Prevailing Wage for Community Health Workers
Prevailing wage for Community Health Workers, including roles filed under titles like Community Health Outreach Worker and Community Health Program Coordinator, is set by DOL using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data. DOL establishes four experience-based wage levels, and the floor for each level shifts considerably depending on the worksite city listed on the Labor Condition Application.
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Entry-level Community Health Workers with limited professional experience and close supervision. Typically recent graduates or those new to community outreach roles. Employers filing at Level 1 generally expect candidates to be learning standard protocols under direct guidance from senior staff.
Qualified workers with one to three years of community health experience who carry out assignments with moderate independence. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Community Health Workers, reflecting the practical fieldwork expectations most sponsoring employers describe in their LCA job duties.
Experienced Community Health Workers who apply specialized knowledge, handle complex cases, and may train or mentor junior staff. Employers filing here typically require demonstrable program coordination experience and a track record of working across healthcare or social service agency networks.
Fully competent workers at the senior or lead level, setting program direction and operating with significant autonomy. Level 4 filings for this occupation usually correspond to titles like Community Health Program Representative or roles with supervisory responsibility over other outreach workers.
Prevailing Wage for Community Health Workers 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 Community Health Workers and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Verify your title matches the SOC filing
Titles like Apprise Counselor or Community Health Promoter are legitimate O*NET alternates for SOC 21-1094, but some employers misfiled them under social work or health education SOC codes, setting a different wage floor. Confirm your offer letter title maps to 21-1094 before accepting.
Watch how nonprofits structure total compensation
Many community health employers are nonprofits or federally qualified health centers. They sometimes offset lower base salaries with grant-funded stipends or benefits. DOL prevailing wage compliance counts only wages, so stipends outside the base salary do not satisfy the floor.
Prioritize Bay Area and Connecticut metro postings
San Francisco and San Jose pay prevailing wages well above the national median at every level, and New Haven follows closely. If your profile fits urban outreach settings, targeting these metros materially improves the gap between the wage floor and market salary.
Use Migrate Mate to find sponsors with CHW history
Migrate Mate shows which employers have actually sponsored Community Health Workers before, filtered by visa type and location. Because sponsorship for this occupation clusters in hospital systems and large nonprofits, seeing historical counts by employer helps you focus on realistic targets.
Jobs for Community Health Workers are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for Community Health WorkersPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 21-1094.00 alongside Community Health Workers, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Apprise Counselor Prevailing Wage
Apprise Counselor Prevailing Wage
Apprise Counselor positions fall under SOC 21-1094.00 (Community Health Workers). 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.
Community Health Outreach Worker Prevailing Wage
Community Health Outreach Worker Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Community Health Outreach Worker for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 21-1094.00 (Community Health Workers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Community Health Program Coordinator Prevailing Wage
Community Health Program Coordinator Prevailing Wage
Community Health Program Coordinator is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 21-1094.00 (Community Health Workers). 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.
Community Health Program Representative (Community Health Program Rep) Prevailing Wage
Community Health Program Representative (Community Health Program Rep) Prevailing Wage
Community Health Program Representative (Community Health Program Rep) positions fall under SOC 21-1094.00 (Community Health Workers). 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.
Community Health Promoter Prevailing Wage
Community Health Promoter Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Community Health Promoter for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 21-1094.00 (Community Health Workers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Community Health Worker (CHW) Prevailing Wage
Community Health Worker (CHW) Prevailing Wage
Community Health Worker (CHW) is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 21-1094.00 (Community Health Workers). 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.
Community Nutrition Educator Prevailing Wage
Community Nutrition Educator Prevailing Wage
Community Nutrition Educator positions fall under SOC 21-1094.00 (Community Health Workers). 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.
HIV CTS Specialist (Human Immunodeficiency Virus Counseling and Testing Services Specialist) Prevailing Wage
HIV CTS Specialist (Human Immunodeficiency Virus Counseling and Testing Services Specialist) Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a HIV CTS Specialist (Human Immunodeficiency Virus Counseling and Testing Services Specialist) for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 21-1094.00 (Community Health Workers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Community Health Workers?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to establish four wage levels for each SOC occupation in every surveyed metro area. For Community Health Workers under SOC 21-1094, OFLC publishes the resulting figures in the OFLC Wage Search. Employers must pay at least the level that matches the position's duties and required experience when filing a Labor Condition Application.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to my offer?
The four levels reflect experience and autonomy. Level 1 covers entry-level work under close supervision; Level 2 reflects routine independent work and is the most common filing level for this occupation; Level 3 applies to experienced workers handling complex assignments; Level 4 is reserved for senior or lead roles. Compare the duties and supervision structure described in your offer letter against OFLC definitions to identify the appropriate level.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same Community Health Worker role vary so much by city?
DOL derives wages from regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys, so each metro area produces its own wage distribution. The employer must list the actual worksite city on the Labor Condition Application, and OFLC applies that metro's figures. Markets with dense hospital systems and higher costs of living, like San Francisco, produce higher survey wages, while smaller or lower-cost metros produce significantly lower floors for identical job duties.
What happens if my job offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An employer cannot certify a Labor Condition Application if the offered wage falls below the applicable prevailing wage. OFLC will reject or audit the LCA, blocking the H-1B or PERM filing from moving forward. If USCIS later discovers a wage violation during an audit, the employer may face back-pay liability and debarment from future sponsorship. The sponsored worker also risks status issues if the underlying LCA is invalid.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for a Community Health Worker position in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search, the official DOL tool, to look up current prevailing wages by SOC code 21-1094 and the specific worksite metro area. Select the wage year that matches the filing period your employer is using. For finding employers who have sponsored this role before and filtering by location and visa type, Migrate Mate lets you see historical sponsorship patterns by employer so you can identify which organizations are realistic sponsors in your target city.
See which employers are hiring and sponsoring visas for Community Health Workers right now.
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