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H-1B Salary Explorer
What do H-1B roles actually pay? Change position, city, and experience to watch the charts update — and drop in your offer to see your percentile.
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Educational estimate only. Not legal, tax, immigration, or financial advice. Full disclaimer below.
Built from official DOL LCA disclosure filings. Figures are gross base salaries, not total compensation.
An H-1B salary depends on the job title and SOC code, the work location, the employer, the wage level (1–4), and the worker's experience. The offered wage generally must meet the required wage — the higher of the prevailing wage for that role and location or the employer's actual wage for similar workers.
H-1B wage data comes from disclosed employer filings, but the number that matters legally is the required wage for the specific role and location. This explorer helps you compare disclosed salaries and understand prevailing wage, SOC codes, and wage levels.
- Who this tool is for
- H-1B workers and candidates (especially in tech) comparing salaries by title, city, and employer, and anyone wanting to understand how prevailing wage shapes an H-1B offer.
- Estimated timeline / fees
- Salary figures come from historical disclosed filings and are estimates for comparison — they are not a guarantee of any offer. The legally required wage is set by the prevailing wage for the role and location at the time of filing.
Key inputs & documents you'll need
- The job title you want to compare
- The SOC occupation code that matches the role's duties
- The city or metro area (wages vary a lot by location)
- The wage level (1–4) tied to experience and requirements
- Optionally, a specific employer to compare
Methodology
How these numbers are built
Official DOL filings
Every H-1B job requires a certified Labor Condition Application stating the offered base wage. The DOL publishes these quarterly — that disclosure file is our only input.
Aggregates, not records
We group certified H-1B filings by occupation (SOC title), metro, and DOL wage level, then publish only percentiles (p10–p90), the median prevailing-wage floor, and a coarse distribution. Thin selections fall back to a broader aggregate and are flagged.
Base salary only
LCA wages exclude stock and bonus. Treat these numbers as the floor of a real offer at large tech employers, and as close to total comp at most services companies.
After the tool
What actually drives an H-1B wage
Prevailing wage
The prevailing wage is the typical wage for a given occupation in a given area, based on Department of Labor data. The H-1B offer generally must meet at least this figure for the role and location.
SOC code
Each role maps to a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The SOC code and the job's actual duties drive which wage data applies — a mismatch between title, code, and duties is a common problem.
Wage level 1–4
Within an occupation and area, wages are set at four levels roughly tied to experience and requirements: Level 1 (entry) up to Level 4 (fully competent/senior). Higher levels mean higher required wages.
City / metro differences
The same title can carry very different required wages across metros. A role in a high-cost tech hub often has a substantially higher prevailing wage than the same role in a lower-cost metro.
Job title mismatch risk
If the title and SOC code suggest a routine role but the duties are more advanced (or vice versa), it can trigger questions. The wage level should fit the real duties and requirements.
Step-by-step process
- Identify the job title and the SOC code that matches the actual duties.
- Select the city or metro area where the work is performed.
- Check the wage level (1–4) that fits the experience and requirements.
- Compare disclosed salaries for that title, location, and employer as a reference range.
- Treat the result as an estimate for comparison — the required wage at filing is what governs, not historical data.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating disclosed salary data as a guaranteed offer rather than a reference range.
- Comparing titles across cities without accounting for large metro wage differences.
- Picking a wage level that doesn't match the real duties and requirements.
- Ignoring the SOC code — the code and duties, not just the title, drive the wage.
- Assuming the market salary and the required (prevailing) wage are the same thing.
Example scenario
Software engineer in Chicago vs Dallas
A 'Software Developer' role maps to a specific SOC code. In a higher-cost metro like Chicago, the prevailing wage for a given wage level is typically higher than for the same level and SOC code in Dallas. So two identical job titles can carry meaningfully different required wages purely because of location. Comparing the two on this explorer shows the metro gap — but the number that governs any actual petition is the prevailing wage for that role and location at the time of filing.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the H-1B prevailing wage?
The prevailing wage is the typical wage for a specific occupation in a specific area, based on Department of Labor data. An H-1B offer generally must meet at least the required wage — the higher of this prevailing wage or what the employer pays similar workers.
Is a Level 1 wage risky?
A Level 1 (entry-level) wage isn't automatically a problem, but if the job's duties and requirements look more advanced than entry level, a Level 1 designation can attract questions. The wage level should genuinely match the role's experience and complexity.
Does an H-1B salary depend on location?
Yes, heavily. The prevailing wage for the same title and SOC code can differ substantially between metros, so location is one of the biggest drivers of the required H-1B wage. A high-cost tech hub typically has higher required wages than a lower-cost metro.
Can an H-1B salary be lower than the market salary?
The offered wage must meet the required wage (the higher of the prevailing wage or the employer's actual wage for similar roles). It can differ from broad 'market' averages, but it can't fall below the prevailing wage for the role and location, which is set from DOL data.
What if the job title doesn't match the duties?
A mismatch between title, SOC code, and actual duties can create problems, including questions about whether the role is a specialty occupation and whether the wage level is right. The SOC code and wage level should reflect the real duties, not just a generic title.
How should I use H-1B salary data?
Use it as a reference range to compare titles, locations, and employers — not as a guaranteed offer. The number that legally governs a petition is the prevailing wage for the specific role and location at the time of filing, so treat disclosed historical data as an estimate.
Disclaimer, assumptions & sources
This tool is for general education and planning only. It does not replace advice from a CPA, attorney, financial advisor, USCIS, IRS, State Department, or other official source. Rules, limits, forms, fees, dates, and government processing information may change. Always verify before filing, investing, or making immigration, tax, or financial decisions.
- For educational use only — not legal advice.
- Not tax advice.
- Not financial advice.
- Not immigration advice.
- Numbers, forms, fees, dates, rules, and limits may change at any time.
- Always verify with official sources before acting.
- Consult a CPA, attorney, financial advisor, or the relevant official agency (USCIS, IRS, State Department) when it matters to your situation.
See our full site disclaimer for complete terms.