Comparator Pool
Virginia comparator pool: 12 RFP-named jurisdictions
RFP-2026-308 §COMPENSATION STUDY item C names the exact jurisdictions to benchmark. Our pool reflects that list in two bands: the seven Hampton Roads cities the County competes against for talent (Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Hampton, Newport News, Suffolk) and five comparable Virginia counties and one small city (Gloucester, Dinwiddie, Franklin, Prince George, Powhatan). The County may add contractor-recommended jurisdictions and private-sector employers as the study proceeds. Each row in the chart below is keyed to that jurisdiction's adopted Pay/Classification Plan, with Isle of Wight = 100.
Comparator jurisdictions
12
Population range
7,967 to 459K
FTE range
320 to 6,800
Show base-salary index for:
| Jurisdiction | Region / role | Population | Approx FTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isle of Wight County (self) | Hampton Roads · Self (280 FT + 300 PT) | 38,606 | ~580 |
| City of Suffolk | Hampton Roads · Adjacent city (RFP-named) | 94,324 | ~1,850 |
| City of Franklin | Western Tidewater · Adjacent small city (RFP-named) | 7,967 | ~320 |
| City of Newport News | Hampton Roads · Peninsula city (RFP-named) | 186,247 | ~4,200 |
| City of Hampton | Hampton Roads · Peninsula city (RFP-named) | 137,148 | ~3,100 |
| City of Portsmouth | Hampton Roads · Core city (RFP-named) | 97,915 | ~2,400 |
| City of Norfolk | Hampton Roads · Core city (RFP-named) | 238,005 | ~5,200 |
| City of Chesapeake | Hampton Roads · Core city (RFP-named) | 249,422 | ~5,400 |
| City of Virginia Beach | Hampton Roads · Regional anchor (RFP-named) | 459,470 | ~6,800 |
| Gloucester County | Middle Peninsula · County peer (RFP-named) | 38,711 | ~640 |
| Prince George County | Tri-Cities · County peer (RFP-named) | 42,694 | ~560 |
| Powhatan County | Richmond region · County peer (RFP-named) | 30,333 | ~430 |
| Dinwiddie County | Tri-Cities · County peer (RFP-named) | 27,947 | ~410 |
Two-band methodology
RFP-2026-308 §BACKGROUND is blunt: the County ‘cannot compete with other localities such as Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk or Norfolk,’ which pay more than it can. So the pool is built in two bands. Band one is the seven Hampton Roads cities the County names, the external-competitiveness anchor that shows the wage gap it loses staff to. Band two is the five comparable Virginia counties and one small city, the internal-equity and true-peer anchor. That is exactly why most cities land above 100 in the chart while the rural and peri-urban county peers (Gloucester, Prince George, Powhatan, Dinwiddie, Franklin) sit near or below it.
Authoritative sources, not vendor surveys
Every figure in the comparator database comes from each jurisdiction's adopted Pay/Classification Plan (public record), cross-referenced with VML/VACo salary data and the comparators' adopted pay plans for statewide percentile context. We do not buy proprietary vendor surveys. Every number is sourced and reproducible by the County's HR staff after the engagement.
Index figures illustrative pending production salary-schedule pull. Final values reconciled against each comparator's most recent adopted schedule at engagement award.