Prevailing Wage for Credit Counselors
Prevailing wage for Credit Counselors under SOC 13-2071 is set by the DOL using regional Occupational Employment Statistics surveys. Whether your offer is as an Accredited Financial Counselor, a Certified Consumer Credit and Housing Counselor, or a Certified Credit Counselor, DOL assigns one of four experience-based wage levels, and the floor varies considerably by city.
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Entry-level credit counselors with limited professional experience, typically recent graduates or those new to debt management or financial aid advising. Work is closely supervised with a narrow scope, generally following established procedures rather than exercising independent judgment.
Qualified counselors with a few years of experience handling debt management plans, budget counseling, or student financial aid packages with moderate autonomy. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Credit Counselors, reflecting the structured but practitioner-level nature of most sponsored roles.
Experienced counselors who independently manage complex cases, including bankruptcy counseling or mortgage advising, and may mentor junior staff. These professionals bring a broad working knowledge across multiple debt and credit service areas with minimal supervisory oversight.
Senior or lead Credit Counselors who set program standards, manage caseloads organization-wide, or oversee a team. Roles at this level often carry responsibility for compliance with NFCC or CFPB guidelines and require demonstrated expertise across the full range of credit and debt services.
Prevailing Wage for Credit Counselors 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 Credit Counselors and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Nonprofit credit counseling agencies, banks, and fintech lenders all sponsor Credit Counselors but often file at different wage levels. Nonprofit employers concentrated in lower-cost metros frequently file at Level 1 or 2, while bank-affiliated roles in major metros trend toward Level 3.
Watch how signing bonuses affect your floor
DOL prevailing wage compliance is measured against base salary only. A signing bonus or one-time incentive does not count toward meeting the Level 2 or Level 3 floor for a sponsored Credit Counselor role, so confirm your base offer clears the threshold independently.
Understand the Salt Lake City wage spread
Salt Lake City shows one of the widest Level 1-to-Level 4 wage spreads among metros with significant Credit Counselor employment. If your offer is positioned as entry-level there, confirm the DOL level on the LCA matches your actual duties before signing.
Find sponsors with a Credit Counselors history on Migrate Mate
Migrate Mate shows which employers have historically sponsored Credit Counselors for H-1B or green card status, so you can prioritize outreach to companies with a documented track record in this occupation rather than starting from a generic employer list.
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Find Jobs for Credit CounselorsPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 13-2071.00 alongside Credit Counselors, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Accredited Financial Counselor Prevailing Wage
Accredited Financial Counselor Prevailing Wage
Accredited Financial Counselor positions fall under SOC 13-2071.00 (Credit Counselors). 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.
Certified Consumer Credit and Housing Counselor Prevailing Wage
Certified Consumer Credit and Housing Counselor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Certified Consumer Credit and Housing Counselor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 13-2071.00 (Credit Counselors). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Certified Credit and Housing Counselor Prevailing Wage
Certified Credit and Housing Counselor Prevailing Wage
Certified Credit and Housing Counselor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 13-2071.00 (Credit Counselors). 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.
Certified Credit Consultant Prevailing Wage
Certified Credit Consultant Prevailing Wage
Certified Credit Consultant positions fall under SOC 13-2071.00 (Credit Counselors). 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.
Certified Credit Counselor Prevailing Wage
Certified Credit Counselor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Certified Credit Counselor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 13-2071.00 (Credit Counselors). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Financial Health Counselor Prevailing Wage
Financial Health Counselor Prevailing Wage
Financial Health Counselor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 13-2071.00 (Credit Counselors). 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.
Housing Counselor Prevailing Wage
Housing Counselor Prevailing Wage
Housing Counselor positions fall under SOC 13-2071.00 (Credit Counselors). 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.
Personal Finance Counselor Prevailing Wage
Personal Finance Counselor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Personal Finance Counselor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 13-2071.00 (Credit Counselors). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Credit Counselors?
DOL calculates prevailing wages for Credit Counselors using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across hundreds of metropolitan areas. OFLC applies those figures to the four-level wage grid. 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 mine?
DOL assigns wage levels based on experience, supervision, and complexity. Level 1 covers entry-level work under close supervision. Level 2 reflects qualified practitioners with some autonomy, and is the most common level for sponsored Credit Counselor roles. Level 3 applies to experienced counselors handling complex cases independently. Level 4 covers senior or lead professionals. The level on your LCA should match the actual duties described in your job offer.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same Credit Counselor role vary so much by city?
OFLC derives wage floors from regional BLS surveys, so local labor market conditions drive the figures. A Credit Counselor role in San Jose or San Francisco faces a significantly higher floor than the same title in Beaumont or Abilene because local wages reflect cost of labor in those markets. Critically, the prevailing wage is tied to the worksite listed on the LCA, not the employer's headquarters, so a remote arrangement with a worksite designation in a lower-wage metro uses that metro's figures.
What happens if a sponsored job offer falls below the prevailing wage for Credit Counselors?
An employer cannot lawfully file or certify an LCA at a wage below the applicable DOL prevailing wage for the role and worksite. If the offered salary falls short, USCIS can deny or revoke the H-1B petition. For PERM-based green card filings, DOL will reject an application where the offered wage does not meet the prevailing wage determination. The shortfall must be corrected before the petition advances.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Credit Counselors in a specific U.S. city?
The most direct method is the OFLC Wage Search tool, which lets you look up current DOL wage levels for SOC 13-2071 by metropolitan area. You can also review the O*NET occupation profile for context on the role classification. To find employers that have already sponsored Credit Counselors in your target location, Migrate Mate lets you filter by role and location and shows each employer's historical sponsorship activity.
See which employers are hiring and sponsoring visas for Credit Counselors right now.
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