Start with the answer
Models pay in Rochester, NY and St. Louis, MO-IL
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Models is $208,000 per year in Rochester, NY. It is $34,610 per year in St. Louis, MO-IL. Rochester, NY is 501.0% above St. Louis, MO-IL on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 41-9012 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 50 wage and salary jobs in Rochester, NY and Not published in St. Louis, MO-IL. 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