Prevailing Wage for Compensation and Benefits Managers
Prevailing wage for Compensation and Benefits Managers is set by DOL using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data tied to the worksite location. Whether you hold a title like Benefits Director, Compensation Manager, or Benefits Coordinator, DOL assigns one of four experience levels, and the wage floor shifts substantially from city to city.
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Entry-level professionals with limited experience, typically performing defined compensation and benefits tasks under direct supervision. Positions at this level usually involve routine job evaluation, benefits enrollment support, or data entry within established pay structures and vendor frameworks.
Qualified professionals with moderate experience who apply established compensation methodologies and manage benefits programs with some independence. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Compensation and Benefits Managers, reflecting roles that own discrete program areas without full strategic authority.
Experienced managers who design and administer compensation structures or benefits programs enterprise-wide, often supervising analysts or coordinators. These professionals exercise considerable judgment, handle complex plan governance, and advise senior leadership with limited oversight.
Fully competent senior leaders setting total-rewards strategy across the organization. These professionals direct compensation philosophy, manage major vendor relationships, guide board-level executive compensation decisions, and may oversee a team of compensation and benefits specialists.
Prevailing Wage for Compensation and Benefits Managers 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 Compensation and Benefits Managers and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Watch how equity is excluded from the wage floor
DOL prevailing wage applies to base salary only. Employers sometimes present total compensation with equity grants or signing bonuses to justify a lower base, but RSUs and bonuses do not count toward meeting the prevailing wage floor on an LCA or PERM application.
Flag title-aliasing risk between SOC codes
Roles titled Benefits Coordinator or HR Business Partner are sometimes filed under HR Specialists (SOC 13-1071) rather than SOC 11-3111, carrying a lower prevailing wage. Confirm that your employer's LCA references the correct SOC before signing an offer.
Compare wages across tech-hub metros before accepting
The prevailing wage for this occupation in San Jose and Seattle is roughly double what it is in San Juan or Columbia. If your offer is in a high-cost tech market, the L2 wage floor reflects intense employer competition for total-rewards expertise, not just a cost-of-living adjustment.
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Migrate Mate shows which employers have a documented history of sponsoring Compensation and Benefits Managers specifically, so you can focus outreach on companies that have actually filed for this SOC rather than those with general H-1B activity.
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Find Jobs for this rolePrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 11-3111.00 alongside Compensation and Benefits Managers, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Benefits Coordinator Prevailing Wage
Benefits Coordinator Prevailing Wage
Benefits Coordinator positions fall under SOC 11-3111.00 (Compensation and Benefits Managers). 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.
Benefits Director Prevailing Wage
Benefits Director Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Benefits Director for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 11-3111.00 (Compensation and Benefits Managers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Benefits Manager Prevailing Wage
Benefits Manager Prevailing Wage
Benefits Manager is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 11-3111.00 (Compensation and Benefits Managers). 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.
Compensation and Benefits Director Prevailing Wage
Compensation and Benefits Director Prevailing Wage
Compensation and Benefits Director positions fall under SOC 11-3111.00 (Compensation and Benefits Managers). 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.
Compensation Director Prevailing Wage
Compensation Director Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Compensation Director for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 11-3111.00 (Compensation and Benefits Managers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Compensation Manager Prevailing Wage
Compensation Manager Prevailing Wage
Compensation Manager is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 11-3111.00 (Compensation and Benefits Managers). 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.
Employee Benefits Coordinator Prevailing Wage
Employee Benefits Coordinator Prevailing Wage
Employee Benefits Coordinator positions fall under SOC 11-3111.00 (Compensation and Benefits Managers). 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.
Employee Benefits Manager Prevailing Wage
Employee Benefits Manager Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Employee Benefits Manager for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 11-3111.00 (Compensation and Benefits Managers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Payroll Manager Prevailing Wage
Payroll Manager Prevailing Wage
Payroll Manager is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 11-3111.00 (Compensation and Benefits Managers). 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 Compensation and Benefits Managers?
DOL calculates prevailing wages using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For SOC 11-3111, OFLC assigns a wage based on the occupation's salary distribution in the worksite metropolitan area, divided into four levels. Employers filing an LCA must offer at least the level that matches the position's actual duties and required experience.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I identify mine?
Level 1 covers entry positions performing routine tasks under close supervision. Level 2 covers qualified professionals managing defined program areas with some independence and is the most common filing level for this occupation. Level 3 covers experienced managers with enterprise-wide responsibility. Level 4 covers senior leaders setting total-rewards strategy. Your level should match the actual duties, supervisory authority, and experience requirements described in the job posting, not just your personal background.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same role vary so much by city?
OFLC prevailing wages are built from regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys, so they reflect actual salaries paid in each metropolitan labor market. The LCA worksite rule requires the employer to use the wage for the city where work is physically performed, not headquarters. High-concentration tech and finance markets like San Jose and New York have dense employer competition for compensation expertise, which pushes local OES survey data significantly above the national median.
What happens if a sponsored offer is below the prevailing wage?
An LCA certified at a wage below the applicable prevailing wage is legally deficient. USCIS can deny the H-1B petition, and DOL can investigate the employer for back wages during an audit or complaint investigation. For PERM-based green card cases, OFLC will reject a job order or audit the application if the offered wage does not meet the prevailing wage determination. The employer bears responsibility, but the candidate's petition is the one that fails.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for a specific U.S. location?
The OFLC Wage Search tool lets you look up the current four-level prevailing wage for SOC 11-3111 in any metropolitan area where the work will be performed. Enter the occupation code and the worksite area to retrieve the DOL figures. For green card cases, the employer requests a formal Prevailing Wage Determination from OFLC, which locks in the required wage for that specific filing. Migrate Mate lets you filter Compensation and Benefits Manager listings by location so you can compare active offers against the DOL floor for that metro.
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