Prevailing Wage for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
Prevailing wage for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers (SOC 21-1023) sets the DOL-required minimum a U.S. employer must pay when sponsoring a Case Manager, Clinical Social Worker, or Licensed Clinical Social Worker on an H-1B, E-3, or green card. DOL sets four experience levels, and the floor shifts significantly by city.
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Entry-level clinicians with limited post-degree experience, typically under two years, performing supervised casework or group facilitation. Positions involve routine tasks with close oversight and little independent caseload management. Most new graduates filing for H-1B sponsorship land here.
Qualified professionals with two to five years of experience handling independent caseloads across individual therapy, crisis intervention, or case management. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers, covering the majority of sponsored positions at community agencies and health systems.
Experienced clinicians with five or more years who lead complex cases, supervise junior staff, or manage specialized programs such as co-occurring disorders units. These roles require advanced clinical judgment and often carry licensure requirements like LCSW or LMHC at the state level.
Fully competent senior practitioners or program directors setting clinical protocols, training staff, and overseeing compliance across service lines. These roles typically carry full independent licensure and may include administrative or policy responsibilities beyond direct client care.
Prevailing Wage for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers 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 this role and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
Search visa-sponsored jobsPrevailing Wage Guide for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
Watch for title mismatches with your SOC
Employers sometimes file LCAs under SOC 21-1094 (Community Health Workers) or 21-1013 (Marriage and Family Therapists) for roles that match this occupation. A misclassified SOC applies the wrong prevailing wage floor, which can undercut or inflate the required minimum for your actual duties.
Check whether your licensure level changes your filing level
LCSW or LMHC licensure often triggers a Level 3 or Level 4 filing even when the job description sounds mid-level. Employers in community mental health and hospital settings routinely bump the wage level once full independent licensure is required by the position.
Factor in unpaid supervision hours for green card timelines
Many clinical social worker roles require post-degree supervised hours for full licensure. Those hours may be paid below the prevailing wage floor if structured as part-time or stipend arrangements, which can create compliance gaps for employers pursuing PERM sponsorship during that period.
Use Migrate Mate to find employers with sponsorship history
Community mental health agencies sponsor far less often than hospital systems or managed care organizations. Migrate Mate shows which specific employers have sponsored Clinical Social Worker and Counselor roles before, so you can focus applications on organizations already familiar with the LCA process.
Jobs for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for this rolePrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 21-1023.00 alongside Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Case Manager Prevailing Wage
Case Manager Prevailing Wage
Case Manager positions fall under SOC 21-1023.00 (Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers). 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.
Clinical Social Worker Prevailing Wage
Clinical Social Worker Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Clinical Social Worker for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 21-1023.00 (Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Clinical Therapist Prevailing Wage
Clinical Therapist Prevailing Wage
Clinical Therapist is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 21-1023.00 (Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers). 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.
Clinician Prevailing Wage
Clinician Prevailing Wage
Clinician positions fall under SOC 21-1023.00 (Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers). 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.
Counselor Prevailing Wage
Counselor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Counselor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 21-1023.00 (Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Prevailing Wage
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Prevailing Wage
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 21-1023.00 (Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers). 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.
Mental Health Therapist Prevailing Wage
Mental Health Therapist Prevailing Wage
Mental Health Therapist positions fall under SOC 21-1023.00 (Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers). 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.
Social Worker Prevailing Wage
Social Worker Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Social Worker for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 21-1023.00 (Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Therapist Prevailing Wage
Therapist Prevailing Wage
Therapist is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 21-1023.00 (Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers). 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 Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers?
DOL derives prevailing wages for this occupation from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. OFLC uses those survey results to set four wage levels tied to experience and complexity. Employers sponsoring a worker under H-1B or PERM must pay at least the applicable level wage 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 supervised roles, Level 2 to independently functioning qualified workers, Level 3 to experienced staff with specialized duties or supervisory responsibilities, and Level 4 to fully competent senior practitioners. Your level depends on the actual job duties, required licensure, and supervision structure listed in the Labor Condition Application, not just your years of experience.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same Clinical Social Worker role vary so much by city?
OFLC sets wages using regional OES survey data, which captures local labor market conditions. A metro with high concentrations of hospital systems and managed care employers, like San Jose or New York, shows higher reported wages than rural or territory markets like Puerto Rico. The LCA must list the actual worksite address, so the wage floor is tied to where you physically work, not where the employer is headquartered.
What happens if my job offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An employer cannot certify a Labor Condition Application at a wage below the DOL prevailing wage for the occupation and location. If the offered salary falls short, USCIS will not approve the H-1B petition and DOL will not certify the PERM application. The employer must either increase the salary to meet the floor or reclassify the position to a level whose wage the offered salary satisfies.
How do I find the prevailing wage for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool, which lets you look up SOC 21-1023 by metropolitan area and wage level. Select the correct worksite metro, not the employer's headquarters city, to get the applicable floor. To find employers who have sponsored this role historically, Migrate Mate filters sponsored job listings by role and location so you can identify which organizations are actively hiring and familiar with the LCA filing process.
See which employers are hiring and sponsoring visas for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers right now.
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