Hawaii	$74,150
Michigan	$73,110
Colorado	$66,700
Wisconsin	$58,850
Delaware	$58,250
Maryland	$54,430
California	$54,290
Pennsylvania	$51,490

Daily Tasks

Common tasks include:

• Analyze and understand the local and national implications of proposed legislation.
• Appoint nominees to leadership posts, or approve such appointments.
• Confer with colleagues to formulate positions and strategies pertaining to pending issues.
• Debate the merits of proposals and bill amendments during floor sessions, following the appropriate rules of procedure.
• Develop expertise in subject matters related to committee assignments.
• Hear testimony from constituents, representatives of interest groups, board and commission members, and others with an interest in bills or issues under consideration.
• Keep abreast of the issues affecting constituents by making personal visits and phone calls, reading local newspapers, and viewing or listening to local broadcasts.
• Maintain knowledge of relevant national and international current events.
• Make decisions that balance the perspectives of private citizens, public officials, and party leaders.
• Negotiate with colleagues or members of other political parties in order to reconcile differing interests, and to create policies and agreements.
• Prepare drafts of amendments, government policies, laws, rules, regulations, budgets, programs and procedures.
• Read and review concerns of constituents or the general public and determine if governmental action is necessary.

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: Adobe Acrobat, Cisco Webex

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Several college majors map to this occupation:

• Public Administration
• Public Policy

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Related Careers

Other careers like legislators include:

• Treasurers and Controllers
• Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
• Education Administrators, Postsecondary
• Social and Community Service Managers
• Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers
• Labor Relations Specialists

Also Known As

Alderman, Assembly Member, Assembly Person, Assemblyman, Assemblywoman, City Alderman, City Council Member, City Councilman, Congress Member, Congressional Representative, Congressman, Congresswoman, Council Member, Councilman, Councilor.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 11-1031.00