Prevailing Wage for Floral Designers
Prevailing wages for Floral Designers under SOC 27-1023 are set by DOL using regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys. Whether you work as a Florist, Floral Artist, or Designer, the floor your employer must meet depends on your experience level. DOL defines four levels, and the required wage varies significantly by worksite city.
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Entry-level florists with limited experience, typically following established design templates under close supervision. This level applies to candidates new to commercial floral work who require guidance on arrangement techniques, order fulfillment workflows, and shop procedures.
Qualified designers with some independent work history who handle standard arrangements and customer consultations with moderate supervision. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Floral Designers, reflecting typical shop floor and retail floral department roles.
Experienced floral professionals who manage complex event designs, mentor junior staff, or lead production for wholesale or large retail accounts. These workers operate with minimal supervision and apply specialized knowledge of seasonal flowers and event-scale logistics.
Fully competent lead designers or senior floral artists who direct studio operations, develop signature design concepts, or oversee multiple accounts. This level reflects top-tier expertise in high-volume event work, luxury clientele, or creative leadership responsibilities.
Prevailing Wage for Floral Designers 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 Floral Designers and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Confirm your worksite matches the LCA location
Floral Designers often split time between a design studio and off-site event venues. The prevailing wage on the LCA must reflect the certified worksite address, not the event location. If your primary workspace shifts, the employer may need to amend the LCA.
Watch for retail versus wholesale employer differences
Grocery chain floral departments and independent florists frequently file at Level 1 or Level 2, while wholesale distributors and high-volume event studios often justify Level 3. Knowing which employer category you are entering helps you verify the correct floor before accepting an offer.
Understand why California metros pay significantly more
Salinas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Jose consistently set the highest prevailing wages for this occupation due to state-level minimum wage effects feeding into OES regional surveys. If your offer is in California, the floor is materially higher than the national median at every level.
Use Migrate Mate to find sponsors with floral hiring history
Floral Designer sponsorship is concentrated in a small number of employers. Migrate Mate shows which companies have sponsored this occupation before, so you can target studios and retailers with an established H-1B or green card filing track record rather than approaching untested sponsors.
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Find Jobs for Floral DesignersPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 27-1023.00 alongside Floral Designers, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Designer Prevailing Wage
Designer Prevailing Wage
Designer positions fall under SOC 27-1023.00 (Floral Designers). 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.
Floral Artist Prevailing Wage
Floral Artist Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Floral Artist for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 27-1023.00 (Floral Designers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Floral Clerk Prevailing Wage
Floral Clerk Prevailing Wage
Floral Clerk is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 27-1023.00 (Floral Designers). 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.
Floral Department Specialist Prevailing Wage
Floral Department Specialist Prevailing Wage
Floral Department Specialist positions fall under SOC 27-1023.00 (Floral Designers). 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.
Florist Prevailing Wage
Florist Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Florist for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 27-1023.00 (Floral Designers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Wedding Decorator Prevailing Wage
Wedding Decorator Prevailing Wage
Wedding Decorator is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 27-1023.00 (Floral Designers). 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 Floral Designers?
DOL calculates prevailing wages using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from regional employer surveys. For SOC 27-1023, OFLC converts those survey results into four experience-based wage levels. Employers filing an LCA for a sponsored Floral Designer must pay at least the level that matches the position's actual duties and required experience.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to me?
DOL defines the four levels by experience, supervision, and complexity. Level 1 covers entry-level work under close direction. Level 2 reflects qualified independent work, which is the most common filing level for this occupation. Level 3 applies to experienced designers handling complex or large-scale work. Level 4 is reserved for fully competent senior or lead roles. Your level should match the actual duties described in the job offer, not simply the title.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same Floral Designer role vary so much by city?
OFLC derives wage floors from regional OES surveys, so local labor market conditions drive the numbers. An employer in Salinas or San Francisco operates in a market with higher baseline wages than one in Charleston or El Paso. The LCA worksite rule requires the employer to use the prevailing wage for the specific metropolitan area where you will actually work, not the company's headquarters city or a national average.
What happens if my job offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
USCIS will not approve a petition where the offered wage falls below the DOL prevailing wage certified on the LCA. If the discrepancy surfaces during adjudication, the employer may receive a request for evidence or the petition may be denied. For green card PERM cases, DOL audits LCA wage compliance directly. An offer below the floor is a filing defect, not just a negotiation point.
How can I find and verify the prevailing wage for Floral Designers in a specific U.S. city?
The OFLC Wage Search tool allows you to look up the current four-level prevailing wage for SOC 27-1023 in any metropolitan area covered by the DOL survey. Enter the occupation code and the worksite area to see the exact floor your employer must meet. Migrate Mate can also help you identify which employers have sponsored Floral Designer roles in target cities, so you can focus on companies already familiar with the wage requirements.
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