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Helpers--Extraction Workers pay in Maryland and West Virginia
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Helpers--Extraction Workers is $51,020 per year in Maryland. It is $77,180 per year in West Virginia. Maryland is 33.9% below West Virginia on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 47-5081 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 80 wage and salary jobs in Maryland and 360 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.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings