StateRates

Beckley salaries

The median worker in the Beckley, WV metro area earned $38,460 a year in 2024, about $18.49 an hour. That ranks #369 of the 391 metro areas published here, 22.3% below the national median.

West Virginia

Median pay $38,460 $18.49 per hour
Vs national -22.3% U.S. $49,500
Workers 42,810 wage and salary
Metro rank #369 of 391 by median pay

What this labour market looks like

Beckley pays 11.2% less than West Virginia as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.

Unusually concentrated here

Occupations against their national share, 2024
Occupation Concentration Employed Median
Cooks, Fast Food 5.52× 1,020 $21,490
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers 1.92× 590 $35,580
Home Health and Personal Care Aides 1.57× 1,740 $23,170
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 1.55× 660 $37,370
Nursing Assistants 1.53× 590 $35,510
Registered Nurses 1.42× 1,290 $78,930
Cashiers 1.33× 1,160 $22,860
Retail Salespersons 1.24× 1,310 $26,740
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 1.24× 500 $40,710
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 1.2× 690 $47,470
Waiters and Waitresses 1.09× 700 $28,870
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 1.04× 640 $28,860

Best paid occupations

Highest median pay in Beckley
Occupation Median Hourly Employed
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $94,400 $45.39 350
Registered Nurses $78,930 $37.95 1,290
General and Operations Managers $76,470 $36.76 960
Accountants and Auditors $72,600 $34.91 270
Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining $71,090 $34.18 210
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $68,970 $33.16 280
Electricians $62,160 $29.89 370
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators $59,070 $28.40 430
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $59,060 $28.40 210
Substitute Teachers, Short-Term $56,060 $26.95 380
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $55,050 $26.47 260
Correctional Officers and Jailers $52,730 $25.35 400
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $50,210 n/a 210
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $48,650 n/a 200
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $48,540 $23.34 470
Industrial Machinery Mechanics $47,860 $23.01 200
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $47,820 n/a 380
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $47,470 $22.82 690
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $46,880 $22.54 390
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $40,710 $19.57 500
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $37,990 $18.26 460
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $37,370 $17.97 660
Construction Laborers $37,230 $17.90 360
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $36,880 $17.73 380
Pharmacy Technicians $35,880 $17.25 240
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $35,580 $17.11 590
Nursing Assistants $35,510 $17.07 590
Customer Service Representatives $35,360 $17.00 590
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $35,170 $16.91 510
Medical Assistants $34,430 $16.55 330
Bus Drivers, School $34,130 $16.41 250
Stockers and Order Fillers $31,160 $14.98 780
Office Clerks, General $30,510 $14.67 730
Light Truck Drivers $30,430 $14.63 300
Receptionists and Information Clerks $29,420 $14.14 320
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $29,030 $13.96 440
Waiters and Waitresses $28,870 $13.88 700
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $28,860 $13.87 640
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $28,280 $13.60 260
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria $28,090 $13.50 240
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $27,780 n/a 320
Cooks, Restaurant $27,540 $13.24 480
Retail Salespersons $26,740 $12.86 1,310
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $26,330 $12.66 450
Fast Food and Counter Workers $25,080 $12.06 470
Security Guards $24,100 $11.59 430
Home Health and Personal Care Aides $23,170 $11.14 1,740
Cashiers $22,860 $10.99 1,160
Cooks, Fast Food $21,490 $10.33 1,020

Where most people work

Largest occupations in Beckley by employment
Occupation Employed Median Hourly
Home Health and Personal Care Aides 1,740 $23,170 $11.14
Retail Salespersons 1,310 $26,740 $12.86
Registered Nurses 1,290 $78,930 $37.95
Cashiers 1,160 $22,860 $10.99
Cooks, Fast Food 1,020 $21,490 $10.33
General and Operations Managers 960 $76,470 $36.76
Stockers and Order Fillers 780 $31,160 $14.98
Office Clerks, General 730 $30,510 $14.67
Waiters and Waitresses 700 $28,870 $13.88
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 690 $47,470 $22.82
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 660 $37,370 $17.97
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 640 $28,860 $13.87
Nursing Assistants 590 $35,510 $17.07
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers 590 $35,580 $17.11
Customer Service Representatives 590 $35,360 $17.00
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 510 $35,170 $16.91
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 500 $40,710 $19.57
Cooks, Restaurant 480 $27,540 $13.24
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses 470 $48,540 $23.34
Fast Food and Counter Workers 470 $25,080 $12.06

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.

Other West Virginia metro areas

Beckley pay: common questions

What is the average salary in Beckley?

The median across all occupations is $38,460, or $18.49 an hour, covering 42,810 wage and salary workers. The mean is $50,790, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.

Does Beckley pay more than the rest of West Virginia?

No. The metro median of $38,460 is 11.2% below the West Virginia median of $43,320. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.

Which jobs pay best in Beckley?

First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers ($94,400), Registered Nurses ($78,930), General and Operations Managers ($76,470). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.

What is Beckley unusually full of?

Cooks, Fast Food, at 5.52× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.