Cost of hiring in Roanoke, VA

Customer Support Specialist is the largest of these 17 jobs in Roanoke, with about 2,760 people¹. Medians run from $34,240 a year for virtual receptionists to $91,170 for project coordinators.

17roles with BLS pay data

14,960people in these roles

+2.3%furthest above the US median: data entry specialist

-19.1%furthest below the US median: executive assistant

Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.

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Median pay by role in Roanoke

From the largest premium over the US median to the largest discount. Linked roles have a detailed page.
Role	Median per year	vs US median	Jobs
Data Entry Specialist	$42,300	+2.3%	70
Customer Support Specialist	$45,500	+1.6%	2,760
Paralegal	$60,060	-4.5%	390
Administrative Assistant	$45,100	-5.1%	1,230
Accountant	$77,240	-7.7%	1,200
Bookkeeper	$46,420	-8.4%	1,230
HR Assistant	$45,870	-9.4%	90
Virtual Receptionist	$34,240	-9.9%	980
Project Coordinator	$91,170	-10.9%	930
Office Manager	$61,800	-11.1%	1,460
Recruiter	$67,450	-11.2%	780
Payroll Specialist	$51,060	-12.4%	140
E-commerce Order Specialist	$38,900	-15.7%	80
Sales Development Representative	$58,930	-15.8%	1,110
Marketing Specialist	$64,340	-18.3%	700
Medical Administrative Assistant	$37,270	-18.9%	1,580
Executive Assistant	$61,990	-19.1%	230

The employer pays more than the wage: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry², so a $45,500 median for customer support specialists, the largest of these jobs here, comes to about $58,710 a year. That is an estimate: benefit levels vary by employer.

Roanoke against the US

Roanoke pays above the US median for 2 of the 17 roles, most of all for data entry specialists (+2.3%) and customer support specialists (+1.6%), and below it for 15, furthest for executive assistants (-19.1%). The middle gap across all 17 is -10.9%: for most of these roles, hiring costs less here than at the US median. Its best national standing is for customer support specialists, #117 of 520 areas by median pay; its lowest is for medical administrative assistants, #443 of 516.

Compared with the US mix of these jobs, Roanoke has more medical administrative assistants (10.6% of these jobs here, against 6.1% nationally), and fewer executive assistants (1.5% against 2.9%) and data entry specialists (0.5% against 0.8%). Metro areas in other states with the closest overall pay level, measured the same way, are listed below; Erie, PA is nearest, at -10.9%.

Area	Middle gap to the US	Roles with data	Jobs in these roles
Greenville, NC	-10.8%	16	7,660
Wilmington, NC	-10.9%	17	19,910
Erie, PA	-10.9%	17	9,750
Roanoke, VA	-10.9% (this area)	17	14,960
Saginaw, MI	-10.9%	17	8,170
Chattanooga, TN-GA	-11.0%	17	28,700

How far pay spreads inside each role

From the 10th to the 90th percentile, marketing specialists in Roanoke span $37,690–$120,650, the widest band (3.2×); medical administrative assistants the narrowest, $35,880–$47,060. Offers cluster nearer the median than nationally for 12 of 17 roles, paralegals most ($44,740–$101,500 across the US). Budget from the median for sales development representatives, marketing specialists, e-commerce order specialists and 4 more roles: a few well-paid jobs lift the average ($68,030 against a $58,930 median for sales development representatives).

Roanoke against Virginia

Against Virginia as a whole, Roanoke pays more for 2 of 17 roles, led by data entry specialists (+8.7%) and customer support specialists (+6.5%), and less for 15, most of all project coordinators (-24.6%). It has the highest median in Virginia for customer support specialists and data entry specialists, and the lowest for HR assistants and medical administrative assistants.

Other areas in Virginia

By jobs in these roles, Roanoke is #3 of 13 areas in Virginia. The table shows the areas closest to it in size, from Richmond to the Northwest Virginia nonmetro area.

Area	Jobs in these roles	Roles with data
Richmond, VA	69,980	17
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, VA-NC	69,270	17
Charlottesville, VA	10,660	17
Southwest Virginia (Nonmetro)	8,930	17
Lynchburg, VA	8,420	17
Southside Virginia (Nonmetro)	7,620	17
Winchester, VA-WV	6,190	16
Harrisonburg, VA	4,890	16
Blacksburg-Christiansburg, VA	4,870	16
Northwest Virginia (Nonmetro)	4,810	15

Questions

Which role costs the most to hire in Roanoke?

Of the 17 roles we track, Project Coordinator: a median of $91,170 a year, about $117,639 with benefits; the lowest is Virtual Receptionist, $34,240.

Is hiring in Roanoke cheaper than the US median?

For 15 of the 17 roles, yes, most of all executive assistants (-19.1%). 2 pay more than the US median, led by data entry specialists (+2.3%).

Sources

2 sources, with links

BLS OEWS May 2025: bls.gov
BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov

How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.