Start with the answer
Crane and Tower Operators pay in Hawaii and South Dakota
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Crane and Tower Operators is $124,260 per year in Hawaii. It is $71,000 per year in South Dakota. Hawaii is 75.0% above South Dakota 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 190 wage and salary jobs in Hawaii and 120 in South Dakota. 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