Salary expectations north of Norfolk, Va?

I was wondering if any of you from the Norfolk/North of Norfolk (Newport News, Williamsburg, etc) Virginia could give me an expectation for an entry level engineer's salary? I'm looking to move down to that area and was wondering if there are any major pitfalls or cost of living surprises I should know about. I'm just looking for a general cost of living, taxes, salary overview. Thanks guys!


EDIT: I'm currently living in State College, Pa. Rent is running me 950+utilities for a 3 bedroom apartment. Gas is $3.09.

Private sector entry level (little/no experience, no EIT, no PE) engineers w/degrees are looking like 30k+. Entry level w/little experience but with PE are looking more like 50k+. This is in the Richmond - Williamsburg corridor.

No major surprises in terms of cost of living...about the same as what you pay now. Rent may be somewhat cheaper around these parts. Heating season is not as long but cooling season will make up for it. It's ungodly humid around here.

uh....a PE is a what?....

nerdgineer said:

uh....a PE is a what?....

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Professional Engineer, i.e.: legally licensed

nobody said:

Professional Engineer, i.e.: legally licensed

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A requirement for some engineering jobs a definite plus for a lot. Easier to get right after school if you have a mentor to sponsor you. Can be difficult to maintain if you can not maintain competence in the various sections. My only gripe is there are plenty of guys out there that have been grandfathered from the periodic recertification and they have forgotten everything except for two things that they specialized in.

nobody said:

Private sector entry level (little/no experience, no EIT, no PE) engineers w/degrees are looking like 30k+. Entry level w/little experience but with PE are looking more like 50k+. This is in the Richmond - Williamsburg corridor.

No major surprises in terms of cost of living...about the same as what you pay now. Rent may be somewhat cheaper around these parts. Heating season is not as long but cooling season will make up for it. It's ungodly humid around here.

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Ah, thank you. Those online salary average places always make me wonder how many people REALLY make that cash. They always seem a little high. My only thought about that area of the country is that the cost of living seems slightly 'above average' while the pay seems a little 'below average'. Kind of a double sided vice. Your evaluation of it makes me feel a bit better about my prospects. Thanks!

In the $30k's for a fresh out of college engineer sounds very low to me regardless of where it is in the country. Starting salaries when I graduated in 2001 were about $45-50k for an electrical engineer.

Yes, $30Ks does seem a little low. Starting pay for an EE was low to mid 30s when I graduated in 1985. Heck, I would have made $30K repairing taximeters in 1990 had I finished out the year (laid off end of August).

Yeah there are many different disciplines of engineers. The ones I know about (30 yrs experience in THIS geographical area) are in the building design and construction arenas. Chemical, aerospace and others probably enter the marketplace making A LOT higher. So, bring your bony rear end down here and light this place up.

Not to go into too much detail, but...


Basically I have a job offer at a company near Norfolk. Problem? Away from friends/family. Next problem? My GF isn't sure she'll be able to keep her job if we move. Her work prospects in the short term don't look too good. Now, I think I could earn quite a bit more money (especially in the long term) with this company than I probably could in Pa. They made me, what I feel is, a good offer. The benefits are pretty outstanding for an entry level position.

I am waiting to hear back from a second company, in Pa, this Monday. This is also the deadline for my existing offer. Now, I have no expectation of the second company coming close to the offer from the company in Virginia, but the cost of living is a lot lower, etc. I just feel, overall, it would be a much better career move to go to Virginia and take the offer. Problem is, I don't think this is what my GF wants and will probably make her pretty miserable for a few years until she finds the job she wants. She already changed her life for me once, I feel very bad asking her to do it again when I could maybe take a slightly lower offer and stay in Pa. In addition, because it will be difficult to coordinate 2 jobs, I couldn't simply pick up and leave if I decide this wasn't what I really wanted to do. Complications.

I just feel the potential to learn a lot, make a good amount of money AND advance my career is strong in Va. Plus, you know, the beach

Anyone have any much needed words of wisdom for me?

The short of it is:
-2 completely different companies. Industrial vs Commercial Manufacturing
-Big difference in compensation/benefits, some different in cost of living
-Va vs Pa
-GF happiness
-Pa=family/friends
-Va=career advancement and 'nicer' weather

Uhhh....help? I need some guidance.

I've been in VA all but 3 years of my life and I love it. That said, family, friends and the love of your life pretty much sums up life to me.

VA, like PA, has areas that are very different. Central PA near Amish country is beautiful and laid back, but you wouldn't catch me in Philly for all the tea in China. But that's because I don't like big city stuff. Northern VA is another place that I couldn't live.

What area will you actually be working in? You said north of Norfolk (which is considered west, BTW), which would be across the tunnel in the Newport News / Hampton area from Norfolk. Norfolk is on the same side as VA Beach and is very congested. Travel through the tunnel for a daily commute can be problematic (time consuming).

I don't think that you'll find the cost of living from the Richmond to VA Beach corridor too much more expensive than most areas of PA except for real estate pricing in some areas. Apartment rental shouldn't be a problem at all (very large military population).

The density of technically related jobs in this area is very high (military contracts, manufacturing, etc.). I was a rep for Marshall Electronics about 20 years ago and covered the Richmond and Tidewater area.

I guess it depends on how involved you are with your family and friends and more importantly, what you and your GF expect of each other. It's not a bad drive from VA to PA.

You don't want to be embittered later on for lost career opportunities, nor ruin a relationship over insensitivity to her wants. Sounds like it's time for a serious talk. Let us know and good luck.

Thank you for your words kitelights. Do you have any recommendations for places to live? I was a bit shocked at the housing situation down in that area (Williamsburg to Virginia Beach). It seemed like there was a lot of nice houses, nice cars, but some VERY sketchy areas. Some apartment places were nice, but just down the road was a seemingly unsavory area. Either those problems or the apartment complex wanted $1500 for crap construction. I lived in one of those nice looking, but crap construction places in college, so I can spot them a mile away now.

EDIT: I should add I went down there this past weekend to check the place out... That's where my above observations and worries came from.

Your assessment is correct. It's no different from other areas (good and bad) except that there are more of them. In most areas, you have 'older' sections that give way to never ones, usually headed away from city central. This corridor (long and narrow) developed spots over the years and then went back and filled in.

You'll be able to find good and bad in almost every area. Since you're likely to move after you've gotten accustomed to the area, to start I'd highly recommend locating close to work; at least eliminate the need to travel any of the tunnels daily. The traffic congestion during drive time in the Tidewater area is the 2nd worst in the state and in the top 20 in the nation. Traveling through one of the tunnels during rush area is something that I'd avoid at all costs. It'd be a deal breaker for me. I hate sitting in traffic.