Start with the answer
Crane and Tower Operators pay in Alabama and Hawaii
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Crane and Tower Operators is $60,790 per year in Alabama. It is $124,260 per year in Hawaii. Alabama is 51.1% below Hawaii on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 53-7021 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 1,280 wage and salary jobs in Alabama and 190 in Hawaii. 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.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings
