Prevailing Wage for Electrical Engineers
Prevailing wage for Electrical Engineers, tracked under SOC 17-2071, is set by the DOL across four experience levels. Whether your offer is for a Design Engineer, Circuits Engineer, or Electrical Project Engineer role, the floor shifts by city, and a sponsored position must clear it. Levels and metro benchmarks vary widely.
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Entry-level filing for engineers with a bachelor's degree and limited independent experience, typically one to two years. Work is performed under close supervision with assignments following established procedures and well-defined parameters within a specific engineering discipline.
The most common filing level for Electrical Engineers on H-1B and E-3 petitions. Covers professionals with a few years of experience who apply standard techniques with some independence, handle moderately complex projects, and occasionally guide junior staff.
Applies to engineers with substantial hands-on experience who exercise independent judgment, lead design efforts, and handle complex or novel technical problems. Employers filing at this level typically expect candidates to mentor junior engineers and own project outcomes end-to-end.
Reserved for senior or principal engineers with broad expertise, significant independent authority, and a track record of shaping technical direction. Filing at Level 4 reflects roles that set standards, drive cross-functional decisions, and carry organization-wide engineering accountability.
Prevailing Wage for Electrical Engineers 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 Engineers and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Confirm your worksite city before comparing offers
For Electrical Engineers, the LCA must list the actual worksite, not headquarters. Field assignments at a manufacturing plant or substation can place you in a lower-wage metro, while a downtown tech campus commands a higher floor. Confirm the address on the LCA before evaluating any offer.
Watch for RSU and bonus exclusions in base pay
Many defense contractors and semiconductor firms structure compensation with equity, signing bonuses, and project bonuses that DOL excludes from prevailing wage calculations. Only guaranteed annual base salary counts toward the floor for Electrical Engineers, so compare base pay directly against the applicable level.
Flag title mismatches that shift your SOC code
Roles titled Controls Engineer or Electrical Controls Engineer are sometimes filed under a different SOC, such as industrial engineers, which carries a different wage floor. Verify that your job title maps to SOC 17-2071 and that the LCA reflects the correct occupation before signing an offer.
Find employers who have sponsored Electrical Engineers before
Migrate Mate filters job listings by visa type and shows each employer's historical sponsorship counts, so you can quickly identify which companies have actually sponsored Electrical Engineers rather than relying on self-reported claims in job postings.
Jobs for Electrical Engineers are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for Electrical EngineersPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 17-2071.00 alongside Electrical Engineers, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Circuits Engineer Prevailing Wage
Circuits Engineer Prevailing Wage
Circuits Engineer positions fall under SOC 17-2071.00 (Electrical Engineers). 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.
Design Engineer Prevailing Wage
Design Engineer Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Design Engineer for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 17-2071.00 (Electrical Engineers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Electrical Controls Engineer Prevailing Wage
Electrical Controls Engineer Prevailing Wage
Electrical Controls Engineer is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 17-2071.00 (Electrical Engineers). 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.
Electrical Design Engineer Prevailing Wage
Electrical Design Engineer Prevailing Wage
Electrical Design Engineer positions fall under SOC 17-2071.00 (Electrical Engineers). 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 Project Engineer Prevailing Wage
Electrical Project Engineer Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Electrical Project Engineer for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 17-2071.00 (Electrical Engineers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Engineer Prevailing Wage
Engineer Prevailing Wage
Engineer is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 17-2071.00 (Electrical Engineers). 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 Electrical Reliability Engineer (I&E Reliability Engineer) Prevailing Wage
Instrumentation and Electrical Reliability Engineer (I&E Reliability Engineer) Prevailing Wage
Instrumentation and Electrical Reliability Engineer (I&E Reliability Engineer) positions fall under SOC 17-2071.00 (Electrical Engineers). 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.
Project Engineer Prevailing Wage
Project Engineer Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Project Engineer for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 17-2071.00 (Electrical Engineers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Test Engineer Prevailing Wage
Test Engineer Prevailing Wage
Test Engineer is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 17-2071.00 (Electrical Engineers). 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 Electrical Engineers?
DOL derives prevailing wages for Electrical Engineers from Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. OFLC publishes the resulting wage data by SOC code and metropolitan area. Employers must pay at least the prevailing wage for the applicable experience level and worksite location when filing an LCA for a sponsored position.
What do the four wage levels mean, and how do I identify mine?
DOL assigns Level 1 to entry-level engineers under close supervision, Level 2 to qualified professionals applying standard techniques with some independence, Level 3 to experienced engineers exercising independent judgment on complex projects, and Level 4 to fully competent senior engineers setting technical direction. Your level should reflect the actual duties and supervision described in the job offer, not just your years of experience.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same Electrical Engineers role vary so much by city?
OFLC calculates wages from regional OES surveys, so the floor reflects local labor market conditions. Markets with dense concentrations of semiconductor, defense, or utilities employers, such as San Jose or San Francisco, push area wages significantly higher. The LCA must list the actual worksite address, so a posting in a lower-cost metro sets a lower floor regardless of where the employer is headquartered.
What happens if an employer offers a salary below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An employer cannot submit a certified LCA with a wage below the applicable prevailing wage. If they attempt to do so, DOL will not certify the application. If an underpayment is discovered after filing, USCIS may issue a Request for Evidence or deny the petition, and DOL can require back wages and bar the employer from future sponsorships.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Electrical Engineers in a specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search to look up SOC 17-2071 by metropolitan area or county. Select the correct area and experience level to see the current floor. For finding employers actively sponsoring Electrical Engineers in your target city, Migrate Mate lists vetted roles by location and shows which employers have sponsored the occupation previously, giving you a starting point for negotiation.
See which employers are hiring and sponsoring visas for Electrical Engineers right now.
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