Prevailing Wage for Religious Workers, All Other
Prevailing wage for Religious Workers, All Other (SOC 21-2099) is set by DOL using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data. DOL defines four experience levels, each carrying a different wage floor. The floor itself shifts considerably by city, so a qualifying offer in one metro may fall short in another.
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Level 1 covers entry-level religious workers with limited experience, typically supervised in their duties and handling routine assignments within a congregation or religious organization. Candidates new to sponsored religious work positions in the U.S. commonly file at this level.
Level 2 applies to qualified workers with practical experience in religious ministry or related duties who work with moderate supervision. This is the most common filing level for Religious Workers, All Other, reflecting the mid-range experience typical of sponsored positions.
Level 3 covers experienced religious workers who exercise independent judgment, may coordinate programs or staff, and bring several years of demonstrated practice. Employers filing at this level are recognizing meaningful seniority beyond the entry and qualified tiers.
Level 4 applies to fully competent religious workers in senior or lead roles, typically overseeing programs, staff, or a congregation's operations with substantial autonomy. These positions carry the highest prevailing wage obligation within this SOC.
Prevailing Wage for Religious Workers, 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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Verify your title maps to SOC 21-2099
Titles like chaplain, deacon, lay minister, or religious educator can be filed under different SOC codes depending on employer classification. Confirm your offer letter's job title is mapped to SOC 21-2099 on the LCA, or the prevailing wage floor you see here will not apply.
Account for housing allowances in wage comparisons
Many religious organizations provide housing or parsonage allowances alongside base salary. DOL's prevailing wage requirement is met only by W-2 wages, not housing benefits. Ensure your cash salary alone clears the floor for your level and worksite city.
Watch the gap between low-paying and high-paying metros
The L1 prevailing wage in San Jose far exceeds the L4 wage in Lancaster, PA. If your sponsoring organization has campuses in multiple cities, the LCA worksite address controls which metro's wage floor applies, not your home city or headquarters location.
Find employers who have sponsored this role before
Religious organizations sponsoring this occupation are a narrow group. Migrate Mate shows which employers have historical visa sponsorship counts for religious worker roles, so you can focus outreach on congregations and nonprofits with a real track record rather than those new to sponsorship.
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Find Jobs for Religious Workers, All OtherFrequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Religious Workers, All Other?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across metropolitan and non-metropolitan survey areas. For each area, DOL calculates four wage levels based on the percentile distribution of reported wages for SOC 21-2099. Employers must request a prevailing wage determination from OFLC before filing an LCA, and the certified wage becomes the minimum cash salary the sponsored worker must receive.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to my offer?
DOL assigns levels based on experience, supervision, and complexity. Level 1 is entry-level and supervised; Level 2 reflects qualified, moderately independent work; Level 3 covers experienced workers with meaningful autonomy; Level 4 is reserved for fully competent senior roles. The level is set by OFLC when the employer files for a prevailing wage determination, based on the actual duties described in the job offer, not the job title alone.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same role vary so much between cities?
DOL conducts regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys that capture local compensation norms. Wages for religious workers in high-cost metros reflect local nonprofit and institution pay scales, while wages in smaller markets reflect their own labor pools. Critically, the LCA must list the actual worksite location, so the prevailing wage obligation is determined by where the work is performed, not where the employer is headquartered. A multi-site organization must use the wage for each specific worksite.
What happens if an employer's offer falls below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An LCA certified at a wage below the DOL prevailing wage floor is not a valid LCA. USCIS can deny the H-1B or other visa petition if the offered salary does not meet the certified wage. For green card cases, OFLC will not certify a PERM application if the offered wage is insufficient. If underpayment occurs after approval, the employer may face back-wage liability and debarment from future sponsorships.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Religious Workers, All Other in a specific U.S. city?
The OFLC Wage Search tool allows you to look up current DOL prevailing wages by SOC code and metropolitan area. Enter SOC 21-2099 and your target city to see all four wage levels for that area. For historical employer-level sponsorship activity in this occupation, Migrate Mate shows which organizations have sponsored religious worker roles and in which locations, letting you cross-reference openings against the relevant wage floor for each worksite.
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