Prevailing Wage for Grounds Maintenance Workers, All Other
Prevailing wage for Grounds Maintenance Workers, All Other (SOC 37-3019) is set by the DOL using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data. The floor splits into four experience levels, and the required minimum shifts significantly depending on the worksite city listed on the Labor Condition Application.
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Level 1 applies to entry-level workers with no prior professional grounds maintenance experience, performing routine tasks under close supervision. Employers typically file at this level for newly hired seasonal or trainee positions that require no independent judgment.
Level 2 is the most common filing level for this occupation. It covers workers with some hands-on experience who can carry out standard grounds upkeep tasks with limited oversight, applying basic knowledge of equipment, irrigation, or turf care without senior-level guidance.
Level 3 covers experienced workers who handle complex or specialized grounds tasks with minimal supervision, often mentoring junior staff or coordinating smaller crew assignments. Employers file here when the role requires demonstrated proficiency across multiple maintenance disciplines.
Level 4 applies to fully competent senior workers who lead crews, manage scheduling or equipment fleets, and exercise independent judgment across all aspects of grounds maintenance. These positions often carry supervisory accountability and are filed at the highest wage floor.
Prevailing Wage for Grounds Maintenance Workers, All Other 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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Confirm which metro your worksite falls under
Grounds maintenance wages vary sharply across metros. Minneapolis and Phoenix floors run significantly higher than Gulf Coast markets like Lafayette or Shreveport. The LCA must list the actual worksite city, and that city's OES data sets your binding wage floor.
Watch for seasonal pay structures that exclude benefits
Many grounds maintenance employers structure compensation with seasonal bonuses or equipment allowances that do not count toward prevailing wage. Only guaranteed base wages satisfy the DOL floor; variable seasonal pay cannot be used to bridge a shortfall.
Check employer sponsorship history on Migrate Mate
Grounds maintenance sponsorship is concentrated in a narrow set of commercial landscaping and facilities employers. Migrate Mate shows which specific companies have sponsored this occupation before, so you can target employers with a real H-1B or green card filing track record.
Avoid title misclassification into adjacent SOC codes
Employers sometimes file grounds workers under Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (SOC 37-3011) or First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping crews (SOC 37-1012), which carry different wage floors. Confirm the SOC on your LCA matches the actual duties and the prevailing wage determination you received.
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Find Jobs for this roleFrequently Asked Questions
How does the DOL set the prevailing wage for Grounds Maintenance Workers, All Other?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics through employer surveys in each metro area. For this SOC, OFLC maps those survey results to four wage levels based on experience and complexity. Employers must request a prevailing wage determination from OFLC before filing an LCA, and the certified wage becomes the binding minimum for the sponsored position.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to me?
Level 1 covers entry-level workers under close supervision with no prior professional experience. Level 2 applies to workers with some experience completing standard tasks with limited oversight. Level 3 is for experienced staff handling complex duties with minimal direction. Level 4 covers senior or lead workers exercising independent judgment. The level is determined by the job duties described in the LCA, not by your years of experience alone.
Why does the prevailing wage for this role vary so much from city to city?
OFLC derives wage floors from regional OES surveys, which reflect local labor market conditions. Minneapolis and Phoenix have dense commercial development and higher employer competition for qualified workers, pushing survey medians up. Gulf Coast metros like Lafayette and Shreveport have lower regional wage norms for this occupation. Under DOL rules, the LCA must list the actual worksite location, so the city on the form determines the applicable floor, not the employer's headquarters.
What happens if a job offer falls below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An LCA will not be certified by DOL if the offered wage is below the prevailing wage for the worksite area and experience level. If an LCA is filed with an understated wage and later audited, USCIS can deny or revoke the petition. The employer is legally required to pay at least the higher of the prevailing wage or the actual wage paid to similarly situated workers at that location.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Grounds Maintenance Workers, All Other in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search to look up current prevailing wages by SOC code (37-3019) and metropolitan area. Select the correct area of intended employment, which must match the physical worksite address on the LCA. You can also cross-reference BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics tables for the same metro. Migrate Mate lets you filter sponsored job listings by location so you can identify which employers are actively hiring in higher-wage markets.
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