Prevailing Wage for Psychiatrists
Psychiatrists in the U.S. fall under SOC 29-1223, and the DOL sets a separate prevailing wage floor for each of four experience levels. Whether your offer is for an Adult Psychiatrist, Outpatient Psychiatrist, or Child Psychiatrist role, the wage floor varies by city, and the difference between metros can be substantial.
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Entry-level psychiatrists with limited post-residency experience, working under supervision, and handling routine cases with established protocols. Level 1 applies to positions requiring a medical degree and licensure but minimal independent practice history in a specialty setting.
Qualified psychiatrists with solid post-residency experience who practice with general independence. Level 2 is the most common LCA filing level for Psychiatrists, covering staff and attending positions at hospitals, outpatient clinics, and group practices.
Experienced psychiatrists with a substantial clinical record, subspecialty expertise, or supervisory responsibilities over residents and junior clinicians. These roles typically require several years of attending-level practice beyond residency and may involve program leadership.
Fully competent psychiatrists in senior attending, department director, or chief physician roles. Level 4 applies where independent expert judgment is expected across complex cases, administrative oversight, or academic and research leadership within a clinical department.
Prevailing Wage for Psychiatrists 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 Psychiatrists and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Confirm your filing level matches your practice scope
Employers sometimes file Consulting Psychiatrist or Prison Psychiatrist roles at Level 1 when the actual scope, including independent caseloads and no direct supervision, aligns with Level 2 or Level 3. Verify the filed level reflects your day-to-day clinical autonomy before signing.
Exclude signing bonuses from your wage floor calculation
Many psychiatric group practices and hospital systems offer substantial signing bonuses that cannot be counted toward the DOL prevailing wage. Confirm your base salary alone clears the floor for your specific metro and experience level.
Watch for SOC misclassification on telepsychiatry offers
Telepsychiatry positions are sometimes filed under a general Physicians and Surgeons SOC rather than 29-1223. A misclassified LCA may apply a lower wage floor, creating compliance risk and a gap between what you are owed and what the employer certified.
Use Migrate Mate to find employers sponsoring Psychiatrists
Migrate Mate shows which hospitals, community mental health centers, and telehealth companies have sponsored Psychiatrists in the past. Filtering by employer sponsorship history helps you focus applications on organizations already familiar with the LCA and H-1B process for this role.
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Find Jobs for PsychiatristsPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 29-1223.00 alongside Psychiatrists, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Adult Psychiatrist Prevailing Wage
Adult Psychiatrist Prevailing Wage
Adult Psychiatrist positions fall under SOC 29-1223.00 (Psychiatrists). 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.
Child Psychiatrist Prevailing Wage
Child Psychiatrist Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Child Psychiatrist for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 29-1223.00 (Psychiatrists). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Consulting Psychiatrist Prevailing Wage
Consulting Psychiatrist Prevailing Wage
Consulting Psychiatrist is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 29-1223.00 (Psychiatrists). 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.
Medical Doctor (MD) Prevailing Wage
Medical Doctor (MD) Prevailing Wage
Medical Doctor (MD) positions fall under SOC 29-1223.00 (Psychiatrists). 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.
Outpatient Psychiatrist Prevailing Wage
Outpatient Psychiatrist Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Outpatient Psychiatrist for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 29-1223.00 (Psychiatrists). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Prison Psychiatrist Prevailing Wage
Prison Psychiatrist Prevailing Wage
Prison Psychiatrist is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 29-1223.00 (Psychiatrists). 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.
Staff Psychiatrist Prevailing Wage
Staff Psychiatrist Prevailing Wage
Staff Psychiatrist positions fall under SOC 29-1223.00 (Psychiatrists). 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 Psychiatrists?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate median wages for SOC 29-1223 in each metropolitan area. OFLC then assigns four wage levels around that median. The certified prevailing wage on an LCA represents the minimum base salary an employer may offer for a sponsored Psychiatrists position at the specified worksite.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I identify mine?
Level 1 covers entry-level positions under supervision. Level 2 applies to qualified practitioners working with general independence and is the most common filing level for this occupation. Level 3 reflects experienced clinicians with subspecialty skills or supervisory duties. Level 4 applies to senior or department-leadership roles. Your level should match the actual duties and autonomy described in the job offer, not simply your years of training.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same Psychiatrists role vary so much by city?
OFLC calculates wages from regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys, so each metropolitan area produces its own wage distribution. The LCA must list the actual worksite location, and the employer must pay at least the prevailing wage for that specific metro. Higher-cost markets with dense hospital systems and competitive hiring tend to produce higher survey wages, while smaller metros with fewer survey respondents may yield lower floors.
What happens if a job offer for a sponsored position is below the prevailing wage?
An employer cannot lawfully certify an LCA at a wage below the applicable prevailing wage floor. If USCIS or DOL identifies a shortfall, the petition can be denied or the employer may face back-wage liability and debarment. Candidates should independently verify the certified wage level and confirm their offered base salary meets or exceeds it before the LCA is submitted.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Psychiatrists in a specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search to look up SOC 29-1223 for any metropolitan area. Select the area where you will physically work, since that is the worksite address that must appear on the LCA. Migrate Mate also lists employers with documented sponsorship history for Psychiatrists roles, so you can cross-reference which employers are actively filing and in which locations.
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