Prevailing Wage for Industrial Production Managers
Prevailing wage floors for Industrial Production Managers, including roles filed under titles like Plant Manager, Manufacturing Manager, and General Production Manager, are set by the DOL using regional wage surveys. DOL establishes four experience levels, and the floor shifts considerably depending on the worksite city listed on the Labor Condition Application.
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Level 1 covers entry-level production managers with limited supervisory experience, typically recent graduates or candidates stepping into their first formal management role. They work under close direction and handle routine scheduling and resource coordination tasks within defined parameters.
Level 2 applies to qualified candidates with some independent production management experience who handle moderately complex manufacturing coordination with limited oversight. This is the most common filing level for Industrial Production Managers, as most sponsored roles require demonstrated floor-level leadership.
Level 3 applies to experienced managers who independently oversee production operations across multiple lines or shifts, develop process improvements, and mentor junior supervisors. Employers filing at this level typically require several years of progressive manufacturing leadership.
Level 4 is reserved for fully competent senior production managers with broad authority over plant-wide operations, capital planning, or multi-site coordination. These professionals set policy, lead cross-functional initiatives, and often report directly to VP or C-suite leadership.
Prevailing Wage for Industrial Production Managers 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 Industrial Production Managers and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Confirm your title maps to this SOC
Titles like Assembly Manager, Manufacturing Coordinator, and Area Plant Manager all map to SOC 11-3051, but employers sometimes file them under operations or logistics SOC codes. A mismatch means your offer is benchmarked against the wrong prevailing wage floor.
Watch how production bonuses are counted
For Industrial Production Managers, performance bonuses tied to throughput or yield targets are often structured as discretionary pay. DOL excludes discretionary bonuses from the prevailing wage calculation, so your base salary alone must clear the L2 or L3 floor for the worksite city.
Check wages in high-concentration manufacturing metros
Prevailing wage floors for production management roles vary sharply between industrial metros. A position in a high-cost West Coast market carries a substantially higher L2 floor than the same title in a lower-cost Southern or Mountain West manufacturing hub.
Find employers who have sponsored this role before
Migrate Mate shows which employers have historically sponsored Plant Managers and Manufacturing Managers for H-1B or green card, so you can target companies with an established track record rather than those sponsoring a production management role for the first time.
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Find Jobs for Industrial Production ManagersPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 11-3051.00 alongside Industrial Production Managers, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Area Plant Manager Prevailing Wage
Area Plant Manager Prevailing Wage
Area Plant Manager positions fall under SOC 11-3051.00 (Industrial Production Managers). 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.
Assembly Manager Prevailing Wage
Assembly Manager Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Assembly Manager for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 11-3051.00 (Industrial Production Managers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
General Production Manager Prevailing Wage
General Production Manager Prevailing Wage
General Production Manager is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 11-3051.00 (Industrial Production Managers). 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.
Manufacturing Coordinator Prevailing Wage
Manufacturing Coordinator Prevailing Wage
Manufacturing Coordinator positions fall under SOC 11-3051.00 (Industrial Production Managers). 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.
Manufacturing Manager Prevailing Wage
Manufacturing Manager Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Manufacturing Manager for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 11-3051.00 (Industrial Production Managers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Plant Manager Prevailing Wage
Plant Manager Prevailing Wage
Plant Manager is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 11-3051.00 (Industrial Production Managers). 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.
Product Line Manager Prevailing Wage
Product Line Manager Prevailing Wage
Product Line Manager positions fall under SOC 11-3051.00 (Industrial Production Managers). 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.
Production Control Manager Prevailing Wage
Production Control Manager Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Production Control Manager for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 11-3051.00 (Industrial Production Managers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Production Manager Prevailing Wage
Production Manager Prevailing Wage
Production Manager is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 11-3051.00 (Industrial Production Managers). 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.
Sub Plant Manager Prevailing Wage
Sub Plant Manager Prevailing Wage
Sub Plant Manager positions fall under SOC 11-3051.00 (Industrial Production Managers). 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 Industrial Production Managers?
DOL calculates prevailing wages using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics through regional employer surveys. For Industrial Production Managers under SOC 11-3051, wages are tabulated by metropolitan area and divided into four levels based on experience and job complexity. Employers file the applicable level on the Labor Condition Application through OFLC before sponsoring a worker.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to my offer?
The four levels reflect increasing experience and responsibility. Level 1 covers entry-level candidates under close supervision. Level 2 applies to qualified professionals working with some independence. Level 3 covers experienced managers with broader authority. Level 4 is for fully competent senior leaders setting plant or multi-site policy. Your level is determined by the actual duties in the job description, not your title. Review the OFLC Wage Search for the exact definition and corresponding floor at your worksite location.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same production management role vary so much by city?
DOL assigns prevailing wages based on the worksite metropolitan area listed on the Labor Condition Application, not the employer's headquarters. Regional OES surveys capture local labor market rates, so a Plant Manager role in a high-cost coastal metro carries a significantly higher floor than the identical title in a lower-cost inland market. Employers in dense industrial labor markets generally pay more, and the LCA must reflect the wage for the specific worksite where the employee will actually work.
What happens if my job offer falls below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An LCA certifying a wage below the applicable prevailing wage level is grounds for USCIS to deny the H-1B or other work visa petition. If the violation is discovered after certification, OFLC can investigate and the employer may face back-pay liability and debarment from future sponsorships. For green card PERM cases, the offered wage must meet the prevailing wage at the time of filing, not just at the time of hire. Your employer, not you, bears primary compliance responsibility.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Industrial Production Managers at a specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search, DOL's official lookup tool, and enter SOC code 11-3051 with the metropolitan area where you will work. The tool returns all four wage levels for that area. Cross-check against recent LCA disclosure data published by OFLC to see what wages employers have actually filed for production management roles in that market. Migrate Mate also lets you filter sponsored job listings for manufacturing and production roles by location, so you can see which employers are actively hiring with visa sponsorship in your target city.
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