Prevailing Wage for Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other
Prevailing wage for Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other is set by the Department of Labor using regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys. DOL assigns four experience-based wage levels, and the floor varies significantly by worksite city, so the same title can carry very different minimums depending on where the job is located.
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Level 1 covers entry-level community and social service specialists with limited professional experience, typically recent graduates working under close supervision on routine casework or program support tasks with narrowly defined responsibilities.
Level 2 is the most common filing level for Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other. It reflects qualified professionals with some independent judgment, moderate experience in client services or program coordination, and limited supervisory responsibility.
Level 3 applies to experienced specialists who manage complex cases or programs with substantial autonomy, mentor junior staff, and bring advanced knowledge of community resources, policy frameworks, or specialized populations to their work.
Level 4 designates fully competent senior specialists or lead practitioners who set program direction, exercise independent authority over complex service decisions, and may supervise teams or shape organizational policy within their area of practice.
Prevailing Wage for Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other 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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Watch how nonprofit employers classify community specialist titles
Nonprofits and government contractors frequently file LCAs under adjacent SOC codes such as Social Workers or Health Educators. Verify your offer letter job title maps to SOC 21-1099 specifically, so the correct prevailing wage floor applies to your sponsored position.
Compare your offer against the L2 floor not the national median
Most employers file Community and Social Service Specialists at Level 2. An offer described as competitive may still sit below the L2 prevailing wage floor in your worksite city, which is the legally binding threshold for LCA certification, not the national or statewide figure.
Check Migrate Mate for employers with community specialist sponsorship history
Sponsorship for SOC 21-1099 roles is concentrated in a narrow set of employers. Migrate Mate shows which organizations have historically sponsored Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other, so you can prioritize outreach to verified sponsors rather than applying broadly.
Account for the wide metro wage gap in lower-paying markets
Wages for these specialists vary sharply across regions, with some metros paying well below the national median at every level. Confirm the prevailing wage for your specific worksite using the OFLC Wage Search before evaluating whether a salary offer is compliant.
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Find Jobs for this roleFrequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other?
DOL calculates prevailing wages for this occupation using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from employers across each metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area. The OFLC then publishes four wage levels derived from that regional survey data. Employers filing an LCA for a sponsored Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other position must pay at least the level that matches the role's actual experience requirements.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I figure out which one applies to my offer?
DOL's four levels correspond to increasing experience and autonomy. Level 1 is entry-level work under close supervision. Level 2 reflects independent but routine professional judgment. Level 3 covers complex, specialized, or senior casework. Level 4 applies to fully autonomous practitioners or those with lead responsibilities. Your level is determined by the duties in your job description, not your title. Review the OFLC's level definitions and compare them against what your offer letter actually requires you to do.
Why does the prevailing wage for this role vary so much from city to city?
DOL uses area-based Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys, so the wage floor reflects what employers in each specific labor market actually pay. Community and social service work is heavily influenced by local government funding, nonprofit budgets, and regional cost of living. The LCA must list the worksite address, and OFLC applies the wage for that metro or county, not a national or state average. That is why the same SOC 21-1099 position can carry a very different floor depending on whether the job is in a high-wage or low-wage market.
What happens if a sponsored job offer falls below the prevailing wage floor?
An employer cannot certify an LCA if the offered wage is below the applicable prevailing wage for the worksite and experience level. OFLC will reject or deny certification, which blocks the H-1B or other work visa petition from proceeding. USCIS also reviews LCA compliance during adjudication. If a wage deficiency is discovered after sponsorship begins, the employer faces back-pay liability and potential debarment from future sponsorship. You should not accept a sponsored offer that does not meet the prevailing wage floor.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool, which lets you look up the current DOL prevailing wage by SOC code, wage year, and metropolitan area. Search for SOC 21-1099 and select your worksite metro to see all four wage levels. Cross-check against O*NET for occupational context. If you want to see which employers have actively sponsored this role, Migrate Mate lists companies with verified sponsorship history so you can compare offers from employers already familiar with the LCA process.
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