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Bridge and Lock Tenders pay in Washington and West Virginia
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Bridge and Lock Tenders is $78,020 per year in Washington. It is $65,460 per year in West Virginia. Washington is 19.2% above West Virginia on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 53-6011 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 50 wage and salary jobs in Washington and 60 in West Virginia. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
