Prevailing Wage for Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay
Prevailing wage floors for Electrical Technician roles (SOC 49-2095) are set by DOL using regional wage surveys, covering titles from Relay Technician to Electrical and Instrumentation Technician (E and I Technician). DOL publishes four experience levels for this occupation, and the floor varies significantly by city, so your offer location matters as much as your title.
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Level 1 covers entry-level hires with limited experience in substation or relay work, typically supervised closely on routine inspection and maintenance tasks. Candidates straight out of apprenticeship programs or with fewer than two years of hands-on powerhouse experience generally fall here.
Level 2 is the most common filing level for this occupation. It applies to qualified technicians who work independently on standard substation and relay maintenance, have two or more years of field experience, and require only occasional guidance on non-routine repairs.
Level 3 covers experienced technicians who handle complex relay testing, troubleshoot multi-system faults with minimal supervision, and may coordinate with project engineers. Candidates with five or more years in high-voltage environments or advanced certifications typically support this level.
Level 4 applies to fully competent senior technicians or lead roles responsible for protection system design review, mentoring junior staff, and independent authority over major substation or relay upgrades. This level requires demonstrated mastery across generation, transmission, and distribution systems.
Prevailing Wage for Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay 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 Electrical Technician and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Confirm your worksite utility type affects level
Electrical technicians placed at investor-owned utilities, rural electric cooperatives, or independent power producers often file at different levels for equivalent duties. The employer category shapes both the SOC filing and the wage level, so verify which entity your LCA names as the worksite operator.
Watch how overtime and standby pay are excluded
Base salary is the prevailing wage benchmark for this occupation. Standby pay, hazard pay, and on-call premiums common in substation work do not count toward meeting the DOL wage floor. Confirm your base salary clears the prevailing wage before factoring any shift differentials.
Check whether a contractor title triggers a different SOC
Relay Technician and Instrument and Control Technician roles are sometimes filed under an electrical contractor SOC rather than SOC 49-2095, which carries a different wage floor. If your offer letter title diverges from the LCA job title, confirm the SOC code directly with your employer before signing.
Search Migrate Mate for employers with relay sponsorship history
Migrate Mate lists jobs from employers verified as visa sponsors and shows which companies have actually sponsored this occupation before, filtered by visa type. That history is useful when evaluating whether a utility or contractor is set up to handle your sponsorship without delays.
Jobs for Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for Electrical TechnicianPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 49-2095.00 alongside Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Electrical and Instrumentation Technician (E and I Technician) Prevailing Wage
Electrical and Instrumentation Technician (E and I Technician) Prevailing Wage
Electrical and Instrumentation Technician (E and I Technician) positions fall under SOC 49-2095.00 (Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay). 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.
Electrical Technician Prevailing Wage
Electrical Technician Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Electrical Technician for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 49-2095.00 (Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Instrument and Control Technician (I and C Technician) Prevailing Wage
Instrument and Control Technician (I and C Technician) Prevailing Wage
Instrument and Control Technician (I and C Technician) is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 49-2095.00 (Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay). 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.
Instrumentation and Control Technician (I and C Technician) Prevailing Wage
Instrumentation and Control Technician (I and C Technician) Prevailing Wage
Instrumentation and Control Technician (I and C Technician) positions fall under SOC 49-2095.00 (Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay). 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.
Relay Technician Prevailing Wage
Relay Technician Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Relay Technician for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 49-2095.00 (Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Substation Electrician Prevailing Wage
Substation Electrician Prevailing Wage
Substation Electrician is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 49-2095.00 (Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay). 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.
Substation Mechanic Prevailing Wage
Substation Mechanic Prevailing Wage
Substation Mechanic positions fall under SOC 49-2095.00 (Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay). 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.
Substation Technician Prevailing Wage
Substation Technician Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Substation Technician for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 49-2095.00 (Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Substation Wireman Prevailing Wage
Substation Wireman Prevailing Wage
Substation Wireman is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 49-2095.00 (Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay). 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.
Wireman Prevailing Wage
Wireman Prevailing Wage
Wireman positions fall under SOC 49-2095.00 (Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay). 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 Electrical Technician positions?
DOL calculates prevailing wages using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For each metro area, BLS surveys employers in the utilities and electrical maintenance sectors to establish four wage levels. OFLC publishes these figures annually, and employers must use the applicable metro rate when filing an LCA for a sponsored Electrical Technician.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I identify mine?
DOL's four levels reflect experience and independence. Level 1 is entry-level with close supervision. Level 2 covers independent performance of standard substation or relay duties and is the most common filing level for this occupation. Level 3 applies to experienced technicians handling complex systems. Level 4 is reserved for senior or lead roles. Your employer selects the level that matches the actual job duties on the LCA, not your resume title.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same Electrical Technician role vary so much by city?
OFLC bases each metro's floor on regional BLS wage surveys, which reflect local labor market conditions. Anchorage and California metros like Visalia and San Jose consistently produce higher floors because utility industry concentration and unionization rates drive up local wages. The LCA must list the actual worksite city, so even if your employer is headquartered elsewhere, the wage floor is anchored to where you physically work.
What happens if my job offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An employer cannot certify an LCA with USCIS or DOL if the offered wage falls below the prevailing wage floor for the worksite location and wage level. USCIS will deny the H-1B petition, and OFLC can revoke LCA certification if violations are found post-approval. The employer is legally required to pay at least the prevailing wage for the duration of the sponsored period. Accepting a verbal offer below the floor does not create a compliant filing.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for a specific Electrical Technician location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool to look up SOC 49-2095 for your specific metro area. Select the correct wage year and worksite area to pull all four level rates. Cross-check with O*NET to confirm that your job duties align with this SOC before relying on those figures. If you want to see which employers have historically sponsored this role in a particular region, Migrate Mate filters listed jobs by visa type and location.
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