Prevailing Wage for Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
Prevailing wage for Economics Teachers, Postsecondary (SOC 25-1063) is set by the DOL using regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys. Whether your offer letter says Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Economics Lecturer, the floor shifts by city and by one of four DOL experience levels. An offer below the applicable level may block LCA certification.
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Entry-level postsecondary economics instructors with limited independent teaching experience, typically in their first one to two years in an academic role. Work is performed under close supervision with narrowly defined course assignments and minimal independent curriculum development.
Qualified economics faculty with moderate classroom and research experience, usually two to five years. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Economics Teachers, Postsecondary, covering instructors who manage their own courses with general rather than close supervision.
Experienced faculty, often tenured or tenure-track Associate Professors, who hold significant independent research responsibilities, advise graduate students, and contribute to departmental curriculum and program decisions beyond standard course delivery.
Fully competent senior economics faculty, typically full Professors or endowed-chair holders, with a recognized research profile, major grant or publication records, and program leadership responsibilities that set standards for others in the department.
Prevailing Wage for Economics Teachers, Postsecondary 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 Economics Teachers, Postsecondary and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
Search visa-sponsored jobsPrevailing Wage Guide for Economics Teachers, Postsecondary
Confirm your SOC before the LCA is filed
Titles like Economics Lecturer or Adjunct Professor sometimes get filed under broader Education SOC codes instead of 25-1063, which can set a different wage floor. Verify the SOC on your employer's LCA draft before it reaches DOL certification.
Account for the academic salary structure trap
Many university offer letters quote a nine-month or ten-month base salary. DOL prevailing wage is annualized, so confirm whether your employer is comparing your full-year equivalent salary to the applicable level floor, not just the contract-period figure.
Watch the wage gap in low-paying academic metros
DOL data shows economics faculty wages in metros like Athens, GA and Salt Lake City, UT can sit well below coastal academic markets. If you are weighing offers across regions, the L2 floor alone can vary by tens of thousands of dollars annually.
Use Migrate Mate to find sponsored economics faculty roles
Migrate Mate shows which universities and colleges have actively sponsored Economics Teachers, Postsecondary visa positions before, including H-1B and green card filings. Filtering by employer sponsorship history narrows your search to institutions already familiar with the LCA process.
Jobs for Economics Teachers, Postsecondary are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for this rolePrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 25-1063.00 alongside Economics Teachers, Postsecondary, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Adjunct Professor Prevailing Wage
Adjunct Professor Prevailing Wage
Adjunct Professor positions fall under SOC 25-1063.00 (Economics Teachers, Postsecondary). 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.
Assistant Professor Prevailing Wage
Assistant Professor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Assistant Professor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 25-1063.00 (Economics Teachers, Postsecondary). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Associate Professor Prevailing Wage
Associate Professor Prevailing Wage
Associate Professor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 25-1063.00 (Economics Teachers, Postsecondary). 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.
Economics Instructor Prevailing Wage
Economics Instructor Prevailing Wage
Economics Instructor positions fall under SOC 25-1063.00 (Economics Teachers, Postsecondary). 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.
Economics Lecturer Prevailing Wage
Economics Lecturer Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Economics Lecturer for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 25-1063.00 (Economics Teachers, Postsecondary). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Economics Professor Prevailing Wage
Economics Professor Prevailing Wage
Economics Professor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 25-1063.00 (Economics Teachers, Postsecondary). 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.
Finance Professor Prevailing Wage
Finance Professor Prevailing Wage
Finance Professor positions fall under SOC 25-1063.00 (Economics Teachers, Postsecondary). 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.
Instructor Prevailing Wage
Instructor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Instructor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 25-1063.00 (Economics Teachers, Postsecondary). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Lecturer Prevailing Wage
Lecturer Prevailing Wage
Lecturer is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 25-1063.00 (Economics Teachers, Postsecondary). 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.
Professor Prevailing Wage
Professor Prevailing Wage
Professor positions fall under SOC 25-1063.00 (Economics Teachers, Postsecondary). 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Economics Teachers, Postsecondary?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data collected through regional employer surveys to establish four wage levels for each SOC code. For SOC 25-1063, the OFLC applies these survey results to the specific metropolitan area listed on the Labor Condition Application. The certified LCA wage then becomes the minimum the sponsoring employer must pay throughout the visa period.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to my offer?
Level 1 covers entry-level positions under close supervision. Level 2 applies to qualified workers with moderate experience and is the most common filing level for postsecondary economics faculty. Level 3 covers experienced professionals with significant independent responsibilities, and Level 4 applies to fully competent senior faculty. Your level should reflect your actual job duties, supervision received, and years of relevant experience, not just your title.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same economics faculty role vary so much by city?
DOL bases wage floors on regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys, so each metropolitan area produces its own wage distribution. A dense academic market like Boston or San Jose has higher survey wages than a smaller metro. The LCA worksite rule means the wage must match the city where you actually teach, not your employer's headquarters, so a university with campuses in multiple metros may file different LCA wages for each location.
What happens if my job offer falls below the prevailing wage floor for a sponsored position?
An employer cannot certify an LCA with USCIS or DOL if the offered wage is below the prevailing wage for the applicable level and worksite. If the offer is below the floor, the employer must either raise the salary to meet it or withdraw the sponsorship filing. An LCA certified with an inaccurate wage level can expose the employer to DOL audit and debarment, and USCIS may deny the underlying H-1B or other visa petition.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for an Economics Teachers, Postsecondary position in a specific U.S. city?
The OFLC Wage Search tool allows you to look up the current DOL prevailing wage for SOC 25-1063 by metropolitan area and wage level. Select the relevant area, enter the SOC code, and the tool returns all four level wages. For historical sponsorship context, Migrate Mate lets you filter by employer, location, and visa type to see which institutions have sponsored economics faculty positions before.
See which employers are hiring and sponsoring visas for Economics Teachers, Postsecondary right now.
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