Prevailing Wage for Special Education Teachers, All Other
Prevailing wage for Special Education Teachers, All Other (SOC 25-2059) is set by DOL using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data. DOL defines four experience levels, and the wage floor shifts significantly depending on the worksite city. International candidates pursuing H-1B, E-3, or green card sponsorship should verify their offer clears the local floor before accepting.
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Level 1 covers entry-level special education teachers with limited classroom experience, typically newly credentialed candidates working under direct supervision on routine instructional tasks with structured lesson plans and limited independent decision-making.
Level 2 applies to qualified teachers with moderate classroom experience who work with some independence. This is the most common filing level for Special Education Teachers, All Other, reflecting typical sponsored candidates with a few years in the field.
Level 3 covers experienced special education teachers who work independently, adapt individualized education programs across complex disability categories, and may informally guide less experienced colleagues or coordinate with multidisciplinary teams.
Level 4 applies to fully competent senior special education teachers with deep expertise across multiple disability classifications, formal leadership responsibilities such as department coordination, mentoring staff, or driving schoolwide IEP compliance initiatives.
Prevailing Wage for Special Education Teachers, 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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Confirm your disability category breadth matches the level
Special education filings often stall when the stated Level 3 or Level 4 scope does not match the LCA job duties. Employers should document the range of disability classifications you serve and any coordination duties to defend the filed level with OFLC.
Watch for low-paying districts in wage-range states
Within the same state, metro-level prevailing wages for these roles can vary by tens of thousands of dollars annually. Rural and mid-size districts in states like West Virginia and Alabama have historically filed at floors far below major metro benchmarks, affecting negotiation room.
Exclude signing bonuses from the prevailing wage calculation
School districts sometimes structure compensation packages with one-time signing incentives. DOL requires that the prevailing wage be met through recurring base salary, not amortized bonuses. Verify your offered annual base salary alone clears the applicable level floor.
Use Migrate Mate to find districts with sponsorship history
School districts and educational service agencies that have sponsored special education roles before are far more likely to navigate the LCA process correctly. Migrate Mate shows which employers have prior H-1B sponsorship records for this occupation, so you can focus on experienced sponsors.
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Find Jobs for this roleFrequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Special Education Teachers, All Other?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to establish four wage levels for each SOC code in each metropolitan area. For SOC 25-2059, OFLC assigns Level 1 through Level 4 thresholds based on regional salary distributions. Employers file an LCA declaring the wage level and must pay at least that floor throughout the sponsorship period.
What do the four wage levels mean, and how do I identify which applies to my offer?
DOL defines the levels by experience and job complexity. Level 1 is entry-level with direct supervision, Level 2 is qualified with moderate independence, Level 3 is experienced with complex caseloads and informal mentoring, and Level 4 is fully competent with formal leadership scope. Match your actual job duties and years of experience to the level description, not just your job title, since OFLC evaluates the duties on the certified LCA.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same special education role differ so much from city to city?
OFLC sets wages using regional OES survey data, which captures actual salaries paid in each metropolitan area. Public school compensation structures, union contracts, and local tax bases vary widely across regions, producing large gaps between high-cost metros and rural areas. The LCA must list the actual worksite location, so the employer cannot use a lower-cost metro's prevailing wage if you will work in a higher-cost district.
What happens if a sponsored job offer is below the prevailing wage floor?
An employer cannot certify an LCA if the offered wage is below the applicable prevailing wage level. OFLC will reject the application. If a certified LCA is later found to list a wage below the floor, USCIS can deny or revoke the H-1B petition. The employer may also face back-wage liability and debarment from future sponsorships, so both parties have strong reasons to confirm compliance before filing.
How can I find and verify the prevailing wage for Special Education Teachers, All Other in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool, which lets you look up SOC 25-2059 by metropolitan area and wage level to see the exact floor DOL has set. Cross-reference with Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data for broader context. If you want to identify which employers are actively sponsoring special education roles in specific metros, Migrate Mate filters sponsored job listings by role, location, and visa type, showing employers with documented sponsorship history.
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