Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
1 / 49#49. Environmental engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $45,860
- Median hourly wage: $22.05
- Total employment: 70 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying computer and engineering jobs in Richmond
What do we mean when we talk about computer and engineering jobs? Well, that depends. These positions encompass various roles dedicated to new technology development and maintenance. Take software developers, who create and oversee computer programs, versus mechanical engineers, who design and build physical products, tools, and systems. However different these careers may be, though, they do have a few things in common: bachelor's degree requirements, a focus on analytical thinking, and the allure of a steady paycheck, particularly for recent college graduates.
First, the bad news—ongoing technological advancements have massively impacted these industries. As the use of artificial intelligence has exploded in the technology sector, finding an entry-level job has become increasingly difficult. LinkedIn Chief Economic Opportunity Officer Aneesh Raman noted in a May 2025 op-ed for The New York Times that artificial intelligence is decimating the "bottom rung of the career ladder" in technology, while a May 2025 report from SignalFire found that the hiring of new grads at the nation's 15 largest tech companies has dropped by more than 50% since 2019.
Yet, while the situation may seem dire, it's not all doom and gloom for computer and engineering jobs. Although these positions may be more selective than they once were, many pay far more than the country's 2024 median wages of $49,500. Those in computer and information technology occupations can expect to make a median salary of $105,990 as of 2024, while engineers earn median wages of more than $97,000.
Employment in these fields is also expected to grow at a healthy rate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts an average of 356,700 new computer job openings yearly through 2033, and 195,000 new engineering job openings in the same period. Furthermore, growing interest in sustainable infrastructure and construction techniques could lead to exciting opportunities for engineers.
Though it's difficult to predict the exact future of computer and engineering jobs, those interested in these fields can at least consider one important aspect: salary. Stacker used BLS data to find the highest-paying computer and engineering jobs Richmond. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
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2 / 49#48. Surveying and mapping technicians
- Median annual wage: $49,280
- Median hourly wage: $23.69
- Total employment: 380 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Indypendenz // Shutterstock
3 / 49#47. Electrical and electronics drafters
- Median annual wage: $57,970
- Median hourly wage: $27.87
- Total employment: 60 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Shift Drive // Shutterstock
4 / 49#46. Computer user support specialists
- Median annual wage: $58,570
- Median hourly wage: $28.16
- Total employment: 2,520 people (3.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BELL KA PANG // Shutterstock
5 / 49#45. Industrial engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $58,740
- Median hourly wage: $28.24
- Total employment: 140 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 49#44. Architectural and civil drafters
- Median annual wage: $63,080
- Median hourly wage: $30.33
- Total employment: 390 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
7 / 49#43. Civil engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $63,310
- Median hourly wage: $30.44
- Total employment: 240 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock
8 / 49#42. Web and digital interface designers
- Median annual wage: $64,490
- Median hourly wage: $31.00
- Total employment: 330 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Freedomz // Shutterstock
9 / 49#41. Drafters, all other
- Median annual wage: $64,550
- Median hourly wage: $31.04
- Total employment: 30 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
10 / 49#40. Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $64,780
- Median hourly wage: $31.15
- Total employment: 60 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 49#39. Surveyors
- Median annual wage: $69,690
- Median hourly wage: $33.51
- Total employment: 190 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gearstd // Shutterstock
12 / 49#38. Mechanical drafters
- Median annual wage: $71,070
- Median hourly wage: $34.17
- Total employment: 70 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
13 / 49#37. Computer network support specialists
- Median annual wage: $74,000
- Median hourly wage: $35.58
- Total employment: 520 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BGStock72 // Shutterstock
14 / 49#36. Engineering technologists and technicians, except drafters, all other
- Median annual wage: $76,660
- Median hourly wage: $36.86
- Total employment: 140 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Toa55 // Shutterstock
15 / 49#35. Landscape architects
- Median annual wage: $79,380
- Median hourly wage: $38.16
- Total employment: 60 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Francesco Scatena // Shutterstock
16 / 49#34. Cartographers and photogrammetrists
- Median annual wage: $79,730
- Median hourly wage: $38.33
- Total employment: 90 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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17 / 49#33. Calibration technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $80,990
- Median hourly wage: $38.94
- Total employment: 90 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pheelings media // Shutterstock
18 / 49#32. Statisticians
- Median annual wage: $81,120
- Median hourly wage: $39.00
- Total employment: 170 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
19 / 49#31. Electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $83,060
- Median hourly wage: $39.93
- Total employment: 50 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
20 / 49#30. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $88,920
- Median hourly wage: $42.75
- Total employment: 1,720 people (2.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 49#29. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $90,530
- Median hourly wage: $43.53
- Total employment: 380 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
22 / 49#28. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $92,840
- Median hourly wage: $44.64
- Total employment: 430 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
23 / 49#27. Environmental engineers
- Median annual wage: $93,270
- Median hourly wage: $44.84
- Total employment: 170 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DC Studio // Shutterstock
24 / 49#26. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $94,500
- Median hourly wage: $45.43
- Total employment: 580 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
anyaivanova // Shutterstock
25 / 49#25. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $96,150
- Median hourly wage: $46.23
- Total employment: 510 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 49#24. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $97,200
- Median hourly wage: $46.73
- Total employment: 1,570 people (2.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
27 / 49#23. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $100,720
- Median hourly wage: $48.43
- Total employment: 830 people (1.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
28 / 49#22. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $101,210
- Median hourly wage: $48.66
- Total employment: 560 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
29 / 49#21. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $102,020
- Median hourly wage: $49.05
- Total employment: 2,710 people (4.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
30 / 49#20. Web developers
- Median annual wage: $102,630
- Median hourly wage: $49.34
- Total employment: 450 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 49#19. Materials engineers
- Median annual wage: $102,700
- Median hourly wage: $49.38
- Total employment: 190 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
32 / 49#18. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
- Median annual wage: $102,840
- Median hourly wage: $49.44
- Total employment: 50 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
33 / 49#17. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $103,960
- Median hourly wage: $49.98
- Total employment: 190 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
34 / 49#16. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $104,590
- Median hourly wage: $50.28
- Total employment: 680 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tonhom1009 // Shutterstock
35 / 49#15. Bioengineers and biomedical engineers
- Median annual wage: $104,680
- Median hourly wage: $50.33
- Total employment: 70 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
36 / 49#14. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $105,210
- Median hourly wage: $50.58
- Total employment: 1,130 people (1.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PR Image Factory // Shutterstock
37 / 49#13. Operations research analysts
- Median annual wage: $106,420
- Median hourly wage: $51.16
- Total employment: 1,070 people (1.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
38 / 49#12. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $110,500
- Median hourly wage: $53.13
- Total employment: 830 people (1.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Taty77 // Shutterstock
39 / 49#11. Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers
- Median annual wage: $111,790
- Median hourly wage: $53.75
- Total employment: 40 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
40 / 49#10. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $117,020
- Median hourly wage: $56.26
- Total employment: 880 people (1.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 49#9. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $118,390
- Median hourly wage: $56.92
- Total employment: 100 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
42 / 49#8. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $118,710
- Median hourly wage: $57.07
- Total employment: 400 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
43 / 49#7. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $122,530
- Median hourly wage: $58.91
- Total employment: 1,550 people (2.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
44 / 49#6. Computer hardware engineers
- Median annual wage: $125,350
- Median hourly wage: $60.27
- Total employment: 100 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
MinskDesign // Shutterstock
45 / 49#5. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $128,070
- Median hourly wage: $61.57
- Total employment: 500 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
46 / 49#4. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $129,180
- Median hourly wage: $62.10
- Total employment: 840 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
47 / 49#3. Actuaries
- Median annual wage: $130,360
- Median hourly wage: $62.67
- Total employment: 160 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wee dezign // Shutterstock
48 / 49#2. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $130,760
- Median hourly wage: $62.87
- Total employment: 6,990 people (10.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
49 / 49#1. Computer and information research scientists
- Median annual wage: $231,930
- Median hourly wage: $111.50
- Total employment: 80 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
