Prevailing Wage for Team Assemblers
Prevailing wage for Team Assemblers is set by the DOL using regional wage surveys, producing four experience-based levels that vary significantly by worksite city. Whether your offer letter says Assembler, Assembly Associate, or Assembly Technician, the same SOC 51-2092 floor applies, and the gap between the lowest- and highest-paying metros is substantial.
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Level 1 covers entry-level assemblers with limited experience who perform routine tasks under close supervision, following established procedures with little independent judgment. Employers typically file here for new hires transitioning from training programs or adjacent production roles.
Level 2 applies to qualified assemblers with moderate experience who work with some independence, handle standard assembly variations, and may cross-train across stations. This is the most common filing level for Team Assemblers, reflecting the occupation's typical steady-state production role.
Level 3 covers experienced assemblers who troubleshoot assembly issues, assist in training others, and handle complex or non-standard components with minimal supervision. Employers file here for workers who rotate across most team positions and resolve process problems independently.
Level 4 applies to fully competent assemblers, often team leads, who exercise independent judgment across all assembly tasks, contribute to process decisions, and may formally participate in management-level production planning. This level reflects the occupation description's explicit inclusion of team leaders.
Prevailing Wage for Team Assemblers 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 Team Assemblers and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Confirm your title maps to SOC 51-2092
Job postings for Assembly Line Worker, Assembly Operator, and Assembly Technician sometimes get filed under adjacent SOC codes covering specific machinery operators, which carry different wage floors. Verify your offer's LCA lists SOC 51-2092 so the Team Assemblers prevailing wage applies to your sponsored position.
Prioritize California and Michigan metro offers
San Jose and San Francisco metros post Level 1 floors well above the national median, and Michigan auto-corridor metros like Lansing show strong Level 3 and Level 4 wages. For assembly roles, these markets offer the clearest wage headroom above the DOL floor for sponsored candidates.
Exclude shift differentials when checking compliance
Assembly employers frequently structure compensation with shift-differential pay, attendance bonuses, and production incentives. DOL prevailing wage compliance is calculated on the base wage only. Confirm your base hourly rate alone clears the applicable level floor before factoring in any variable pay components.
Find employers who sponsor assemblers on Migrate Mate
Migrate Mate shows which companies have historical H-1B and green card sponsorship records for assembly roles, so you can focus outreach on manufacturers and contract assemblers that have actually sponsored SOC 51-2092 workers rather than guessing from job board listings.
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Find Jobs for Team AssemblersPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 51-2092.00 alongside Team Assemblers, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Assembler Prevailing Wage
Assembler Prevailing Wage
Assembler positions fall under SOC 51-2092.00 (Team Assemblers). 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.
Assembly Associate Prevailing Wage
Assembly Associate Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Assembly Associate for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 51-2092.00 (Team Assemblers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Assembly Line Machine Operator Prevailing Wage
Assembly Line Machine Operator Prevailing Wage
Assembly Line Machine Operator is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 51-2092.00 (Team Assemblers). 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.
Assembly Line Worker Prevailing Wage
Assembly Line Worker Prevailing Wage
Assembly Line Worker positions fall under SOC 51-2092.00 (Team Assemblers). 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.
Assembly Operator Prevailing Wage
Assembly Operator Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Assembly Operator for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 51-2092.00 (Team Assemblers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Assembly Technician Prevailing Wage
Assembly Technician Prevailing Wage
Assembly Technician is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 51-2092.00 (Team Assemblers). 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.
Certified Composites Technician (CCT) Prevailing Wage
Certified Composites Technician (CCT) Prevailing Wage
Certified Composites Technician (CCT) positions fall under SOC 51-2092.00 (Team Assemblers). 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.
Manufacturing Associate Prevailing Wage
Manufacturing Associate Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Manufacturing Associate for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 51-2092.00 (Team Assemblers). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Production Line Worker Prevailing Wage
Production Line Worker Prevailing Wage
Production Line Worker is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 51-2092.00 (Team Assemblers). 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 Team Assemblers?
DOL calculates prevailing wages using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across hundreds of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. For each area, DOL publishes four wage levels under SOC 51-2092 that employers must use when filing a Labor Condition Application through OFLC. The figures are updated annually, so the floor your employer must meet reflects current regional survey data, not a national average.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I identify mine?
DOL defines the four levels by experience and supervision. Level 1 is entry-level with close supervision. Level 2 reflects qualified workers with some independence, and is the most common filing level for Team Assemblers. Level 3 covers experienced workers who troubleshoot and cross-train. Level 4 applies to fully competent workers, including team leads who participate in production decisions. Your level should match the actual duties and supervision described in your job offer, not simply the title.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same assembly role differ so much city to city?
OFLC derives each area's wage from regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys, so local labor market conditions drive the numbers. A dense automotive manufacturing corridor in Michigan or a high-cost metro in California produces higher survey wages than a rural or lower-cost area. Critically, the LCA must list the actual worksite, so a sponsor headquartered in a low-wage state but placing an assembler at a high-wage facility must use the worksite city's prevailing wage, not headquarters.
What happens if an offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An employer who certifies an LCA at a wage below the DOL prevailing wage for the worksite and level is out of compliance. USCIS can deny the H-1B petition, and OFLC can audit and debar the employer from future sponsorship. For the worker, a below-floor offer cannot legally support a visa petition. The employer must either raise the offered wage to meet the applicable level or withdraw the sponsorship.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Team Assemblers in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool to look up SOC 51-2092 by metropolitan area or county. Select the wage year that matches your petition and identify the level that fits your duties. You can also review O*NET for the occupation's full title and code to confirm you are searching the right SOC. Migrate Mate lets you filter assembly job listings by location and see which employers have sponsored this role, helping you identify companies already operating at compliant wage levels in your target market.
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