Prevailing Wage for Traffic Technicians
Prevailing wage for Traffic Technicians is set by DOL across four experience levels, and the floor shifts significantly depending on where the work is performed. Whether your offer letter says Field Traffic Investigator, Traffic Analyst, or Traffic Control Technician, the DOL prevailing wage is what a sponsored position must meet or exceed.
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Level 1 covers entry-level Traffic Technicians with limited field experience, typically performing routine data collection and traffic counts under close supervision. Employers generally file at this level for candidates fresh out of a technical program or associate-degree pathway with no prior traffic studies experience.
Level 2 is the most common filing level for Traffic Technicians. It applies to qualified technicians who can conduct field studies with moderate supervision, interpret signal timing data, and complete standard traffic volume and speed reports with some independent judgment.
Level 3 covers experienced Traffic Technicians who manage multi-site field studies, evaluate lighting adequacy, and support traffic engineers with minimal oversight. Candidates typically bring several years of hands-on fieldwork and demonstrated proficiency across the range of standard traffic investigation tasks.
Level 4 applies to fully competent senior Traffic Technicians who lead field teams, design study methodologies, and may mentor junior staff. Employers file here for candidates with extensive career experience and a track record of independent project completion across complex traffic conditions.
Prevailing Wage for Traffic Technicians 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 Traffic Technicians and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Confirm your filing level matches field scope
Traffic Technician positions filed at Level 1 often involve only volume counts, while Level 3 and Level 4 roles include signal effectiveness evaluations and lighting assessments. Verify that your actual field duties align with the DOL level your employer selected before signing.
Watch for California metro wage gaps
San Francisco and San Jose post the highest prevailing wages for Traffic Technicians nationally, while inland and Southern metros sit well below those floors. If your employer has offices in multiple California cities, confirm the LCA lists the actual worksite, not a lower-wage satellite location.
Check which employers have sponsored Traffic Technicians
Use Migrate Mate to filter jobs by role and visa type, and to see which employers have a history of sponsoring Traffic Technicians or similar signal and survey technician roles. This narrows your search to companies already familiar with the DOL filing process for this occupation.
Flag title aliasing before your LCA is filed
Traffic Investigator and Traffic Survey Technician roles are sometimes filed under transportation or engineering SOC codes that carry different prevailing wage floors. Confirm your employer is using SOC 53-6041 and not a related code that may understate or overstate the required wage for your duties.
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Find Jobs for Traffic TechniciansPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 53-6041.00 alongside Traffic Technicians, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Field Traffic Investigator Prevailing Wage
Field Traffic Investigator Prevailing Wage
Field Traffic Investigator positions fall under SOC 53-6041.00 (Traffic Technicians). 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.
Traffic Analyst Prevailing Wage
Traffic Analyst Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Traffic Analyst for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 53-6041.00 (Traffic Technicians). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Traffic Control Technician Prevailing Wage
Traffic Control Technician Prevailing Wage
Traffic Control Technician is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 53-6041.00 (Traffic Technicians). 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.
Traffic Investigator Prevailing Wage
Traffic Investigator Prevailing Wage
Traffic Investigator positions fall under SOC 53-6041.00 (Traffic Technicians). 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.
Traffic Signal Technician (TST) Prevailing Wage
Traffic Signal Technician (TST) Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Traffic Signal Technician (TST) for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 53-6041.00 (Traffic Technicians). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Traffic Survey Technician Prevailing Wage
Traffic Survey Technician Prevailing Wage
Traffic Survey Technician is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 53-6041.00 (Traffic Technicians). 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.
Transportation Planning Technician Prevailing Wage
Transportation Planning Technician Prevailing Wage
Transportation Planning Technician positions fall under SOC 53-6041.00 (Traffic Technicians). 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.
Transportation Technician Prevailing Wage
Transportation Technician Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Transportation Technician for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 53-6041.00 (Traffic Technicians). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Traffic Technicians?
DOL calculates prevailing wages for Traffic Technicians using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across hundreds of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. OFLC publishes these figures in its wage library, which employers must use when filing a Labor Condition Application. The result is an occupation-specific, geography-specific floor that applies at the time of filing.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to me?
DOL assigns four levels based on experience, supervision, and job complexity. Level 1 is entry-level with close oversight. Level 2 reflects qualified independent work and is where most Traffic Technician LCAs are filed. Level 3 covers experienced technicians handling varied field studies. Level 4 is for fully competent senior professionals with broad scope. Compare your actual daily duties and years of field experience against these definitions to identify your likely level.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same role vary so much by city?
OFLC bases each area's wage on regional OES survey data, which captures actual wages paid by local employers in that labor market. Dense urban markets with higher employer competition, such as the San Francisco Bay Area, produce higher survey medians than smaller metros. The LCA must list the actual worksite address, so the city where you physically perform field studies determines which area wage applies, not the employer's headquarters location.
What happens if my job offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An employer cannot certify a Labor Condition Application with USCIS if the offered wage falls below the DOL prevailing wage for the applicable level and worksite. If the offer is below the floor, the employer must either increase the salary to meet the required level before filing or file at the correct lower level if the duties genuinely match it. USCIS reviews LCA compliance as part of H-1B adjudication.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Traffic Technicians in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool, which lets you look up wages by SOC code 53-6041 and metropolitan area. Select the area that matches your worksite city, then review all four wage levels. You can also cross-reference published OES data through the Bureau of Labor Statistics for a broader picture. For finding employers with active sponsorship history for this role, Migrate Mate lets you filter by occupation and see which companies have sponsored similar positions before.
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