Prevailing Wage for Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers
Prevailing wages for Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers are set by DOL under SOC 51-2021, covering roles from Coil Winder and Armature Winder to Auto-Winder and Hand Winder. DOL assigns four experience levels, each with a separate wage floor, and the applicable rate depends on your worksite city, making location one of the most important variables in any sponsored offer.
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Level 1 covers entry-level coil winding positions where the worker follows precise instructions under close supervision, typically with less than two years of hands-on winding or taping experience and no independent setup responsibility.
Level 2 applies to qualified coil winders who work with moderate supervision, handle standard winding configurations independently, and bring roughly two to four years of relevant production experience. This is the most common filing level for Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers.
Level 3 reflects experienced winders who troubleshoot equipment, interpret complex winding specifications, and mentor junior staff. Workers at this level typically have four or more years of occupation-specific experience and exercise significant independent judgment.
Level 4 applies to fully competent lead or senior winders who set production standards, handle custom or prototype coil assemblies, and may oversee a winding team. This level requires broad, deep mastery across winding, taping, and finishing operations.
Prevailing Wage for Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers 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 Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
Search visa-sponsored jobsPrevailing Wage Guide for Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers
Verify your level against winding setup duties
Employers sometimes file coil winding roles at Level 1 even when the position requires independent equipment setup or reading complex winding diagrams. If your offer includes those duties, Level 2 is the appropriate floor and the wage difference can be meaningful.
Watch for low-floor metros in the Midwest
Grand Rapids, MI posts one of the lowest prevailing wage floors for this occupation across all four levels. If a job offer is in that metro, your negotiating baseline differs significantly from offers in Albany, NY or Atlanta, GA, which sit near the top of the range.
Confirm the LCA worksite matches your actual location
Coil winding roles sometimes involve production shifts between facilities or contract manufacturing sites. DOL requires the prevailing wage to reflect the actual worksite address on the LCA, not the employer's headquarters. A mismatch can create compliance problems at adjudication.
Use Migrate Mate to find employers sponsoring winding roles
Migrate Mate shows which manufacturers and electrical component companies have historically sponsored coil winding and armature winding positions, so you can focus your search on employers already familiar with DOL filing requirements for this occupation.
Jobs for Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for this rolePrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 51-2021.00 alongside Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Armature Winder Prevailing Wage
Armature Winder Prevailing Wage
Armature Winder positions fall under SOC 51-2021.00 (Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers). 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.
Auto-Winder Prevailing Wage
Auto-Winder Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Auto-Winder for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 51-2021.00 (Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Coil Finisher Prevailing Wage
Coil Finisher Prevailing Wage
Coil Finisher is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 51-2021.00 (Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers). 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.
Coil Winder Prevailing Wage
Coil Winder Prevailing Wage
Coil Winder positions fall under SOC 51-2021.00 (Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers). 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.
Hand Winder Prevailing Wage
Hand Winder Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Hand Winder for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 51-2021.00 (Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Motor Winder Prevailing Wage
Motor Winder Prevailing Wage
Motor Winder is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 51-2021.00 (Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers). 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.
Winder Prevailing Wage
Winder Prevailing Wage
Winder positions fall under SOC 51-2021.00 (Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers). 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.
Winder Operator Prevailing Wage
Winder Operator Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Winder Operator for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 51-2021.00 (Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers?
DOL calculates prevailing wages using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. For each area, DOL derives four wage levels tied to the regional wage distribution for SOC 51-2021. Employers must certify on the Labor Condition Application that they will pay at least the applicable level wage for the worksite location.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I identify which one applies to me?
Level 1 is entry-level with close supervision. Level 2 is qualified and independent on standard tasks. Level 3 is experienced with troubleshooting and mentoring responsibilities. Level 4 is fully competent, often in a lead or senior capacity. Your level should reflect your actual job duties and autonomy, not just your years of experience. USCIS and OFLC both scrutinize mismatches between the filed level and the job description.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same coil winding role vary so much by city?
DOL sets wages using regional OES survey data, so each metropolitan area produces its own wage distribution. Albany, NY sits near the top for this occupation while Grand Rapids, MI and Binghamton, NY sit near the bottom. The LCA must reflect the worksite city, not the employer's home office. Dense manufacturing markets with higher local wages drive up the floor; lower-cost production regions set a lower minimum.
What happens if an employer offers a salary below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An offer below the prevailing wage creates a problem at the LCA stage before the petition even reaches USCIS. DOL will not certify an LCA where the stated wage falls below the applicable level floor. If an LCA is certified with a wage that later proves non-compliant, OFLC can initiate an investigation and back-pay may be owed. You should not accept a sponsored offer below the DOL floor for your level and worksite.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for a specific coil winding job location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool on the DOL website to look up SOC 51-2021 wages by metropolitan area. Select the correct area for the worksite listed in your offer letter. Cross-check the level with your job duties. If you want to see which employers have sponsored this role historically and filter by location, Migrate Mate lists companies with prior coil winding sponsorship history so you can evaluate offers with more context.
See which employers are hiring and sponsoring visas for Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers right now.
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