Prevailing Wage for Tire Builders
Prevailing wage for Tire Builders under SOC 51-9197 is set by the DOL using regional wage surveys across more than 530 metropolitan areas. Whether your offer letter names you as a Recapper, Retread Technician, or Buffer, the same four experience levels apply, and the floor shifts considerably depending on which U.S. city your worksite sits in.
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Level 1 covers entry-level workers with limited experience performing routine tasks under close supervision. Employers typically file here for candidates new to tire production who follow established procedures with little independent judgment expected.
Level 2 applies to qualified workers with a year or more of hands-on production experience who work with moderate supervision. This is the most common filing level for Tire Builders, reflecting the skilled repetition and quality-check responsibilities most operators carry.
Level 3 is for experienced operators who handle complex assembly tasks, troubleshoot equipment, and work with minimal supervision. Employers may file here for candidates moving into lead-worker roles or cross-trained on multiple tire-building machines.
Level 4 reflects full competency: workers who train others, set production standards, and may coordinate a shift or line. Senior Retread Associates or lead Tire Assemblers with significant tenure and demonstrated technical mastery typically fall here.
Prevailing Wage for Tire Builders 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 Tire Builders and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Verify your title maps to SOC 51-9197
Offer letters for Retread Technicians or Retreaders sometimes get filed under a related production SOC that carries a lower prevailing wage floor. Confirm your employer's LCA cites SOC 51-9197 before signing, so the correct Tire Builders wage applies.
Watch how shift differentials count toward compliance
Many tire plants pay base wages at or just above the prevailing floor but add significant shift-differential pay. DOL counts only the guaranteed base wage for LCA compliance, so a total-comp figure that clears the floor may not satisfy the requirement on its own.
Compare metros before accepting a Grand Rapids offer
Grand Rapids posts the lowest prevailing wage floors among tracked Tire Builders metros, while Atlanta and Cincinnati sit meaningfully higher. If you have location flexibility, the wage floor difference between these markets can affect both your offer floor and your negotiating position.
Use Migrate Mate to find sponsors with Tire Builders history
Migrate Mate shows which employers have historically sponsored Tire Builders and related production roles, letting you prioritize companies already familiar with the LCA filing process for SOC 51-9197 rather than approaching employers with no sponsorship track record.
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Find Jobs for Tire BuildersPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 51-9197.00 alongside Tire Builders, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Buffer Prevailing Wage
Buffer Prevailing Wage
Buffer positions fall under SOC 51-9197.00 (Tire Builders). 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.
Recapper Prevailing Wage
Recapper Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Recapper for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 51-9197.00 (Tire Builders). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Retread Associate Prevailing Wage
Retread Associate Prevailing Wage
Retread Associate is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 51-9197.00 (Tire Builders). 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.
Retread Technician Prevailing Wage
Retread Technician Prevailing Wage
Retread Technician positions fall under SOC 51-9197.00 (Tire Builders). 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.
Retreader Prevailing Wage
Retreader Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Retreader for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 51-9197.00 (Tire Builders). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Tire Assembler Prevailing Wage
Tire Assembler Prevailing Wage
Tire Assembler is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 51-9197.00 (Tire Builders). 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.
Tire Retreader Prevailing Wage
Tire Retreader Prevailing Wage
Tire Retreader positions fall under SOC 51-9197.00 (Tire Builders). 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.
Tire Technician Prevailing Wage
Tire Technician Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Tire Technician for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 51-9197.00 (Tire Builders). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Tread Builder Operator Prevailing Wage
Tread Builder Operator Prevailing Wage
Tread Builder Operator is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 51-9197.00 (Tire Builders). 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 the DOL set the prevailing wage for Tire Builders?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics from employers across the country. For SOC 51-9197, OFLC maps those survey results to four experience levels and calculates a wage floor for each metropolitan area and state. The resulting figures are published in the OFLC Wage Search tool and used to certify Labor Condition Applications.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to my offer?
Level 1 is for entry-level work under close supervision. Level 2 reflects qualified experience with moderate oversight. Level 3 covers experienced operators working independently, and Level 4 is reserved for fully competent workers in lead or senior roles. Your level is determined by the actual job duties, supervision structure, and experience required, not your personal seniority. The employer sets the level on the LCA, and USCIS may review whether the stated level matches the real job.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same role vary so much between cities?
OFLC calculates wages from regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys, so each metropolitan area reflects local employer pay practices rather than a national average. The LCA worksite-rule requires the employer to use the wage for the city where you actually work, not the company's headquarters. Detroit and Grand Rapids show lower floors than Atlanta partly because the local production-sector wage base differs across those labor markets.
What happens if my employer's offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
DOL will not certify an LCA that lists a wage below the applicable prevailing wage floor. Without a certified LCA, USCIS cannot approve an H-1B or other employment-based petition. If an offer is already below the floor, the employer must raise the wage before filing or the application will fail. An approved petition with a wage that later drops below the floor can trigger back-pay liability and potential debarment for the employer.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Tire Builders at a specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool on the DOL website, enter SOC code 51-9197, select the relevant metropolitan area or state, and choose the experience level that matches your offer. The resulting figure is the current certified floor. Migrate Mate can also help you identify which employers have a track record of sponsoring production roles like Retread Technicians and Tire Assemblers so you can focus your search on companies already set up to file correctly.
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