Start with the answer
Helpers--Roofers pay in Utah and Virginia
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Helpers--Roofers is $72,860 per year in Utah. It is $46,030 per year in Virginia. Utah is 58.3% above Virginia on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 47-3016 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 120 wage and salary jobs in Utah and 110 in 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
