Prevailing Wage for Historians
Prevailing wage requirements for Historians (SOC 19-3093) apply to every sponsored position, whether the role is titled Collections Specialist, County Historian, or Historic Preservation Coordinator. DOL sets four experience-based wage levels for this occupation, and the required floor shifts substantially depending on the worksite city.
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Entry-level historians with limited professional experience, typically recent graduates beginning their first substantive research or collections role. Work is performed under close supervision with defined tasks and minimal independent judgment expected by the employer.
Qualified historians with moderate independent experience in research, analysis, or site interpretation. Level 2 is the most common filing level for historians, reflecting a mid-career professional who works with some autonomy but within established institutional frameworks.
Experienced historians who direct projects, mentor junior staff, or manage archival and research programs with significant independence. Employers typically file at this level for specialists in historic preservation coordination or senior curatorial positions.
Fully competent historians at the senior or lead level, setting research agendas, supervising teams, or serving as institutional authorities on collections and historic resources. This level reflects a Historic Sites Registrar or equivalent senior specialist role.
Prevailing Wage for Historians 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 Historians and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Check which title your employer used on the LCA
Employers sometimes file historian positions under adjacent SOC codes such as Archivists (SOC 25-4031) or Curators (SOC 25-4012), which carry different prevailing wage floors. Confirm the SOC code on the certified LCA matches 19-3093 before accepting an offer.
Account for the Washington DC wage premium
Federal agency and Smithsonian-affiliated positions concentrate in Washington DC, where the prevailing wage for historians runs roughly double the Salt Lake City floor at every level. If your offer is in DC, benchmark against that metro, not the national median.
Watch how fellowship stipends are structured for visa filings
Some museum and university employers convert historian roles into fellowship arrangements. Stipend-based compensation may not satisfy DOL wage requirements for sponsored positions, so confirm the offer is structured as direct employment wages before relying on prevailing wage calculations.
Find employers who have sponsored historians before
Migrate Mate shows which employers have actual H-1B and green card sponsorship history for historian and collections roles, so you can prioritize outreach to federal agencies, national museums, and research institutions that have filed for this occupation before.
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Find Jobs for HistoriansPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 19-3093.00 alongside Historians, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Collections Specialist Prevailing Wage
Collections Specialist Prevailing Wage
Collections Specialist positions fall under SOC 19-3093.00 (Historians). 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.
County Historian Prevailing Wage
County Historian Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a County Historian for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-3093.00 (Historians). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Historic Architectural Resources Curator Prevailing Wage
Historic Architectural Resources Curator Prevailing Wage
Historic Architectural Resources Curator is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-3093.00 (Historians). 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.
Historic Interpreter Prevailing Wage
Historic Interpreter Prevailing Wage
Historic Interpreter positions fall under SOC 19-3093.00 (Historians). 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.
Historic Preservation Coordinator Prevailing Wage
Historic Preservation Coordinator Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Historic Preservation Coordinator for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-3093.00 (Historians). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Historic Sites Registrar Prevailing Wage
Historic Sites Registrar Prevailing Wage
Historic Sites Registrar is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-3093.00 (Historians). 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.
Historical Interpreter Prevailing Wage
Historical Interpreter Prevailing Wage
Historical Interpreter positions fall under SOC 19-3093.00 (Historians). 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.
Research Historian Prevailing Wage
Research Historian Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Research Historian for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-3093.00 (Historians). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Researcher Prevailing Wage
Researcher Prevailing Wage
Researcher is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-3093.00 (Historians). 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 historians?
DOL derives prevailing wages for historians from Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For each metropolitan area, DOL calculates four wage levels based on the experience and complexity distribution within SOC 19-3093. Employers sponsoring a historian for an H-1B or PERM green card must certify on the LCA that the offered wage meets or exceeds the applicable level for the worksite location.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to my offer?
DOL assigns Level 1 to entry-level positions with close supervision, Level 2 to qualified professionals working with moderate autonomy, Level 3 to experienced specialists directing projects independently, and Level 4 to senior or lead historians setting institutional direction. Your level depends on the actual job duties and supervision structure, not your personal years of experience. Review the employer's LCA filing with OFLC to see which level they certified.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same historian role vary so much between cities?
DOL calculates prevailing wages separately for each metropolitan area using regional Bureau of Labor Statistics survey data, so wages reflect local labor market conditions. Federal and Smithsonian concentrations push Washington DC rates well above the national median, while smaller markets report lower floors. Because the worksite address on the LCA determines which city's wage applies, a position in Seattle carries a different floor than the same title in Oklahoma City.
What happens if my job offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An employer cannot certify an LCA at a wage below the applicable prevailing wage floor. If the offered salary falls short, OFLC will not certify the LCA, which blocks the H-1B petition or PERM filing entirely. USCIS also reviews wage compliance independently during H-1B adjudication. An offer below the floor must be renegotiated or the employer must reclassify the position before sponsorship can proceed.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for a historian position in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool to look up SOC 19-3093 for your target metropolitan area. Select the wage level that matches the job duties described in your offer letter and confirm the offered salary meets or exceeds that figure. You can also check recent LCA filings for similar historian positions through OFLC disclosure data. Migrate Mate can help you identify which employers have active sponsorship history for this occupation across different locations.
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