Start with the answer
Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric pay in Rhode Island and Vermont
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric is $450,370 per year in Rhode Island. It is $258,910 per year in Vermont. Rhode Island is 73.9% above Vermont on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 29-1241 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 180 wage and salary jobs in Rhode Island and 30 in Vermont. 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