Prevailing Wage for Anesthesiologists
Prevailing wage requirements for Anesthesiologists under SOC 29-1211 apply to H-1B, E-3, and green card sponsorship cases. DOL sets four experience-based wage levels for this occupation, covering roles filed as Staff Anesthesiologist, Obstetrical Anesthesiologist, or Medical Doctor (MD). The floor varies meaningfully by metro area, so where the worksite sits determines which wage applies.
See all jobs for AnesthesiologistsLook up your work address
Level 1 covers entry-level anesthesiologists with limited post-residency or post-fellowship experience, typically performing routine cases under closer supervision. Employers filing here are usually sponsoring candidates immediately out of training with a narrowly defined scope of practice.
Level 2 is the most common filing level for anesthesiologists. It covers qualified practitioners who manage a full case mix independently. Most community hospital and ambulatory surgery center sponsorships, including staff anesthesiologist roles, land here.
Level 3 applies to experienced anesthesiologists who handle complex subspecialty cases, lead quality initiatives, or carry supervisory responsibilities over CRNAs or residents. Employers filing at this level typically operate academic medical centers or high-acuity tertiary care facilities.
Level 4 is reserved for fully competent senior anesthesiologists in leadership or program-director roles. These positions involve setting departmental protocols, overseeing large care teams, and are most commonly filed by major academic health systems.
Prevailing Wage for Anesthesiologists by OES area
Each shape is a DOL OES area, the unit prevailing wage is published for.
What’s an OES area?
The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wages for geographic zones called OES areas. Every U.S. county belongs to exactly one, and the wage floor applies across the whole area. A worker in Oakland gets the San Francisco metro wage, not a separate Oakland wage.
Top 10 cities · Level 1
See all jobs for Anesthesiologists
See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Anesthesiologists and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
Search visa-sponsored jobsPrevailing Wage Guide for Anesthesiologists
Confirm your fellowship subspecialty changes your level
Obstetrical or cardiac fellowship training often pushes a filing from Level 2 to Level 3. Employers sometimes default to Level 2 regardless, so verify the posted wage reflects your subspecialty scope before signing.
Watch how signing bonuses affect your base wage
Anesthesiologist offers frequently include large signing bonuses. DOL prevailing wage compliance uses annualized base salary only. A signing bonus amortized into base pay on the LCA does not satisfy the wage floor calculation.
Check whether your hospital system uses locum billing
Some health systems sponsor anesthesiologists through staffing intermediaries rather than directly. The worksite address on the LCA must match where you actually practice. A mismatch between the billing entity and the operating room location can invalidate the filing.
Search Migrate Mate for employers who have sponsored anesthesiologists before
Anesthesiology sponsorship is concentrated among large health systems and academic hospitals. Migrate Mate shows which specific employers have H-1B filing history for this occupation, saving time over cold-contacting facilities with no sponsorship track record.
Jobs for Anesthesiologists are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for AnesthesiologistsPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 29-1211.00 alongside Anesthesiologists, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Medical Doctor (MD) Prevailing Wage
Medical Doctor (MD) Prevailing Wage
Medical Doctor (MD) positions fall under SOC 29-1211.00 (Anesthesiologists). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Obstetrical Anesthesiologist Prevailing Wage
Obstetrical Anesthesiologist Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Obstetrical Anesthesiologist for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 29-1211.00 (Anesthesiologists). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Staff Anesthesiologist Prevailing Wage
Staff Anesthesiologist Prevailing Wage
Staff Anesthesiologist is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 29-1211.00 (Anesthesiologists). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Staff Anesthetist Prevailing Wage
Staff Anesthetist Prevailing Wage
Staff Anesthetist positions fall under SOC 29-1211.00 (Anesthesiologists). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for anesthesiologists?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics through employer surveys across each metro area. For anesthesiologists under SOC 29-1211, OFLC converts those survey results into four wage levels. Employers must request a prevailing wage determination from OFLC before filing an LCA, and the certified wage becomes the floor that the actual offered salary must meet or exceed.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to me?
DOL assigns levels based on experience, supervision, and complexity of work. Level 1 is entry-level post-training, Level 2 covers independent practitioners handling a full case mix, Level 3 reflects subspecialty expertise or supervisory duties, and Level 4 applies to senior leadership roles. Your level should match your actual job duties and responsibilities as described on the LCA, not simply your years since graduation.
Why does the prevailing wage for this role vary so much from city to city?
OFLC calculates wages from regional OES surveys, so the prevailing wage reflects local labor market conditions in each metro area. The LCA rule requires employers to use the wage for the specific worksite city, not a national average. Markets with dense hospital competition or high cost of living produce higher survey benchmarks, which is why the floor in one metro can differ substantially from another for the identical role and level.
What happens if an employer offers a salary below the prevailing wage for a sponsored anesthesiologist position?
An offer below the certified prevailing wage means the LCA cannot be lawfully certified by DOL, blocking the H-1B or green card petition entirely. If a deficiency is discovered after filing, USCIS can issue a request for evidence or deny the petition. Employers found to have willfully underpaid sponsored workers face debarment from future sponsorships and back-wage liability under DOL enforcement authority.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for anesthesiologists at a specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool to look up the current prevailing wage for SOC 29-1211 in the metro area where the job is located. Enter the occupation code and the worksite area to retrieve all four wage levels. Cross-check against recent LCA disclosure data from OFLC to see what nearby employers have actually certified. If the worksite falls in a rural area not covered by a metro survey, OFLC applies a statewide average instead.
See which employers are hiring and sponsoring visas for Anesthesiologists right now.
Search Jobs for Anesthesiologists