Virginia Electrical Workers Comp Rates (2026)

Virginia does not publish its electrical class figures online. Across the 26 states that do, the median typical premium is about $1.90 per $100 of payroll. Ask a carrier or the state's rating bureau for the current Virginia figure.

No official Virginia figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.

Virginia class code for electrical

5190: Electrical Wiring - Within Buildings
7538 (Electric Light or Power Line Construction & Drivers)

Electrical work carries shock, arc flash and fall hazards. Outside power line construction is a separate class, 7538.

What comp costs per electrician in Virginia

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 23,630 electricians on payrolls in Virginia (May 2025), the 6th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $30.24 an hour, in line with the US median of $30.38.

Electricians make up about the same share of Virginia jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.18).

At the US median of $1.90 per $100 of payroll (Virginia does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.57 for every hour worked, or $1,195 a year full time. A 2-person crew comes to roughly $2,390 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Virginia pay runs from $19.61 an hour at the 10th percentile to $50.83 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.37 an hour on a new hire and $0.97 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Virginia

Coverage required: 3+ employees (subcontractor employees count toward the total)
Owners and sole proprietors: No waivers for sole proprietors; officers and working LLC managers count as employees
State fund: Private market (no state fund)
Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive to day one if incapacity exceeds 21 days
Penalty for going without: Up to $250 per day (capped at $50,000), business-closure orders, and possible criminal prosecution

Virginia counts a contractor's subcontractor employees toward the three-employee threshold, so using subs frequently triggers the mandate.

Virginia vs neighboring states

North Carolina: about $2.00 per $100 of payroll
West Virginia: about $0.85 per $100 of payroll

Virginia does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, West Virginia is the cheapest for electrical comp at about $0.85 and North Carolina the most expensive at about $2.00 per $100 of payroll.

If your crews work across the line, list those states under item 3.A or 3.C of your policy before the job starts. Rates follow the state where the work is done, not where your office is.

What moves a electrical comp bill

Electrical is one of the cheaper construction classes, so overstated payroll often costs more than the rate itself. Estimate payroll honestly at renewal and true it up at audit.
Ladder falls and shocks are the typical claims. Lockout and tagout procedures that are actually followed are what keep the experience mod under 1.0.
Low-voltage, alarm, and solar work can carry different class codes in some states. Ask your agent before you add those lines to the business.
Office staff and estimators who stay out of the field can usually be rated as clerical. Keep their hours off the field timesheets.