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Sheet Metal Workers pay in Rhode Island and Washington
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Sheet Metal Workers is $65,100 per year in Rhode Island. It is $98,550 per year in Washington. Rhode Island is 33.9% below Washington on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 47-2211 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 370 wage and salary jobs in Rhode Island and 3,440 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