Workforce
HIGHLY SKILLED LABOR FORCE
Department of Defense spending supports 40 percent of total regional employment. More than 7,000 service members transition out of the military annually in the Hampton Roads region, providing the city with a renewable, highly skilled labor force.
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WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE
Norfolk has a foundation of higher education institutions that can support a workforce development pipeline. Old Dominion University, Norfolk State University, Eastern Virginia Medical School, and Tidewater Community College provide a diverse set of programs that can equip Norfolk residents with the skills they need to engage in growing and emerging industries.
CONCENTRATION OF HIGH WAGE JOBS
Norfolk’s status as a hub for well-paying blue collar and professional jobs is reflected in an average wage of $57,574[1], excluding uniformed personnel in military-related occupations and including self-employed. This is higher than the Hampton Roads region and the nation and slightly higher than the Commonwealth.
[1] Economic Modeling Specialists, Intl. (Emsi) – 2020 Average Hourly Earnings by Occupation. Excludes military-only occupations. Includes self-employed.
REGION’S JOB CENTER
Norfolk is a center of commerce within the metro with 147,159[1] of the MSA’s jobs located in the city, excluding all uniformed military personnel and including self-employed. With such a robust job base, Norfolk is a magnet for the metropolitan area’s over 850,000[2] strong labor force.
[1] Economic Modeling Specialists, Intl. (Emsi) – 2020 Jobs by Industry. Excludes all uniformed military personnel. Includes self-employed.
[2] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)
Employment by Industry and Occupation
The subsequent data is for the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Since Norfolk operates within a regional labor market, and new businesses or companies would attract labor from numerous cities in the MSA, not just Norfolk, the employment by industry and employment by occupation data is supplied at the MSA level. The top five industries in MSA by number of employees are Government (Excluding Military), Health Care and Social Assistance, Retail Trade, Accommodation and Food Services, and Manufacturing. The top industry, Government (Excluding Military), accounts for over 20% of all jobs in the MSA.
2020 MSA Public and Private Sector Employment by Industry
| Description | 2020 Jobs | 2020 % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Government (Excluding Military) | 164,574 | 20.30% |
| Health Care & Social Assistance | 99,864 | 12.30% |
| Retail Trade | 85,708 | 10.50% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 74,183 | 9.10% |
| Manufacturing | 58,625 | 7.20% |
| Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services | 51,676 | 6.40% |
| Admin./Support/ Waste Management Services | 49,561 | 6.10% |
| Construction | 44,325 | 5.50% |
| Other Services | 40,909 | 5.00% |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 27,946 | 3.40% |
| Finance & Insurance | 24,625 | 3.00% |
| Wholesale Trade | 17,587 | 2.20% |
| Real Estate | 16,103 | 2.00% |
| Educational Services | 15,785 | 1.90% |
| Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation | 13,558 | 1.70% |
| Management of Companies | 11,803 | 1.50% |
| Information | 9,937 | 1.20% |
| Agriculture | 2,754 | 0.30% |
| Unclassified Industry | 1,744 | 0.20% |
| Utilities | 1,250 | 0.20% |
| Mining/Oil & Gas Extraction | 186 | 0.00% |
| Total[1] | 812,703 | 100.00% |
| [1] Excluding all uniformed military personnel. |
Economic Modeling Specialists, Intl. (Emsi). 2020 Jobs by Industry. Excludes all uniformed military personnel. Includes self-employed.
2020 MSA Employment by Occupation
SOC Description 2020 Jobs 2020 % of Total
43-0000 Office & Administrative Support 102,129 12.00%
41-0000 Sales & Related 77,570 9.10%
53-0000 Transportation & Material Moving 73,431 8.60%
35-0000 Food Preparation & Serving Related 69,770 8.20%
13-0000 Business & Financial Operations 52,292 6.10%
25-0000 Educational Instruction & Library 50,158 5.90%
29-0000 Healthcare Practitioners & Technical 49,852 5.80%
47-0000 Construction & Extraction 46,751 5.50%
49-0000 Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 46,437 5.40%
51-0000 Production 39,251 4.60%
11-0000 Management 38,706 4.50%
31-0000 Healthcare Support 33,743 4.00%
37-0000 Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance 29,785 3.50%
39-0000 Personal Care & Service 27,305 3.20%
33-0000 Protective Service 24,344 2.90%
17-0000 Architecture & Engineering 23,682 2.80%
15-0000 Computer & Mathematical 23,334 2.70%
21-0000 Community & Social Service 15,073 1.80%
27-0000 Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media 13,589 1.60%
19-0000 Life, Physical, & Social Science 8,144 1.00%
23-0000 Legal 5,739 0.70%
45-0000 Farming, Fishing, & Forestry 2,093 0.20%
99-0000 Unclassified Occupation 0 0.00%
Total[1] 853,178 100.00%
[1] Excluding military-only occupations.
Economic Modeling Specialists, Intl. (Emsi). 2020 Jobs by Occupation. Excludes military-only occupations. Includes self-employed.
