Prevailing Wage for Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators
The prevailing wage for Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators (SOC 13-1031) sets the minimum a U.S. employer must pay to sponsor a Claims Adjuster, Claims Analyst, or Claims Examiner on an H-1B, E-3, or green card petition. DOL publishes four experience-based wage levels, and the floor shifts considerably depending on the worksite city.
See all jobs for this roleLook up your work address
Level 1 covers entry-level Claims Adjusters working under close supervision with limited independent judgment. Candidates typically hold a relevant bachelor's degree and have minimal professional claims experience, performing routine reviews according to established guidelines.
Level 2 is the most common filing level for Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators. It covers qualified professionals who handle a standard caseload independently, apply working knowledge of claims procedures, and exercise moderate judgment without continuous oversight.
Level 3 applies to experienced Claims Specialists and Claims Representatives who manage complex or high-value claims, mentor junior staff, and regularly interpret policy to resolve non-routine situations. Several years of demonstrated specialty-claims experience typically supports this level.
Level 4 is reserved for fully competent senior examiners and lead investigators whose specialized expertise sets industry or departmental standards. These professionals exercise independent authority on contested claims, litigation strategy involvement, and cross-functional process improvements.
Prevailing Wage for Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators 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 this role
See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for this role and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
Search visa-sponsored jobsPrevailing Wage Guide for Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators
Watch the title-to-SOC mismatch trap
Employers sometimes file H-1B petitions for claims roles under broader management or financial analyst SOC codes, which carry different wage floors. Confirm your offer letter title aligns with SOC 13-1031 before accepting, so you are benchmarking against the correct prevailing wage.
Account for bonus exclusions in insurance claims roles
Carriers and third-party administrators frequently structure comp with production bonuses and loss-ratio incentive pay. DOL counts only guaranteed base salary toward the prevailing wage floor, so a competitive total-comp offer can still fall short if the base sits below the applicable level.
Prioritize California metros when negotiating
San Jose, Salinas, Merced, and San Francisco consistently post the highest prevailing wages for this occupation nationally. If you have flexibility on location, offers in these metros carry a materially higher DOL floor, which anchors your negotiating position from the start.
Find employers with proven sponsorship history on Migrate Mate
Carriers and self-insured employers vary widely in H-1B and green card sponsorship activity for claims roles. Migrate Mate shows which employers have sponsored Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators before, so you can focus applications on companies with a real track record.
Jobs for Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for this rolePrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 13-1031.00 alongside Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Claims Adjuster Prevailing Wage
Claims Adjuster Prevailing Wage
Claims Adjuster positions fall under SOC 13-1031.00 (Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators). 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.
Claims Analyst Prevailing Wage
Claims Analyst Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Claims Analyst for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 13-1031.00 (Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Claims Examiner Prevailing Wage
Claims Examiner Prevailing Wage
Claims Examiner is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 13-1031.00 (Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators). 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.
Claims Representative Prevailing Wage
Claims Representative Prevailing Wage
Claims Representative positions fall under SOC 13-1031.00 (Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators). 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.
Claims Specialist Prevailing Wage
Claims Specialist Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Claims Specialist for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 13-1031.00 (Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Corporate Claims Examiner Prevailing Wage
Corporate Claims Examiner Prevailing Wage
Corporate Claims Examiner is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 13-1031.00 (Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators). 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.
Field Claims Adjuster Prevailing Wage
Field Claims Adjuster Prevailing Wage
Field Claims Adjuster positions fall under SOC 13-1031.00 (Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators). 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.
General Adjuster Prevailing Wage
General Adjuster Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a General Adjuster for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 13-1031.00 (Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Home Office Claims Specialist Prevailing Wage
Home Office Claims Specialist Prevailing Wage
Home Office Claims Specialist is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 13-1031.00 (Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators). 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.
Litigation Claims Representative Prevailing Wage
Litigation Claims Representative Prevailing Wage
Litigation Claims Representative positions fall under SOC 13-1031.00 (Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators). 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 Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators?
DOL calculates prevailing wages for SOC 13-1031 using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. OFLC publishes four wage levels derived from that data. Employers must certify on an LCA that the offered wage meets or exceeds the applicable level for the worksite location before USCIS will approve a sponsored visa petition.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I identify which one applies to my offer?
DOL defines the four levels by experience and supervisory complexity. Level 1 is entry-level with close supervision. Level 2 is independent but routine work. Level 3 involves complex claims and some leadership. Level 4 reflects top-of-field expertise with broad authority. Your employer selects the level when filing the LCA, so ask for the LCA or the prevailing wage determination to confirm which level was filed and whether it matches your actual job duties.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same claims role vary so much city to city?
OFLC derives wages from regional BLS surveys, so local labor market conditions drive the figures. A Claims Examiner role in San Jose reflects the competitive Bay Area insurance and tech-adjacent employer market, while the same title in San Juan, PR reflects a much smaller, lower-cost market. The LCA must list the actual worksite address, so remote workers working from a low-wage metro cannot be paid at a high-wage metro rate simply because the employer is headquartered there.
What happens if a job offer for a sponsored position is below the prevailing wage?
An offer below the DOL prevailing wage for the filed SOC and worksite means the employer cannot certify a valid LCA. Without a certified LCA, USCIS will not approve the H-1B or other sponsored petition. If a deficiency is discovered after filing, USCIS may issue a Request for Evidence or denial. The employer must either raise the offered wage to meet the floor or correct the SOC classification before the petition can proceed.
How can I find and verify the prevailing wage for a specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool to look up SOC 13-1031 wages by metropolitan area or county. Select the survey year that matches your expected filing date, enter the worksite location, and compare the result against your offered salary at the appropriate experience level. O*NET also provides occupational context for the role. For identifying which employers actively sponsor this occupation, Migrate Mate lets you filter by role and location to see companies with a documented H-1B or green card sponsorship history.
See which employers are hiring and sponsoring visas for Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators right now.
Search Jobs for this role