Prevailing Wage for Athletic Trainers
Prevailing wage rates for Athletic Trainers are set by the DOL under SOC 29-9091, covering roles filed under titles like Certified Athletic Trainer and Athletic Instructor. DOL publishes four experience-based wage levels, and the floor for each level shifts significantly depending on the worksite city listed on the Labor Condition Application.
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Entry-level Athletic Trainers with limited professional experience, typically recent graduates or candidates in their first one to two years of practice. Scope is supervised, routine clinical tasks with close oversight from a senior practitioner or staff athletic trainer.
Qualified practitioners with two to four years of experience who work independently on standard cases. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Athletic Trainers, covering roles in collegiate athletic departments, outpatient clinics, and secondary school settings.
Experienced Athletic Trainers with a track record of independent clinical decision-making, specialized modality use, or oversight of junior staff. Roles in professional sports organizations, large university programs, or hospital-based sports medicine units commonly file at this level.
Fully competent senior practitioners in leadership or program-director roles, responsible for policy development, staff supervision, or multi-site program management. Head athletic trainer positions at Division I programs or professional leagues typically align with Level 4.
Prevailing Wage for Athletic Trainers 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
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See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Athletic Trainers and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Watch for title mismatches under SOC 29-9091
Postings labeled Personal Trainer or Athletic Lecturer may be filed under a different SOC, missing the Athletic Trainers prevailing wage floor entirely. Confirm your offer letter and LCA share the same job title and SOC 29-9091 before accepting.
Account for per diem and travel in your comp review
Many certified athletic trainer roles in professional sports and touring programs include per diem and travel stipends that DOL excludes from the prevailing wage calculation. Verify that your base salary alone clears the applicable wage level, not the combined package.
Identify which employers have sponsored Athletic Trainers before
Migrate Mate shows historical visa sponsorship counts by employer, so you can see which collegiate programs, sports medicine clinics, and hospital networks have actually sponsored Athletic Trainers rather than applying broadly to untested employers.
Recognize the wide metro gap in this occupation
The prevailing wage floor for Athletic Trainers varies more than most clinical occupations across cities. A Level 1 offer in a low-paying metro may fall far below what the same level commands in San Francisco or San Jose, so worksite location matters significantly at every experience level.
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Find Jobs for Athletic TrainersPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 29-9091.00 alongside Athletic Trainers, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Athletic Instructor Prevailing Wage
Athletic Instructor Prevailing Wage
Athletic Instructor positions fall under SOC 29-9091.00 (Athletic Trainers). 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.
Athletic Lecturer Prevailing Wage
Athletic Lecturer Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Athletic Lecturer for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 29-9091.00 (Athletic Trainers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Certified Athletic Trainer Prevailing Wage
Certified Athletic Trainer Prevailing Wage
Certified Athletic Trainer is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 29-9091.00 (Athletic Trainers). 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.
Personal Trainer Prevailing Wage
Personal Trainer Prevailing Wage
Personal Trainer positions fall under SOC 29-9091.00 (Athletic Trainers). 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.
Resident Athletic Trainer Prevailing Wage
Resident Athletic Trainer Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Resident Athletic Trainer for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 29-9091.00 (Athletic Trainers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Women's Athletic Trainer Prevailing Wage
Women's Athletic Trainer Prevailing Wage
Women's Athletic Trainer is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 29-9091.00 (Athletic Trainers). 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Athletic Trainers?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. For each area, DOL calculates four wage levels based on the distribution of wages reported for SOC 29-9091. The OFLC publishes these figures, and employers must pay at least the level matching the sponsored position's experience requirements on the certified LCA.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I identify mine?
Level 1 covers entry-level practice under supervision; Level 2 reflects independent work on standard cases and is the most common filing level for Athletic Trainers; Level 3 applies to experienced practitioners with specialized skills or some supervisory duties; Level 4 covers senior or program-director roles. OFLC and USCIS expect the level on the LCA to match the actual duties and required experience described in the job offer, not simply the candidate's total years of experience.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same Athletic Trainers role differ so much by city?
DOL conducts regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys separately for each metropolitan area, so wage floors reflect local labor market conditions rather than national averages. The LCA rule requires employers to list the actual worksite location, and the prevailing wage is pulled from that specific area's survey data. Markets with dense professional sports infrastructure or major university systems tend to show higher survey wages, while smaller metros report lower floors for the same experience level.
What happens if my job offer falls below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An employer cannot certify an LCA with OFLC if the offered wage is below the applicable prevailing wage level for the worksite area. If a discrepancy is found during USCIS adjudication or a DOL audit, the petition can be denied or revoked and the employer may face back-wage liability. Candidates should request a copy of the certified LCA to confirm the offered wage meets or exceeds the prevailing wage before the petition is filed.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Athletic Trainers in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool to look up SOC 29-9091 for the specific metropolitan area where you will work. Select the wage year that matches your LCA filing period, then confirm the level your employer selected corresponds to your actual duties. For finding employers that have sponsored Athletic Trainers in that city, Migrate Mate filters sponsored job listings by role and location so you can see active opportunities alongside employer sponsorship history.
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