Customer Support Specialist salary in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, VA-NC
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake is a lower-cost market for customer support specialists: the median of $38,150 a year1 is 10.7% below the Virginia statewide median of $42,730, and 14.8% below the US median of $44,770. Nationally it ranks #367 of 520 areas. About 10,960 customer support specialists work here.
BLS occupation 43-4051, area Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake against Virginia and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, VA-NC | $30,300 | $38,150 | $57,160 | |
| Virginia | $31,210 | $42,730 | $61,350 | |
| United States | $31,750 | $44,770 | $63,590 |
The middle half of customer support specialists in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake earns $34,860–$46,750. The top tenth earns $57,160 or more, 1.9 times the bottom tenth, close to the US pattern of 2.0 times. The mean ($41,590) is 9% over the median, so a group of high earners pulls the average up; price a typical hire from the median. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $11,890 wide, against $14,000 across Virginia and $14,910 nationally: employers in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake pay within a narrower band.
What to budget for a customer support specialist here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $30,300 | $2,525 | $14.57 | $39,097 |
| 25th percentile | $34,860 | $2,905 | $16.76 | $44,981 |
| Median | $38,150 | $3,179 | $18.34 | $49,226 |
| 75th percentile | $46,750 | $3,896 | $22.48 | $60,323 |
| 90th percentile | $57,160 | $4,763 | $27.48 | $73,755 |
Pay climbs faster above the median than below it here: the 75th percentile is $8,600 over the median, the 25th only $3,290 under it. An offer at the 75th percentile adds about $11,097 a year in employer cost. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $44,770 falls between the median and the 75th percentile in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, and the Virginia statewide median of $42,730 falls there too.
What a hire really costs in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake
Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $11,076 to the $38,150 median and brings it to $49,226 a year. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
Our open customer support specialist roles pay $700–$1,000 a month under a direct contract. The one-time fee is $2,5003 with a 180-day replacement; paying through Deel adds $49 a month4. Change any number below to match your plan.
A local hire here costs about 3.7 times as much as a remote hire in year one at the midpoint of our range. From year two, when the fee drops out, it is 4.6 times the remote figure of $10,788. About the candidates: most apply through our assessment platform with a written and a spoken English task; each profile shows the English level (B1–C2); Silkstaff interviews every shortlisted candidate live, in English, before you meet them.
Other roles in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake
Of the 17 roles we track in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, this one ranks #15 by median pay, between e-commerce order specialists ($42,340) and data entry specialists ($38,030). Project Coordinator is the highest at $104,920.
| Role | Median | vs customer support specialist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Administrative Assistant | +15.5% | 4,970 | |
| E-commerce Order Specialist | +11.0% | 230 | |
| Customer Support Specialist | this role | 10,960 | |
| Data Entry Specialist | -0.3% | 510 | |
| Virtual Receptionist | -7.0% | 4,370 |
Measured against the US median, customer support specialists rank #16 of the 17 roles we track in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake (-14.8%), between executive assistants (-11.7%) and sales development representatives (-19.6%). The typical role here is at -6.7%, so, measured against the US, customer support specialists cost less in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake than the area's general pay level would suggest. Customer support specialists hold 15.8% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, 14.0% across Virginia and 16.4% nationally. That is close to the national mix.
Other areas in Virginia
Across the 13 areas of Virginia with data for this job, the median runs from $35,870 in the Northeast Virginia nonmetro area to $45,500 in Roanoke, a gap of $9,630 a year. No other area in Virginia has as many customer support specialists, and 6 of the other 12 pay less.
| Area | Median | vs Virginia Beach-Chesapeake | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | +8.1% | 450 | |
| Charlottesville, VA | +5.5% | 1,130 | |
| Harrisonburg, VA | +2.5% | 660 | |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, VA-NC | this area | 10,960 | |
| Lynchburg, VA | -1.3% | 1,220 | |
| Northwest Virginia (Nonmetro) | -1.9% | 600 | |
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg, VA | -1.9% | 640 |
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Virginia Beach-Chesapeake is #44 of 520 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job, with pay near the middle of the US range. Outside Virginia, Weirton-Steubenville and Little Rock-North Little Rock pay just above Virginia Beach-Chesapeake and Wilmington and Huntington-Ashland just below. All four are within $90 a year of the median in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake. Of the three markets with about as many customer support specialists, two pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs Virginia Beach-Chesapeake | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento-Roseville, CA | +30.9% | 11,510 | jobs | |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | +23.6% | 10,620 | jobs | |
| Little Rock-North Little Rock, AR | +0.0% | 6,650 | pay | |
| Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | +0.0% | 270 | pay | |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, VA-NC | this area | 10,960 | ||
| Wilmington, NC | -0.1% | 2,850 | pay | |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY | -0.2% | 2,590 | pay | |
| El Paso, TX | -1.3% | 10,680 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a customer support specialist in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, VA-NC?
About $49,226 a year at the median, or $4,102 a month: $38,150 in pay plus about $11,076 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What is the pay range for customer support specialists in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake?
The median was $38,150 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $30,300, the 90th $57,160, and the middle half earned $34,860 to $46,750.
Is Virginia Beach-Chesapeake cheaper than the rest of Virginia for customer support specialists?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $38,150 against $42,730 statewide. The next area up in Virginia is Harrisonburg at $39,100, the next down Lynchburg at $37,670.
How many customer support specialists work in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake?
BLS counts about 10,960 in the May 2025 survey. Only Richmond has more in Virginia.
Does a customer support specialist cost more than a data entry specialist in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake?
Yes: $120 a year more at the median. The medians are $38,150 and $38,030.
What does a remote customer support specialist cost compared with Virginia Beach-Chesapeake?
Our open roles pay $700–$1,000 a month. At the midpoint, with the one-time fee and Deel, year one comes to $13,288, against about $49,226 for a local hire at the median.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-4051: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.