Prevailing Wage for Life Scientists, All Other
Prevailing wages for Life Scientists, All Other (SOC 19-1099) are set by DOL using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data. DOL defines four experience levels, each carrying a different wage floor, and the required minimum varies significantly by worksite city. Checking where your offer falls before signing protects your visa petition.
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Entry-level candidates with limited professional experience, typically recent graduates working under close supervision on routine tasks. Employers filing at Level 1 are expected to provide substantial on-the-job training and direction throughout the work.
Qualified professionals with some independent experience who handle moderately complex assignments with limited supervision. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Life Scientists, All Other, reflecting the occupation's typical mid-career hiring profile.
Experienced practitioners who work independently, exercise professional judgment, and may guide junior staff. Employers filing at Level 3 typically require a track record of leading projects or producing peer-reviewed or regulatory deliverables in the field.
Fully competent senior professionals with recognized expertise, broad independent authority, and responsibility for setting scientific direction or standards. Employers filing at Level 4 are hiring for lead-scientist, principal, or equivalent senior-contributor roles.
Prevailing Wage for Life Scientists, 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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Distinguish your SOC code before negotiating
Titles like 'research scientist' or 'biological scientist' are sometimes filed under adjacent SOC codes with different wage floors. Confirm your employer's LCA lists SOC 19-1099 so you are comparing your offer against the correct Life Scientists, All Other prevailing wage, not a neighboring category.
Treat government and biotech salaries as separate benchmarks
Federal agency and NIH-funded positions for this occupational group cluster heavily in the Washington DC metro, where the L2 floor is meaningfully above the national median. Biotech-heavy San Jose carries the highest floors across all four levels, making metro selection a significant factor when evaluating competing offers.
Exclude bonuses and equity when checking compliance
DOL's prevailing wage requirement applies to the base salary only. Signing bonuses, performance bonuses, RSUs, and publication incentives do not count toward meeting the floor. Verify your base salary alone clears the applicable level before factoring in total compensation.
Find employers with verified sponsorship history on Migrate Mate
Life Scientists, All Other roles span government contractors, academic spinouts, and pharma employers whose sponsorship activity varies widely. Migrate Mate shows which employers have historically sponsored this occupation, letting you prioritize outreach toward organizations with confirmed filing experience.
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Find Jobs for Life Scientists, All OtherFrequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Life Scientists, All Other?
DOL calculates prevailing wages using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For SOC 19-1099, it computes four wage levels based on the regional earnings distribution for the occupation. Employers must attest on the Labor Condition Application that they will pay at least the applicable level for the worksite location. OFLC publishes the resulting wage tables and updates them annually.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which applies to my offer?
DOL's four levels reflect experience and supervision: Level 1 is entry with close oversight, Level 2 is qualified with moderate independence, Level 3 is experienced with broad autonomy, and Level 4 is fully competent in a senior or lead capacity. Your employer selects the level on the LCA based on your actual job duties and required qualifications. Review the LCA your employer files to confirm the level matches your role's scope, not just your job title.
Why does the prevailing wage for this role vary so much by city?
DOL derives wages from regional OES surveys, so the floor reflects actual pay in each labor market rather than a national average. High employer concentrations in San Jose, Washington DC, and Research Triangle metros push survey wages upward, producing significantly higher floors. Because LCAs list the specific worksite address, the wage attached to your petition is always the rate for that city, not the national median. Accepting a remote role that shifts your worksite midway through a petition period can trigger a new wage obligation.
What happens if my job offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An employer cannot file a compliant LCA if the offered wage falls below the applicable prevailing wage for the worksite. USCIS will deny an H-1B petition supported by a deficient LCA, and green card PERM applications face the same bar. If DOL audits and finds a violation, back-pay obligations and debarment from future sponsorship are possible consequences. The wage stated on the LCA is a legal floor, not a starting point for negotiation after approval.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Life Scientists, All Other at a specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool, which lets you enter the SOC code 19-1099 and a worksite metropolitan area to retrieve the current Level 1 through Level 4 wage floors directly from DOL's published tables. Cross-reference with BLS OES data for the same metro to understand the broader salary distribution. Migrate Mate lets you filter Life Scientists, All Other job listings by location and salary range, helping you identify which employers are actively posting roles and at what compensation levels.
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