Mechatronics technician salary in Virginia (2026)

How much does a mechatronics technician make in Virginia?

The spread here is wide, which is normal for a small occupation that touches several industries. The bottom 10% of Virginia mechatronics technicians earn around $48,700, while the top 10% clear $105,130. That is more than double from floor to ceiling, and it mostly tracks industry and clearance. A tech maintaining packaging lines earns less than one keeping turbine-machining cells or shipyard automation running.

The middle 50% land between $60,550 and $97,070, so a mid-career tech with a few years in should reasonably expect to be somewhere in the $70,000s. The state mean of $79,180 sits above the median, which tells you a cluster of high earners at the top is pulling the average up. Getting into that top decile usually means specialized controls work, a security clearance, or a lead role at a defense or aerospace site.

The location quotient of 1.39 backs up the pay: with 570 techs employed at 39% above the national concentration, Virginia genuinely uses these skills. Demand is real, it just sits in Hampton Roads and the aerospace corridor rather than being spread evenly across the state.

Virginia mechatronics salary: BLS vs Salary.com vs Indeed

The three sources disagree, and it is worth knowing why before you walk into a pay conversation. BLS reports a $74,880 median because it surveys actual Virginia employers about wages they pay. Salary.com models an average of $59,121 from HR data and job-title matching, which tends to run low for skilled trades. Indeed shows $30.38 an hour, or about $63,190 annualized, pulled from job postings and self-reported pay. That Indeed figure rests on a sample of 19 salaries, which is thin, so treat it as a rough signal rather than a hard number.

When you negotiate, anchor to the BLS median of $74,880. It is the largest and most rigorous sample, it reflects what Virginia employers actually pay, and it is the number a hiring manager is least able to argue down. Use the Indeed and Salary.com figures only to understand why an early offer might come in lower.

Mechatronics technician pay by metro area in Virginia

The two metros tell opposite stories. Richmond posts the higher median at $78,660, but with only about 40 techs employed and a location quotient of 0.66, the job is actually under-represented there. The Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro is the volume center: roughly 180 techs and a location quotient of 2.35, more than double the national concentration, on the back of shipbuilding and defense work in Hampton Roads.

But volume does not mean top pay. The Virginia Beach metro median is $64,700, well below Richmond's. So the pattern is clear: Hampton Roads has the jobs, Richmond pays more per job. Indeed separately pegs Newport News around $58,499, which fits that lower-median Hampton Roads picture. If you want the most openings, look east; if you want the highest median, Richmond edges it despite the thinner market.

Job outlook for mechatronics technicians in Virginia

Virginia's state projection is flat: 420 jobs in the 2024 base year, 420 projected for 2034, a 0% change. That is actually a touch below the national projection of 0.7% growth, so this is not a state adding roles fast. What keeps it viable is churn. The state still projects about 40 openings a year, and against a base of a few hundred techs that is almost entirely turnover and retirements rather than new positions. People retire, move to engineering, or leave for other trades, and those seats need filling.

For the current state outlook and specific employer demand, check the Virginia Workforce Connection. Flat headcount with steady openings means the path in is real, it just runs through backfill roles rather than a hiring boom.

How Virginia compares with nearby states

Inside the South, Virginia's $74,880 median is near the top of the pack. It edges out most neighbors and trails only a tight cluster: Florida at $75,450, Louisiana at $75,410, and Maryland at $75,330 all sit within about $600 of Virginia. It clears Georgia ($68,720), Tennessee ($64,720), and North Carolina ($63,330) by a comfortable margin, so within the region Virginia is one of the better-paying states for this work, and its 570 techs make it one of the larger employers too.

Who hires mechatronics technicians in Virginia

The demand concentrates in defense, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing. Huntington Ingalls (Newport News Shipbuilding) is the giant in Hampton Roads, running automated systems across the largest shipyard in the country. Nearby, Canon Virginia has built printer and cartridge products in Newport News since 1985 with over 2,000 employees and high-speed automated lines, and STIHL runs a facility of more than a million square feet in Virginia Beach making outdoor power equipment.

Outside Hampton Roads, Rolls-Royce Crosspointe in Prince George County machines turbine discs and blades and lists mechatronics and high-tech equipment maintenance among its core production skills, with an apprenticeship run through the regional community college workforce alliance. Volvo Trucks builds heavy and electric trucks at its large Dublin plant in the New River Valley. Between shipbuilding, aerospace, and heavy manufacturing, these are the sites most likely to post electromechanical and mechatronics roles.

How to earn more as a mechatronics technician in Virginia

Stack certifications that matter to defense and aerospace

Virginia's top-paying work sits at shipyards, aerospace plants, and defense sites, and those employers reward specific credentials. A PLC and controls certification, plus training on the automation platforms these plants run, moves you toward the $97,070 upper-quartile band. Our certifications guide walks through which stacks actually raise offers versus which just decorate a resume.

Weigh Richmond's higher median against Hampton Roads volume

The two markets pull in different directions. The Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro has the jobs (about 180 techs, a location quotient of 2.35) but a median of $64,700. Richmond pays a higher median at $78,660 with far fewer openings. If you are early and want reps, Hampton Roads gets you in; once you have experience, the Richmond corridor and the aerospace sites tend to pay the higher medians.

Step up to the controls or engineering track

The gap between the technician median ($74,880) and the top decile ($105,130) is where the controls-engineer path lives. Taking on programming, systems design, and integration work is the clearest route past a technician ceiling. See the controls engineer career guide and the mechatronics salary guide for how that jump maps to pay.

Sources & methodology

Figures on this page come from four independent datasets, retrieved 2026-07-14. Where they disagree, the disagreement is shown rather than averaged away; the source-comparison section explains why each number differs.

• BLS OEWS, SOC 17-3024, May 2025 national and state estimates (state file oesm25st.zip). Employer-reported, the authoritative baseline.
• Salary.com, Mechatronics Technician in Virginia, as of July 1, 2026. HR-reported and modelled averages.
• Indeed, mechatronics technician salaries in Virginia, based on 19 reported salaries. Posting-derived.
• Projections Central, 2024–2034 state occupational projections produced by Virginia's labor market agency (state source).
• Rolls-Royce Crosspointe (Prince George County, VA)
• Canon Virginia expansion, Newport News (Governor of Virginia)
• Advanced Manufacturing (Hampton Roads Alliance)