Prevailing Wage for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
Prevailing wage for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects is set by the DOL under four experience levels, and the floor shifts considerably depending on where the worksite is located. Whether your offer names you a Marine Architect, Marine Design Engineer, or Marine Engineering Consultant, the sponsored salary must clear the DOL threshold for your level and city.
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Level 1 covers entry-level marine engineers with limited experience, typically recent graduates or early-career professionals performing routine tasks under direct supervision, with no expectation of independent judgment on complex vessel design or propulsion system decisions.
Level 2 applies to qualified professionals with moderate experience who work with some independence on standard marine engineering tasks. This is the most common filing level for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects, covering the majority of sponsored H-1B and E-3 petitions.
Level 3 covers experienced professionals who handle complex marine design problems with significant autonomy, often mentoring junior staff and leading technical workstreams on vessel systems, structural analysis, or regulatory compliance projects without close oversight.
Level 4 applies to fully competent senior marine engineers or principal naval architects who set technical direction, manage project scope across multidisciplinary teams, and are recognized internally or externally as subject-matter authorities on marine systems or vessel design.
Prevailing Wage for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects 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 Marine Engineers and Naval Architects and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Watch for title mismatches near the defense boundary
Roles titled Marine Surveyor or Marine Structural Designer sometimes get filed under adjacent SOC codes covering civil or mechanical engineers, missing the SOC 17-2121 floor entirely. Confirm your offer letter title maps to this occupation before the LCA is certified.
Flag the Washington DC wage premium before negotiating
The Washington DC metro posts the highest prevailing wages for this occupation, driven by concentrated federal and defense shipbuilding contractors. An L1 floor in DC runs well above the national median, so worksite location has an outsized impact on your baseline salary floor here.
Exclude signing bonuses from your base wage comparison
DOL prevailing wage compliance is measured against the regular rate of pay, not total compensation. Signing bonuses, relocation allowances, and project bonuses do not count toward meeting the floor. Verify the offered base salary alone clears the prevailing wage for your level and worksite city.
Use Migrate Mate to find sponsors with naval engineering history
Marine engineering sponsorship is concentrated among a narrow set of defense contractors, classification societies, and offshore energy firms. Migrate Mate shows which specific employers have sponsored this occupation before, so you can focus outreach on companies with a verified track record rather than guessing.
Jobs for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for this rolePrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 17-2121.00 alongside Marine Engineers and Naval Architects, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Marine Architect Prevailing Wage
Marine Architect Prevailing Wage
Marine Architect positions fall under SOC 17-2121.00 (Marine Engineers and Naval Architects). 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.
Marine Design Engineer Prevailing Wage
Marine Design Engineer Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Marine Design Engineer for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 17-2121.00 (Marine Engineers and Naval Architects). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Marine Engineer Prevailing Wage
Marine Engineer Prevailing Wage
Marine Engineer is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 17-2121.00 (Marine Engineers and Naval Architects). 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.
Marine Engineering Consultant Prevailing Wage
Marine Engineering Consultant Prevailing Wage
Marine Engineering Consultant positions fall under SOC 17-2121.00 (Marine Engineers and Naval Architects). 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.
Marine Structural Designer Prevailing Wage
Marine Structural Designer Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Marine Structural Designer for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 17-2121.00 (Marine Engineers and Naval Architects). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Marine Surveyor Prevailing Wage
Marine Surveyor Prevailing Wage
Marine Surveyor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 17-2121.00 (Marine Engineers and Naval Architects). 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.
Naval Architect Prevailing Wage
Naval Architect Prevailing Wage
Naval Architect positions fall under SOC 17-2121.00 (Marine Engineers and Naval Architects). 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.
Naval Architect Specialist Prevailing Wage
Naval Architect Specialist Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Naval Architect Specialist for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 17-2121.00 (Marine Engineers and Naval Architects). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Ship Equipment Engineer Prevailing Wage
Ship Equipment Engineer Prevailing Wage
Ship Equipment Engineer is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 17-2121.00 (Marine Engineers and Naval Architects). 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.
Structural Engineer Prevailing Wage
Structural Engineer Prevailing Wage
Structural Engineer positions fall under SOC 17-2121.00 (Marine Engineers and Naval Architects). 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 Marine Engineers and Naval Architects?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to set prevailing wages by occupation and geographic area. For SOC 17-2121, OFLC calculates four wage levels from that survey data. Employers filing an LCA for a sponsored marine engineer must pay at least the DOL wage for the applicable level and the worksite metropolitan area.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I identify mine?
Level 1 is entry-level with close supervision. Level 2 is qualified, working with moderate independence, and is the most common filing level for this occupation. Level 3 is experienced, handling complex tasks autonomously. Level 4 is fully competent with senior or principal scope. Your level should reflect your actual job duties and independence, not just your years on paper. If your offer involves leading projects or setting technical direction, push back on an L1 or L2 designation.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same role differ so much between cities?
OFLC sets wages using regional OES surveys, so local labor market conditions drive the floor. An employer must use the prevailing wage for the actual worksite listed on the LCA, not the company's headquarters. Dense defense and shipbuilding markets like Washington DC and Houston produce higher surveyed wages. Sparse markets like Gulfport, MS produce lower floors. If your worksite changes after filing, the LCA must be updated to reflect the new location.
What happens if my job offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
If the offered salary falls below the DOL prevailing wage for your level and worksite, USCIS can deny the H-1B or other sponsored visa petition. The employer's LCA certifies that the wage meets or exceeds the floor, so an underpaid offer creates a compliance problem at the DOL certification stage before USCIS ever reviews the petition. Employers who knowingly file with a deficient wage also face DOL back-pay and penalty exposure.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for a specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool to look up the current DOL wage for SOC 17-2121 in any metropolitan area. Enter the occupation code and select the worksite metro to see all four wage levels. For a broader picture of which employers have sponsored Marine Engineers and Naval Architects in a given market, Migrate Mate shows historical sponsorship counts by employer and location, helping you identify active sponsors before you apply.
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