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Plant and System Operators, All Other pay in Alabama and Massachusetts
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Plant and System Operators, All Other is $51,690 per year in Alabama. It is $120,660 per year in Massachusetts. Alabama is 57.2% below Massachusetts on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 51-8099 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 30 wage and salary jobs in Alabama and 40 in Massachusetts. 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