Prevailing Wage for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
The prevailing wage for Administrative Assistant roles under SOC 43-6014 sets the minimum an H-1B, E-3, or green card sponsor must pay at each of four DOL experience levels. Whether your title is Administrative Clerk, Admin Specialist, or Administrative Secretary, the floor shifts significantly by worksite city, so checking the right metro matters.
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Entry-level administrative assistants with limited experience performing routine, closely supervised tasks such as basic scheduling, filing, and correspondence. Typically requires a high school diploma or equivalent with little to no prior office administration experience.
Level 2 is the most common filing level for this occupation. Qualified administrative assistants with one to three years of experience handling a broader range of tasks with moderate supervision, including calendar management, data entry, and coordinating office communications independently.
Experienced administrative specialists who apply independent judgment, handle complex scheduling and correspondence, and often support multiple senior staff or departments. Typically requires several years of demonstrated progressively responsible administrative support experience.
Fully competent administrative technicians operating with significant autonomy, often serving as lead support staff, mentoring junior team members, managing office systems, and handling the most complex or sensitive correspondence and coordination tasks.
Prevailing Wage for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 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 Administrative Assistant and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Watch for agency placement filing traps
Staffing agencies that place administrative assistants at client worksites must file the LCA using the client location, not the agency's address. An agency headquartered in a low-wage metro but placing you at a San Francisco site should reflect San Francisco prevailing wage on the LCA.
Recognize why most sponsors file at Level 2
DOL data shows Level 2 is the standard filing level for sponsored administrative assistants. If your offer letter lists one to three years of required experience and moderate task complexity, confirm the employer filed at L2 and not the lower L1 floor.
Exclude bonuses and RSUs from your wage floor check
DOL prevailing wage compliance for administrative assistants is met through base salary alone. Signing bonuses, annual performance bonuses, and any equity grants do not count toward the floor, so compare your guaranteed annual base to the certified LCA wage.
Use Migrate Mate to find employers who sponsor this role
Migrate Mate shows which employers have historically sponsored administrative assistants and admin clerks for H-1B or green card, so you can focus your search on companies with a real track record of filing LCAs for this occupation rather than guessing.
Jobs for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for Administrative AssistantPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 43-6014.00 alongside Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Administrative Assistant (Admin Assistant) Prevailing Wage
Administrative Assistant (Admin Assistant) Prevailing Wage
Administrative Assistant (Admin Assistant) positions fall under SOC 43-6014.00 (Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive). 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.
Administrative Clerk Prevailing Wage
Administrative Clerk Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Administrative Clerk for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 43-6014.00 (Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Administrative Secretary (Admin Secretary) Prevailing Wage
Administrative Secretary (Admin Secretary) Prevailing Wage
Administrative Secretary (Admin Secretary) is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 43-6014.00 (Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive). 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.
Administrative Specialist (Admin Specialist) Prevailing Wage
Administrative Specialist (Admin Specialist) Prevailing Wage
Administrative Specialist (Admin Specialist) positions fall under SOC 43-6014.00 (Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive). 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.
Administrative Support Assistant (ASA) Prevailing Wage
Administrative Support Assistant (ASA) Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Administrative Support Assistant (ASA) for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 43-6014.00 (Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Administrative Technician Prevailing Wage
Administrative Technician Prevailing Wage
Administrative Technician is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 43-6014.00 (Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive). 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.
Department Secretary Prevailing Wage
Department Secretary Prevailing Wage
Department Secretary positions fall under SOC 43-6014.00 (Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive). 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.
Office Assistant Prevailing Wage
Office Assistant Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Office Assistant for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 43-6014.00 (Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Secretary Prevailing Wage
Secretary Prevailing Wage
Secretary is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 43-6014.00 (Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive). 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 Assistant Prevailing Wage
Staff Assistant Prevailing Wage
Staff Assistant positions fall under SOC 43-6014.00 (Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive). 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 administrative assistants?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across hundreds of metropolitan areas. For each metro, the agency calculates four wage levels for SOC 43-6014 based on the distribution of wages actually paid to workers in that occupation. Employers sponsoring an administrative assistant must pay at least the level that matches the position's requirements and supervision.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which applies to my offer?
The four levels correspond to increasing experience and independence: Level 1 is entry with close supervision, Level 2 is qualified with moderate supervision, Level 3 is experienced with broad independent judgment, and Level 4 is fully competent with senior or lead responsibilities. Review the job description for required years of experience and task complexity, then match those to DOL's level definitions to identify where your position should fall.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same administrative assistant role vary so much city to city?
DOL sets wages from regional OES surveys, which capture actual pay in each local labor market. An admin specialist role in San Francisco or San Jose competes in a dense, high-cost employer market where wages are structurally higher. The worksite address on the LCA determines which metro's wage applies, not the employer's headquarters, so remote or hybrid arrangements tied to a lower-cost city will draw from that city's survey data.
What happens if an employer offers a salary below the prevailing wage for a sponsored administrative assistant position?
A sponsored position where the offered wage falls below the certified LCA wage level violates DOL rules. USCIS will deny or revoke the petition if the discrepancy is identified. The employer would need to raise the salary to at least the prevailing wage floor and refile the LCA before the visa petition can proceed. Workers can also file a complaint with OFLC's Wage and Hour Division.
How can I find and verify the prevailing wage for an administrative assistant job in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool, which lets you look up the current DOL prevailing wage for SOC 43-6014 by metropolitan area and wage level. Enter the worksite metro and select the four-digit SOC code to see all four level wages. You can also cross-reference historical LCA disclosure data through OFLC to see what wages employers have actually certified for administrative assistants in that location. Migrate Mate can help you identify which employers have sponsored this role before so you can prioritize outreach.
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