Phlebotomist Salary in Virginia
Virginia pays a BLS mean of $46,890 per year ($22.55 per hour) for phlebotomy, a little above the national mean of $45,520. Cost of living runs close to the national average, so real-purchasing-power pay stays a touch above the national figure, and Virginia charges a graduated income tax topping out at 5.75 percent. Northern Virginia posts the highest metro pay, while Richmond sits near the state mean and Hampton Roads runs a little below it. This page covers metro pay, the statewide percentile range, dominant employers, and the practical financial math of a Virginia phlebotomy career.
Pay by Virginia metro
| Metro | Annual mean | Hourly mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (DC-VA-MD-WV) | $51,200 | $24.62 | — |
| Richmond | $46,230 | $22.23 | 640 |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News | $43,680 | $21.00 | 800 |
| Virginia (statewide) | $46,890 | $22.55 | 3,600 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (SOC 31-9097), state and metropolitan area estimates. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria figure covers the full multi-state DC-VA-MD-WV metro, not Virginia alone; it is the band Northern Virginia phlebotomists sit in. Employment is not separately published for every metro.
Statewide percentile range
The state mean of $46,890 sits close to the median of $46,340, a relatively even distribution for the occupation. Entry pay near the 10th percentile is about $37,370 a year, while experienced and specialty phlebotomists near the 90th percentile reach roughly $58,470. The step from the 75th percentile ($49,900) to the 90th ($58,470) is the widest in the distribution, reflecting the premium on senior hospital, apheresis and donor-collection roles in the higher-cost Northern Virginia market.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 31-9097), Virginia annual wage percentiles.
Major Virginia employers
Northern Virginia. Inova Health System is the largest health system in Northern Virginia, anchored by Inova Fairfax Medical Campus, and is the region's biggest phlebotomy employer across inpatient, outpatient and emergency settings. Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic, Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, and HCA facilities such as Reston Hospital Center round out the market. Northern Virginia sits in the Washington metro pay band, the highest in the state.
Richmond. VCU Health, the academic medical center built around VCU Medical Center, anchors the Richmond market and pays at the top of the local range for academic draw roles, including blood bank and oncology phlebotomy. Bon Secours Richmond (St. Mary's, Memorial Regional) and for-profit HCA Virginia (Chippenham, Henrico Doctors', Johnston-Willis) are the other major local employers.
Hampton Roads. Sentara Health, headquartered in Norfolk, is the dominant system across the Virginia Beach-Norfolk metro, with Sentara Norfolk General and Sentara Virginia Beach General among its largest hospitals. Riverside Health System leads the Peninsula around Newport News, Bon Secours Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Regional Healthcare operate additional hospitals, and Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters (CHKD) in Norfolk is the major paediatric employer.
Charlottesville, Roanoke and the rest of the state. UVA Health (University of Virginia Medical Center) anchors Charlottesville and central Virginia, while Carilion Clinic anchors Roanoke and southwest Virginia. Valley Health leads the Winchester area in the northern Shenandoah Valley.
Reference labs, blood centers, and plasma. Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp operate patient service centers statewide, and hospital and reference labs run their own draw stations. CSL Plasma, Grifols, Octapharma and BioLife run donor-collection centers that hire high-volume donor phlebotomists and often train from zero.
Real-pay math: above-national wage, near-national prices, graduated tax
Virginia's state mean of $46,890 is about $1,370 above the national mean of $45,520 in nominal terms. The BEA Regional Price Parity for Virginia is 101.1 for 2024, meaning the state is about 1.1 percent more expensive than the US average, so the real-purchasing-power value of the state mean is roughly $46,380 in national-average dollars, still a little above the national figure. The important caveat is that this statewide RPP masks a wide internal spread: Northern Virginia is far more expensive than the state average, while central and southwestern Virginia are cheaper.
Virginia levies a graduated individual income tax with four brackets: 2 percent on the first $3,000 of taxable income, 3 percent to $5,000, 5 percent to $17,000, and a top rate of 5.75 percent on income above $17,000. Because the top bracket starts at just $17,000, most phlebotomists reach the 5.75 percent marginal rate, but the effective rate is far lower. After the 2025 standard deduction of $8,750 for a single filer, a phlebotomist earning the state mean pays roughly $1,900 to $2,100 a year in Virginia income tax, an effective rate near 4 percent, before other exemptions and deductions.
Where you live inside Virginia matters more than the statewide averages suggest. Northern Virginia pays the most but carries Washington-metro housing costs; Richmond pays near the state mean at a more moderate cost of living; and Hampton Roads and the smaller central and southwestern markets pay a little less but cost noticeably less to live in. Run the specific numbers for your metro and housing situation.
Licensure and credentials
Virginia does not require a state phlebotomy license or state certification. Unlike California, Nevada, and Washington, which regulate the role at the state level, Virginia lets employers set their own credential requirements. In practice, most hospitals and reference labs prefer or require a national certification.
The accepted national credentials are ASCP PBT (American Society for Clinical Pathology), NHA CPT (National Healthcareer Association), AMT RPT (American Medical Technologists), and NCCT NCPT (National Center for Competency Testing). Academic medical centers such as VCU Health and UVA Health and large systems such as Inova and Sentara tend to prefer ASCP PBT for blood bank and oncology placements at hire, while community hospitals, physician offices, and plasma centers accept any of the major credentials and often train and certify from zero.
Frequently asked questions
How much do phlebotomists make in Virginia?
Virginia reports a BLS OEWS May 2025 state mean of $46,890 per year ($22.55 per hour), a little above the national mean of $45,520. The state median is $46,340 ($22.28/hr). The percentile range runs from about $37,370 at the 10th percentile to $58,470 at the 90th, with the 25th at $40,010 and the 75th at $49,900. Virginia employs roughly 3,600 phlebotomists, concentrated in the Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads metros.
Does Virginia require a phlebotomy license?
No. Virginia does not require a state-level phlebotomy license or state certification to draw blood. National credentials (ASCP PBT, NHA CPT, AMT RPT, NCCT NCPT) are accepted at virtually all Virginia employers. Large systems such as Inova, VCU Health, Sentara and UVA Health follow the national credential preference patterns, with hospital blood banks and oncology units typically preferring ASCP PBT at hire.
Where in Virginia do phlebotomists earn the most?
Northern Virginia pays the most. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro (DC-VA-MD-WV), which includes the Northern Virginia suburbs, posts a mean of $51,200 per year ($24.62/hr), the highest band in the state, though that figure spans the full multi-state Washington metro rather than Virginia alone. Within Virginia, Richmond averages $46,230 ($22.23/hr) and the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News metro (Hampton Roads) averages $43,680 ($21.00/hr). Pay compresses in rural southern and southwestern Virginia.
Who are the largest phlebotomy employers in Virginia?
Inova Health System is the largest health system in Northern Virginia and a major phlebotomy employer, anchored by Inova Fairfax Medical Campus. VCU Health is the academic medical center in Richmond, and Sentara Health, headquartered in Norfolk, dominates Hampton Roads. UVA Health anchors Charlottesville, Carilion Clinic anchors Roanoke and southwest Virginia, and Bon Secours Mercy Health and for-profit HCA Virginia operate hospitals in both Richmond and Hampton Roads. Riverside Health System leads the Peninsula, and Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters (CHKD) is the major paediatric employer in Norfolk. Reference-lab and plasma employers include Quest Diagnostics, LabCorp, and CSL Plasma, Grifols, Octapharma and BioLife donor centers.
Is Virginia a good state financially for phlebotomists?
On balance, yes. Virginia's state mean of $46,890 sits just above the national mean in nominal terms, and its cost of living runs close to the national average (BEA Regional Price Parity of 101.1 for 2024, about 1.1 percent above the US average), so real-purchasing-power pay of roughly $46,380 in national-average dollars stays a touch above the national figure. Virginia levies a graduated income tax from 2 percent to a top rate of 5.75 percent, with the top bracket reached at just $17,000 of taxable income, so most phlebotomists pay an effective rate near 4 percent after the $8,750 standard deduction. The main split within the state is geographic: Northern Virginia pays and costs the most, while central and southwestern Virginia pay less but cost far less.