Prevailing Wage Calculator
Search any U.S. occupation, enter a work location, and see the four DOL prevailing wage levels in seconds. Built on the same Department of Labor wage data used for H-1B, H-1B1, E-3, H-2A, H-2B, and PERM filings, with every O*NET specialty and SOC code in our search.
Every wage shown here comes from the 2025 to 2026 Foreign Labor Certification wage source year, the same Occupational Employment Survey (OES) data the U.S. Department of Labor uses when its National Prevailing Wage Center issues prevailing wage determinations for H-1B, H-1B1, E-3, H-2A, H-2B, and PERM cases. The Bureau of Labor Statistics refreshes the OES dataset every July.
What is a prevailing wage?
The prevailing wage is the minimum salary a U.S. employer has to pay a foreign worker for a specific occupation in a specific location. The U.S. Department of Labor sets it from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, and it's the wage floor on every visa-sponsored job that requires DOL certification, including H-1B, H-1B1, E-3, H-2A, H-2B, and PERM filings.
The figure has real legal weight. Paying below it is a violation that DOL's Wage and Hour Division can pursue for back wages and civil penalties. The same calculation also decides whether a job offer clears the bar for sponsorship in the first place. Two identical job titles can carry very different floors based purely on geography, so a software developer offer at $110,000 reads as well above the floor in Houston and as borderline disqualifying in San Francisco.
Wage data updates once a year, in early July. The figure that applies to a filing is the one in effect on the day the LCA or PERM case is submitted, not the day the worker started looking at offers.
How is the prevailing wage calculated?
DOL calculates the prevailing wage in three steps. It starts with the right Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code for the role, narrows to the geographic wage area for the work location, then pulls the four wage levels for that combination from the OES survey.
SOC codes are six digits, like 15-1252.00 for Software Developers. O*NET extends them with a two-digit suffix for specialty roles, like 15-1299.07 for Blockchain Engineers. DOL publishes wages at the six-digit level only, so every O*NET specialty under the same parent SOC inherits the same numbers. The calculator above resolves both formats and shows you the parent SOC the wages come from.
Geographic wage areas almost always map to a metropolitan statistical area (MSA), like New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Rural counties without MSA coverage roll up to the state-level wage instead. The location entered on a Labor Condition Application or PERM filing controls which area applies, regardless of where the company is headquartered.
Employers can use a private wage survey or a collective bargaining agreement instead of the OES wage if it covers a more specialized job description. OES is the default and the source the calculator above pulls from.
The four prevailing wage levels
DOL publishes four wage levels per SOC per geographic area. Wage level is determined by the duties listed in the offer letter, not the years on the worker's CV. The Department of Labor publishes a worksheet employers use to score the role against the four-tier system based on education, training, complexity, and autonomy.
Level 1: Entry
Routine tasks performed under close supervision within well-defined protocols. Used for new graduates and roles that map to junior or associate titles. Typical candidates have less than two years of post-training experience and exercise limited independent judgment.
Level 2: Qualified
Moderately complex tasks with occasional supervision. The most common level cited across H-1B, H-1B1, E-3, H-2A, H-2B, and PERM filings. Fits workers with sound understanding of the occupation who handle both routine and non-routine cases without close oversight.
Level 3: Experienced
Complex problems handled independently. Workers at this level apply judgment in non-routine situations, manage projects, and may guide junior staff. Often associated with mid-senior individual-contributor titles or specialty roles.
Level 4: Fully Competent
Senior contributors and managers who set strategy, supervise others, lead projects, or operate without supervision. Used for roles with named team-leadership responsibility, named senior titles, or the highest individual-contributor band.
A ten-year veteran can be filed at Level 1 if the role fits, and a recent grad can be filed at Level 3 if the position genuinely requires that complexity. The calculator above pulls from the same OES data DOL relies on, so the numbers match what an immigration attorney would see when preparing the case.
When you need a prevailing wage determination
Not every visa requires a formal Prevailing Wage Determination (PWD). The rules differ by category.
- H-1B and H-1B1: Employers self-reference the OES wage when filing the Labor Condition Application. No PWD certificate is required, but the wage cited on the LCA must meet or exceed the OES floor for the SOC and area.
- E-3 (Australians): Same self-reference model as H-1B. The employer certifies the LCA, no separate PWD.
- PERM (employment-based green card): A formal PWD from the National Prevailing Wage Center is mandatory before recruitment can begin. The employer files Form ETA-9141 in the FLAG system and waits for a determination, which currently takes around four to six months.
- H-2A and H-2B (seasonal): Wage is based on the prevailing wage in the area of intended employment, often supplemented by an adverse-effect wage rate (AEWR) for H-2A.
The calculator above matches the OES wage source DOL uses for all of these. For PERM cases specifically, the official PWD issued by the NPWC is the legally binding number on the I-140 and I-485 record, not the OES lookup.
Prevailing wage vs minimum wage and market salary
The prevailing wage is not the federal or state minimum wage, and it's not the same as market salary either.
The federal minimum wage applies to almost all employees and is set by Congress at $7.25 per hour. State and city minimum wages override it where higher. The prevailing wage applies only to visa-sponsored roles and is almost always significantly higher than minimum wage because OES surveys real wages paid for that occupation, not the legal floor.
Market salary is what the broader labor market actually pays for the role, including non-sponsored hires, equity, and bonuses. Market salaries often exceed the prevailing wage, especially in technology and finance. Employers can pay above the prevailing wage and frequently do for senior or competitive roles. Paying below the prevailing wage on a sponsored role, on the other hand, is a violation of the LCA and exposes the employer to back-wage liability and DOL debarment.
When evaluating a sponsored job offer, compare the offered salary against three benchmarks: the prevailing wage floor (must clear it), the OES median for the SOC and area (a sanity check), and external salary data from sources like the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook or industry-specific surveys.
Common occupations covered by the calculator
The calculator returns prevailing wage data for every U.S. occupation in O*NET. Some of the most-searched roles have their own deep-dive guides covering the wage profile, top-paying metros, and visa filing context.
For occupations that don't have a dedicated guide yet, the calculator still returns the same DOL wage data, sourced from the same OES survey.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my O*NET code show a different SOC code for wages?
O*NET breaks several SOC occupations into more specific specialty roles using a “.XX” suffix. Blockchain Engineers (15-1299.07), for example, are an O*NET specialty under the broader SOC 15-1299 “Computer Occupations, All Other.” DOL only publishes prevailing wages at the 6-digit SOC level, so every O*NET specialty under the same parent SOC shares one set of wage figures. The calculator surfaces this automatically: when you pick a specialty, the wages shown are the parent SOC’s wages because that is what an LCA or PERM filing would use.
How long does a prevailing wage determination take?
PWDs requested through the FLAG system for PERM cases currently take around four to six months to issue. H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 LCAs do not require a separate PWD because the employer self-references the OES wage on the filing itself, which is certified by DOL within seven business days. PERM employers should plan recruitment and ETA-9089 timing around the PWD wait, since the official wage figure on the determination is what locks the case at the eventual I-140 and I-485 stages.
Can my employer pay above the prevailing wage?
Yes, and many do. The prevailing wage is a floor, not a ceiling. Employers in competitive industries like technology, finance, and healthcare regularly pay 20 to 40 percent above the OES median to attract talent. Paying above the prevailing wage has no negative effect on visa filings and can actually strengthen H-1B, H-1B1, E-3, H-2A, H-2B, and PERM cases by demonstrating competitive compensation. The only legal risk runs the other direction: paying below the prevailing wage on a sponsored role is a DOL certification violation.
What happens if an employer pays below the prevailing wage?
Paying below the prevailing wage on an H-1B, H-1B1, E-3, H-2A, H-2B, or PERM-sponsored role is a violation of the Labor Condition Application or the labor certification on file. DOL’s Wage and Hour Division can recover back wages, impose civil penalties, and debar the employer from the H-1B or PERM program for one to three years. For PERM-sponsored workers, paying below the certified wage can also jeopardize the I-140 and I-485 stages of the green card process.
What is the difference between an OES wage and an ACWIA wage?
OES is the standard prevailing wage source published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and used for almost every H-1B, H-1B1, E-3, H-2A, H-2B, and PERM filing. ACWIA wages are a separate dataset reserved for institutions of higher education, related nonprofit research organizations, and government research organizations under the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act. ACWIA wages are typically lower than OES wages because the academic salary market sits below the broader labor market. If your sponsor is a university or research nonprofit, the LCA may use ACWIA wages instead of OES.
Is this calculator official?
No. This is a free reference tool that pulls directly from the U.S. Department of Labor’s OES wage data. For the official wage required on a specific filing, use the DOL FLAG system at flag.dol.gov, where employers request a Prevailing Wage Determination (PWD) for PERM cases or look up the OES wage for an LCA. The figures shown here will match the OES wage source for the same SOC and area, but the official PWD for a PERM case is the only legally binding number.
About the Author
Founder & CEO @ Migrate Mate
I moved from Australia to the United States in 2023. I have had 3 jobs, and 3 different visas. I started Migrate Mate to help people like me find their dream job in the USA & help them get visa sponsorship.
