Prevailing Wage for Commercial and Industrial Designers
Prevailing wage for Commercial and Industrial Designers is set by the DOL across four experience levels, from entry-level Designer to fully competent Industrial Designer. Whether your offer is titled Design Engineer, Product Design Engineer, or another variant, the wage floor shifts significantly by city, so location matters as much as title.
See all jobs for this roleLook up your work address
Entry-level designers with limited professional experience, typically under two years. Work is closely supervised, assignments are routine, and the scope covers standard design tasks without independent judgment on complex product development decisions.
Qualified designers with two or more years of hands-on experience applying established methods. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Commercial and Industrial Designers, covering professionals who work independently on defined product design projects.
Experienced designers who lead complex projects, mentor junior staff, and contribute specialized expertise in areas such as materials selection, manufacturing integration, or user research. Limited supervision required; scope regularly includes cross-functional coordination.
Fully competent senior designers or leads who set technical direction, manage design systems, and exercise independent judgment on ambiguous product problems. Often involves managing other designers or owning an entire product category end to end.
Prevailing Wage for Commercial and Industrial Designers 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 Commercial and Industrial Designers and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
Search visa-sponsored jobsPrevailing Wage Guide for Commercial and Industrial Designers
Verify your title maps to SOC 27-1021
Titles like Mechanical Designer or Mold Designer sometimes get filed under engineering SOC codes instead of 27-1021. If your LCA lists a different SOC, the prevailing wage floor and wage level can differ significantly from what DOL sets for Commercial and Industrial Designers.
Exclude equity and bonuses before comparing offers
RSUs, profit-sharing, and signing bonuses typically don't count toward the prevailing wage floor under DOL rules. For product design roles at consumer electronics or automotive firms, these non-cash components can be large; your base salary alone must clear the floor.
Watch the gap between top and bottom metro floors
The L1 floor in San Jose runs more than double the L1 floor in Waco. If your offer is remote but your LCA lists a low-wage worksite, the lower city floor applies even if the company is headquartered in a high-wage metro.
Use Migrate Mate to find sponsors for design roles
Migrate Mate shows which employers have historically sponsored Commercial and Industrial Designers, including Industrial Designer and Design Engineer titles, so you can prioritize companies with a proven track record before applying.
Jobs for Commercial and Industrial Designers are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for this rolePrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 27-1021.00 alongside Commercial and Industrial Designers, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Design Engineer Prevailing Wage
Design Engineer Prevailing Wage
Design Engineer positions fall under SOC 27-1021.00 (Commercial and Industrial Designers). 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.
Designer Prevailing Wage
Designer Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Designer for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 27-1021.00 (Commercial and Industrial Designers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Industrial Designer Prevailing Wage
Industrial Designer Prevailing Wage
Industrial Designer is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 27-1021.00 (Commercial and Industrial Designers). 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.
Mechanical Designer Prevailing Wage
Mechanical Designer Prevailing Wage
Mechanical Designer positions fall under SOC 27-1021.00 (Commercial and Industrial Designers). 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.
Mold Designer Prevailing Wage
Mold Designer Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Mold Designer for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 27-1021.00 (Commercial and Industrial Designers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Product Design Engineer Prevailing Wage
Product Design Engineer Prevailing Wage
Product Design Engineer is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 27-1021.00 (Commercial and Industrial Designers). 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.
Product Designer Prevailing Wage
Product Designer Prevailing Wage
Product Designer positions fall under SOC 27-1021.00 (Commercial and Industrial Designers). 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.
Product Development Engineer Prevailing Wage
Product Development Engineer Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Product Development Engineer for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 27-1021.00 (Commercial and Industrial Designers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Sign Designer Prevailing Wage
Sign Designer Prevailing Wage
Sign Designer is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 27-1021.00 (Commercial and Industrial Designers). 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 Commercial and Industrial Designers?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across hundreds of metropolitan areas. For SOC 27-1021, OFLC converts those regional medians into four wage levels using a fixed percentile formula. Employers filing an LCA for a sponsored designer must offer at least the level that matches the position's actual duties and experience requirements.
What do the four wage levels mean, and how do I know which one applies to me?
Level 1 covers entry roles with routine tasks and close supervision. Level 2 covers qualified professionals working independently on defined projects. Level 3 applies to experienced designers leading complex work or mentoring others. Level 4 covers senior and lead designers setting technical direction. Your level is determined by the duties in the LCA, not your job title. Review the position description your employer submits to OFLC to confirm it matches your actual scope of work.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same design role vary so much by city?
OFLC bases wage floors on regional OES surveys, which reflect local employer pay practices. Dense employer markets like San Jose, where consumer electronics and automotive design firms concentrate, produce higher survey medians than smaller metros. The LCA must list the actual worksite address, and that city's wage floor applies regardless of where the company is headquartered or what it pays employees in other locations.
What happens if my job offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
DOL will not certify an LCA where the offered wage falls below the prevailing wage for the listed worksite and SOC code. USCIS can also deny the H-1B or other visa petition if the LCA wage is deficient. If the offer is below the floor, the employer must either increase the salary before filing or reclassify the role to a level whose floor the offered salary meets.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for a Commercial and Industrial Designers position in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool, which lets you look up the current DOL wage by SOC code and metropolitan area. Select SOC 27-1021 and enter the worksite metro to see the L1 through L4 floors. You can also cross-reference with the O*NET occupation profile for job zone and duties context. Migrate Mate lets you filter sponsored designer listings by location and see which employers have filed for this role before, giving you a real-world reference point alongside the official floor.
See which employers are hiring and sponsoring visas for Commercial and Industrial Designers right now.
Search Jobs for this role