Start with the answer
Upholsterers pay in Hawaii and Rhode Island
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Upholsterers is $57,390 per year in Hawaii. It is $63,360 per year in Rhode Island. Hawaii is 9.4% below Rhode Island on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 51-6093 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 Hawaii and 30 in Rhode Island. 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
