Prevailing Wage for Financial and Investment Analysts
Prevailing wage requirements for Financial and Investment Analysts are set by DOL under SOC 13-2051, covering roles commonly titled Financial Analyst, Investment Analyst, Equity Research Analyst, and Planning Analyst. DOL assigns four experience-based levels, and the wage floor shifts considerably by city, so where your employer lists the worksite on the LCA determines which local rate applies.
See all jobs for this roleLook up your work address
Entry-level analysts with limited professional experience, typically recent graduates working under direct supervision on routine data gathering, financial modeling support, or standardized reporting tasks. Little independent judgment is expected at this stage.
Qualified analysts with some years of applied experience who handle moderately complex assignments with general supervision. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Financial and Investment Analysts, covering roles with defined scope but growing analytical autonomy.
Experienced analysts who work independently on complex valuations, investment program assessments, or multi-variable financial models. They may guide junior staff and are expected to apply specialized judgment without routine supervision.
Fully competent senior professionals setting analytical methodology, leading cross-functional projects, or managing investment research teams. These roles involve the highest scope of independent judgment and are often titled Senior Analyst, Lead Analyst, or equivalent.
Prevailing Wage for Financial and Investment Analysts 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
See all jobs for this role
See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Financial and Investment Analysts and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
Search visa-sponsored jobsPrevailing Wage Guide for Financial and Investment Analysts
Watch how bonus and equity comp affects your floor
DOL prevailing wage covers base salary only. RSU grants, annual performance bonuses, and signing bonuses amortized across tenure do not count toward meeting the wage floor, so an offer with a high total-comp figure can still fall short on base alone.
Flag title-aliasing risks in finance job postings
Titles like Credit Products Officer or Planning Analyst sometimes get filed under broader management or business-operations SOC codes instead of SOC 13-2051, placing the petition outside the Financial and Investment Analysts wage floor entirely. Confirm the SOC on the LCA before accepting an offer.
Check metro variance before comparing competing offers
The L1 floor in San Jose exceeds the L4 floor in San Juan by a wide margin. When weighing competing offers in different cities, compare each offer against the local prevailing wage for that worksite rather than the national median.
Use Migrate Mate to find employers with analyst sponsorship history
Migrate Mate shows which employers have historically sponsored Financial and Investment Analysts for H-1B and other visa types, letting you prioritize outreach toward firms with a real track record rather than those listing analyst roles without prior sponsorship activity.
Jobs for Financial and Investment Analysts are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for this rolePrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 13-2051.00 alongside Financial and Investment Analysts, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Analyst Prevailing Wage
Analyst Prevailing Wage
Analyst positions fall under SOC 13-2051.00 (Financial and Investment Analysts). 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.
Credit Products Officer Prevailing Wage
Credit Products Officer Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Credit Products Officer for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 13-2051.00 (Financial and Investment Analysts). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Equity Research Analyst Prevailing Wage
Equity Research Analyst Prevailing Wage
Equity Research Analyst is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 13-2051.00 (Financial and Investment Analysts). 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.
Financial Analyst Prevailing Wage
Financial Analyst Prevailing Wage
Financial Analyst positions fall under SOC 13-2051.00 (Financial and Investment Analysts). 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.
Investment Analyst Prevailing Wage
Investment Analyst Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Investment Analyst for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 13-2051.00 (Financial and Investment Analysts). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Planning Analyst Prevailing Wage
Planning Analyst Prevailing Wage
Planning Analyst is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 13-2051.00 (Financial and Investment Analysts). 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.
Portfolio Manager Prevailing Wage
Portfolio Manager Prevailing Wage
Portfolio Manager positions fall under SOC 13-2051.00 (Financial and Investment Analysts). 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.
Real Estate Analyst Prevailing Wage
Real Estate Analyst Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Real Estate Analyst for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 13-2051.00 (Financial and Investment Analysts). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Securities Analyst Prevailing Wage
Securities Analyst Prevailing Wage
Securities Analyst is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 13-2051.00 (Financial and Investment Analysts). 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.
Trust Officer Prevailing Wage
Trust Officer Prevailing Wage
Trust Officer positions fall under SOC 13-2051.00 (Financial and Investment Analysts). 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 Financial and Investment Analysts?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across hundreds of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. For SOC 13-2051, DOL calculates four wage levels by applying percentage-based cutpoints to the local wage distribution. Employers file an LCA with OFLC and must attest the offered wage meets or exceeds the applicable level for the worksite location.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I identify mine?
Level 1 applies to entry-level roles under close supervision. Level 2 covers qualified analysts with some independent responsibility and is the most common filing level for this occupation. Level 3 applies to experienced analysts working autonomously on complex assignments. Level 4 covers senior or lead professionals with the broadest scope. OFLC guidance ties level selection to actual job duties, supervision received, and complexity, not job title alone.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same analyst role differ so much by city?
DOL derives wage floors from regional OES surveys, so the floor reflects local labor market conditions rather than a national average. Dense financial-services markets like New York, San Jose, and San Francisco generate higher survey wages than smaller metros. Under the worksite-on-LCA rule, the prevailing wage is determined by where the employee physically works, not where the employer is headquartered, so a firm based in a low-cost state still owes the local rate for any office in a high-cost metro.
What happens if a sponsored offer is below the prevailing wage for Financial and Investment Analysts?
USCIS will not approve an H-1B or employment-based green card petition if the LCA attests a wage below the DOL prevailing wage floor. If the employer files anyway, OFLC can audit the LCA, and a finding of underpayment can result in back-wage liability and debarment from future sponsorships. From the candidate's side, accepting an underpaying offer puts the entire sponsorship at risk of denial or revocation.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for a specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool to look up SOC 13-2051 for any of the 317-plus metropolitan areas covered by DOL wage data. Enter the occupation code, select the relevant area, and the tool returns all four level wages. Cross-check against any LCA the employer shares with you. Migrate Mate can also show you which employers have sponsored Financial and Investment Analysts in past years, helping you target firms where sponsorship is an established practice.
See which employers are hiring and sponsoring visas for Financial and Investment Analysts right now.
Search Jobs for this role