Virginia Apprenticeship Programs
As of September 2026, Virginia operates one of the larger registered-apprenticeship systems in the country: 28,000 active apprentices in 1,050 programs, with completion pay near $30.00/hour.
- Active apprentices
- 28,000
- National rank
- #9 / 51
- Completion rate
- 56.8%
- Completion wage
- $30
Virginia ranks #9 of 51 jurisdictions by active registered apprentices - about 3.3% of all U.S. registered apprentices. Its 56.8% completion rate sits 1.4 pts below the 58.2% national average, and apprentices who finish raise their pay by 82% - from $17 to $30 an hour.
Apprenticeship filing desk
Jurisdiction VI · Virginia
Virginia registered-apprenticeship filing: 28,000 active apprentices (rank 9/51), 1,050 programs, 56.8% completion.
- BOOK-LARGE 28,000
- RANK-UPPER #9
- PROG-MID 1,050
- COMP-MID 56.8%
- WAGE-STRONG +82%
- SHARE-MID 3.3%
- NEW-FY 7,200
Nearest enrollment peer: Indiana (2,000 apprentice gap)
U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship filing stamps for this jurisdiction. Read: apprenticeships vs college
Where Virginia sits among all 51 jurisdictions
Enrollment by jurisdiction; Virginia sits in the top tercile. Inventory size is not a quality ranking.
Virginia vs all states by active apprentices
Where this state's DOL registered-apprenticeship enrollment sits among every tracked jurisdiction
28,000 9th of 51 higher than 42 of 51 states
States and territories, banded by active apprentices
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data · 2026-09-25
Source: U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data, compiled by PlainWorkforce.
Reading Virginia's numbers
What stands out in this state's DOL filing, most distinctive first. Every figure below is computed from the state's own row in the dataset.
The signature stat: program size
Virginia's most unusual number is program size: 26.7 apprentices per registered program, larger than 82% of states.
Where the scale sits
28,000 active apprentices rank 9 of 51 nationally, 3.3% of all registered enrollment.
Completion near the average
A 56.8% completion rate holds within two points of the national average (58.2%).
Typical wage progression
Pay runs $16.50/hour at the start and $30.00 at completion — a 81.8% progression near the 82.7% norm.
Steady intake
A 25.7% intake ratio (7,200 new apprentices this fiscal year) keeps Virginia in the middle tercile for pipeline speed.
Virginia's largest registered-apprenticeship occupations, ranked by AI-exposure score, most sit well below the 37% occupation-wide average (the dotted line), which is exactly why the trades are AI-resilient. Bars link to the full occupation profile where tracked.
- Electrician 13%
- Plumber 27%
- Carpenter 28%
- HVAC Mechanic -
- Line Worker -
AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis of O*NET task data; the 37% line is the average across all 832 tracked occupations. Lower = more AI-resilient.
Frequently asked questions
How many apprentices does Virginia have?
28,000 active registered apprentices — rank 9 of 51 jurisdictions — spread over about 1,050 registered programs.
What is the apprenticeship completion rate in Virginia?
Roughly 56.8%, effectively at the national average of 58.2%.
How much do apprentices earn in Virginia?
Entry wages average $16.50/hour, rising to about $30.00 at completion (81.8% growth).
What are the top apprenticeship trades in Virginia?
The dataset's largest registered-apprenticeship occupations for Virginia are Electrician, Plumber, HVAC Mechanic, Carpenter, Line Worker — construction trades dominate registered apprenticeship in every state.
Why does Virginia have so few programs for its size?
Because its sponsors run large: 26.7 apprentices per program on average, top-tercile nationally — the same enrollment needs fewer registered programs.
Compare other states
Put these numbers to use
Use Virginia's apprenticeship numbers above to plan a specific trade path, not just compare states.
- Real wage and growth numbers weigh an apprenticeship path against a college degree. Apprenticeships vs college
- Browse the full occupation directory to check wage and AI exposure for a specific trade. Browse all occupations
- The occupations projected to add the most jobs through 2034 are worth a look. Fastest-growing occupations
Apprenticeship figures come from U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship data; enrollment and completion vary by program and year.
Every figure on PlainWorkforce is rendered directly from BLS/O*NET source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Enrollment and wage figures are rounded. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these figures, or report a data error. Data current as of U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship (active apprentices, registered programs, completion rates, and wages by state), O*NET (occupation task data, for the linked AI-exposure scores).