Prevailing Wage for Purchasing Managers
Prevailing wage for Purchasing Managers (SOC 11-3061) is set by DOL using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data. Whether your title is Procurement Manager, Commodity Manager, or Category Purchasing Manager, the wage floor your employer must meet depends on four DOL experience levels and the city where you'll work.
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Entry-level professionals with limited experience, typically following established procedures under close supervision. Level 1 applies to candidates new to procurement who have not yet developed independent judgment in supplier negotiations or category management.
Qualified professionals with moderate experience handling routine purchasing decisions with general supervision. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Purchasing Managers, covering candidates who manage vendor relationships and procurement workflows independently.
Experienced professionals who handle complex, non-routine procurement decisions and may guide junior staff. Level 3 applies to managers overseeing multi-category spend, negotiating high-value contracts, or leading cross-functional sourcing initiatives with minimal supervision.
Fully competent senior professionals directing procurement strategy at an organizational level. Level 4 covers Directors of Procurement, Materials Directors, or senior Procurement Directors setting policy, managing large teams, and accountable for enterprise-wide sourcing outcomes.
Prevailing Wage for Purchasing 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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Watch for title aliasing on your LCA
Titles like Commodity Manager or Materials Manager sometimes get filed under operations or supply-chain SOC codes instead of SOC 11-3061, which shifts the prevailing wage floor entirely. Confirm your petition explicitly references Purchasing Managers so the correct wage applies.
Exclude bonuses when checking wage compliance
Performance bonuses, signing bonuses, and supply-chain incentive pay cannot count toward the prevailing wage for sponsored Purchasing Managers. Your base salary alone must clear the DOL floor for your level and worksite city.
Prioritize metro areas with strong procurement hiring
San Jose and New York carry prevailing wage floors well above the national median for this occupation. If a tech or pharma employer offers a remote arrangement but lists a lower-cost worksite on the LCA, the lower metro floor applies, not your cost-of-living expectations.
Find employers who sponsor Purchasing Managers on Migrate Mate
Migrate Mate shows which companies have historically sponsored Procurement Managers and Category Purchasing Managers, so you can focus your search on employers with a documented track record of filing for this occupation rather than guessing at sponsorship willingness.
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Find Jobs for Purchasing ManagersPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 11-3061.00 alongside Purchasing Managers, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Category Purchasing Manager Prevailing Wage
Category Purchasing Manager Prevailing Wage
Category Purchasing Manager positions fall under SOC 11-3061.00 (Purchasing 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.
Commodity Manager Prevailing Wage
Commodity Manager Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Commodity Manager for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 11-3061.00 (Purchasing Managers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Materials Director Prevailing Wage
Materials Director Prevailing Wage
Materials Director is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 11-3061.00 (Purchasing 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.
Materials Manager Prevailing Wage
Materials Manager Prevailing Wage
Materials Manager positions fall under SOC 11-3061.00 (Purchasing 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.
Procurement Director Prevailing Wage
Procurement Director Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Procurement Director for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 11-3061.00 (Purchasing Managers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Procurement Manager Prevailing Wage
Procurement Manager Prevailing Wage
Procurement Manager is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 11-3061.00 (Purchasing 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.
Purchasing Director Prevailing Wage
Purchasing Director Prevailing Wage
Purchasing Director positions fall under SOC 11-3061.00 (Purchasing 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.
Purchasing Supervisor Prevailing Wage
Purchasing Supervisor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Purchasing Supervisor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 11-3061.00 (Purchasing Managers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Strategic Sourcing Director Prevailing Wage
Strategic Sourcing Director Prevailing Wage
Strategic Sourcing Director is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 11-3061.00 (Purchasing 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Purchasing Managers?
DOL calculates prevailing wages for Purchasing Managers using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across hundreds of metropolitan areas. The OFLC then publishes four wage levels tied to experience. Employers sponsoring a worker on H-1B or PERM must certify they will pay at least the applicable level wage for the worksite location.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which applies to me?
Level 1 covers entry-level roles with close supervision, Level 2 covers qualified professionals working independently on routine procurement tasks, Level 3 covers experienced managers handling complex sourcing decisions, and Level 4 covers senior directors setting enterprise procurement strategy. Your level is determined by the job duties in the LCA, not your job title alone. Review the position description carefully with your employer before filing.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same Purchasing Managers role vary so much by city?
DOL calculates prevailing wages separately for each metropolitan area using regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys, which reflect local employer pay rates. Markets with dense tech and pharmaceutical procurement hiring, like San Jose or New York, produce far higher survey medians than lower-cost regions. Under OFLC rules, the wage on the LCA must match the actual worksite city, so a role posted as remote but assigned a low-cost worksite uses that city's lower floor.
What happens if my job offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An employer cannot lawfully certify an LCA if the offered wage falls below the DOL prevailing wage for the applicable level and worksite. USCIS may issue a Request for Evidence or deny the petition if wage compliance is questionable. For PERM applications, DOL can reject certification outright. The practical consequence is that a below-floor offer must be raised before sponsorship can proceed, not after.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for a Purchasing Managers role in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool, which lets you look up wage levels by SOC code and metropolitan area. Enter SOC 11-3061 and the worksite city to see all four level wages. You can also cross-check disclosed wages in OFLC's public LCA disclosure data to see what employers have recently certified for Procurement Manager and Category Purchasing Manager roles in that metro. Migrate Mate surfaces employers with a verified sponsorship history for this occupation so you can focus on companies already familiar with the filing process.
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