Start with the answer
Log Graders and Scalers pay in Alabama and Washington
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Log Graders and Scalers is $44,950 per year in Alabama. It is $61,580 per year in Washington. Alabama is 27.0% below Washington on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 45-4023 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 100 wage and salary jobs in Alabama and 200 in Washington. 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
