Richmond Job Guide: The Best Careers in Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the capital and one of the largest cities in the state of Virginia. Steeped in history, Richmond has long been known for its role in American independence and early economic stability. Fields like agriculture and manufacturing once made up the bulk of the city's output. Today, Richmond's economy is largely driven by more advanced fields, like law, finance and healthcare.

Richmond was once the capital of the Confederate States of America, a fact that helped the city to remain economically successful after the reunification of the country. In the early year, tobacco was an essential factor; in fact, the world's first cigarette rolling machine was pioneered in Richmond. This industry established Richmond and an important city and helped it to grow and advance in other industries as well. Banking and finance, for example, could never have existed if tobacco and other agricultural industries weren't so hugely important. Today, large companies like Genworth Financial, CapitalOne and Wells Fargo all have a major presence in the city, providing job opportunities for a wide variety of people.

Some of the most prominent and lucrative careers in Richmond are in the banking and finance industry. For example, there are more than 2,000 financial managers in the working in the city today, each one earning an average salary of about $106,000 annually. Financial analyst is another popular choice, with about 1,600 of these employees earning about $78,000 yearly. Financial services sales agent is another promising option for many individuals with a keen sense for numbers and the drive to succeed. There are about 1,500 of these sales people in Richmond today, each earning an average salary of about $82,000 a year. With a career in financial sales, the possibilities for earning potential are practically endless.

In a related field, accountant and auditor is the third most popular career in the entire city. There are more than 6,000 accountants working in any number of industries in Richmond, considering that most major companies require these kinds of employees for all sorts of work. The average salary for an accountant in Richmond is about $64,000 with salaries extending as high as $100,000 for truly talented and driven employees.

Historically, law has also been an important piece of Richmond's employment puzzle. The career of lawyer is more common in Virginia's capital than in most other cities. Some of the country's largest law firms are located in Richmond, including William Mullen, Troutman Sanders and McGuire Woods. Since it is the state's capital, government also contributes a large number of jobs for lawyers in the city. There are about 2,300 lawyers living and working in Virginia today. Lawyers are notoriously well paid for many years of hard work during law school and Richmond is no exception. In Richmond, lawyers earn an average salary of $128,000 a year.

Richmond has the most Fortune 500 companies of any city in Virginia. Several companies are headquartered in the city while others simply have a very major presence in the area. Companies like DuPont, CarMax and Performance Food Company all provide numerous jobs to the area. With such a high concentration of major companies and corporate office parks, it should come as no surprise that sales is one of the largest industries in the entire city.

In fact, salesman is the second most popular career choice in the entire city. All combined, there are almost 10,000 sales representatives going to work each and every business day. General salesmen are more popular, with close to 7,500 of them earning an average salary of $67,000 every year. There are fewer scientific and technical salespeople, but they are higher paid for the more complicated nature of their work. These salespeople earn an average salary of about $73,000 a year. Both varieties of salesmen can earn upwards of $117,000 a year.

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To read more about Richmond Job Guide click here. College Degree Report will offer you a variety of Virginia career, salary and employment information. To find out the fastest growing occupations, click on United States Department of labor, Employment projections.