Prevailing Wage for Hydrologists
The prevailing wage for Hydrologists sets the minimum salary a U.S. employer must pay when sponsoring an H-1B, E-3, or green card petition. Whether your offer is for a Hydrogeologist role at a federal agency or a Groundwater Consultant position at an environmental firm, DOL sets four experience-based wage levels and the floor shifts considerably depending on which metro the worksite is in.
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Entry-level Hydrologists with limited professional experience, typically one to two years or a recent graduate with a bachelor's or master's degree. Work is closely supervised with assignments defined in scope. Sponsors filing at Level 1 must meet the entry wage floor for the worksite metro.
Qualified hydrologists with a few years of independent field or lab experience and a solid grasp of standard methods. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Hydrologists, reflecting mid-career professionals who manage routine projects without close supervision.
Experienced professionals who lead project phases, mentor junior staff, or hold specialized expertise such as groundwater modeling, watershed analysis, or source water protection. Typically requires six or more years in the occupation and demonstrable technical depth beyond standard practice.
Fully competent senior hydrologists who set technical direction, supervise multidisciplinary teams, or function as principal investigators. Roles at this level often carry titles like Research Hydrologist or Physical Scientist with agency-wide or firm-wide scope and independent publication records.
Prevailing Wage for Hydrologists 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 Hydrologists and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Verify your worksite metro before comparing wages
Federal agencies and environmental consulting firms often employ hydrologists at field offices or project sites far from headquarters. The LCA must list the actual worksite location, and wages in Tallahassee or Columbia can be roughly half the floor in Washington, DC for the same role.
Watch for federal contractor title mismatches
Titles like Physical Scientist or Research Hydrologist are common at USGS, EPA, and federal contractors but sometimes get filed under adjacent SOC codes. Confirm your employer's LCA uses SOC 19-2043 so your offer is measured against the correct Hydrologists wage floor, not a lower-paying classification.
Exclude field stipends and project bonuses from base wage
Environmental consulting firms frequently pay field per diems, project completion bonuses, and vehicle allowances. DOL prevailing wage compliance is measured on the guaranteed base salary only. Bonuses and reimbursements do not count toward meeting the floor for your wage level.
Find employers with Hydrologist sponsorship history on Migrate Mate
Federal agencies, environmental engineering firms, and water utilities dominate Hydrologist sponsorship filings. Migrate Mate lets you filter sponsored roles by occupation and see which specific employers have actually sponsored Hydrologists before, so you can target companies with a proven track record.
Jobs for Hydrologists are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for HydrologistsPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 19-2043.00 alongside Hydrologists, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Groundwater Consultant Prevailing Wage
Groundwater Consultant Prevailing Wage
Groundwater Consultant positions fall under SOC 19-2043.00 (Hydrologists). 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.
Hydrogeologist Prevailing Wage
Hydrogeologist Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Hydrogeologist for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-2043.00 (Hydrologists). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Physical Scientist Prevailing Wage
Physical Scientist Prevailing Wage
Physical Scientist is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-2043.00 (Hydrologists). 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.
Research Hydrologist Prevailing Wage
Research Hydrologist Prevailing Wage
Research Hydrologist positions fall under SOC 19-2043.00 (Hydrologists). 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.
Scientist Prevailing Wage
Scientist Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Scientist for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-2043.00 (Hydrologists). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Source Water Protection Specialist Prevailing Wage
Source Water Protection Specialist Prevailing Wage
Source Water Protection Specialist is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-2043.00 (Hydrologists). 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 Hydrologists?
DOL sets prevailing wages using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across hundreds of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. For each area, DOL calculates four wage levels tied to experience and complexity. Employers sponsoring a Hydrologist must pay at least the level that matches the actual duties and supervision requirements of the offered position.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I identify mine?
Level 1 covers entry-level or closely supervised roles, Level 2 covers qualified professionals working independently on standard tasks, Level 3 covers experienced specialists leading project components or mentoring others, and Level 4 covers senior or principal-level professionals with broad authority. Your level is determined by the actual job duties, not your title. Review your employer's LCA, which lists the wage level OFLC certified for the position, to confirm which level applies to your offer.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same Hydrologist role vary so much by city?
DOL calculates wages separately for each metropolitan statistical area using regional BLS survey data, so local labor market conditions drive the floor. A market like Washington, DC has a high concentration of federal agencies and federal contractors competing for hydrologists, pushing wages well above the national median. Smaller markets like Tallahassee reflect fewer employers and lower local competition. The LCA must list the actual worksite city, so the metro where you will physically work controls which wage floor applies, not your employer's headquarters.
What happens if my offer falls below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
If the offered salary is below the OFLC-certified wage level for the worksite metro, DOL will not certify the LCA, which means USCIS will not approve the H-1B or employment-based petition. For existing sponsored employees, paying below the certified wage can trigger back-wage liability and jeopardize the employer's ability to file future petitions. The offer must meet or exceed the prevailing wage before filing, not after.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Hydrologists in a specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool, which lets you look up current prevailing wages by SOC code 19-2043 and metropolitan area. Enter the worksite metro, select the Hydrologists occupation, and review all four wage levels for that area. For roles requiring PERM labor certification, the employer must request a formal prevailing wage determination from OFLC. Migrate Mate also surfaces which employers have sponsored Hydrologist roles in specific metro areas, helping you identify active sponsors in the location you are targeting.
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