SOC 19-2012 · Area 35620
Physicists prevailing wage in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
Level II is $149,802 a year, which ranks 14 of 62 surveyed areas nationally for this occupation. The gap between Level I and Level IV here is $123,323.
All four levels
The vertical tick on each bar is where that level sat in 2025-26. The four levels don't move together, so a band that compressed or widened is doing something the headline figure hides.
| Level | Hourly | Annual | Step from previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level I | $52.26 | $108,701 | |
| Level II | $72.02 | $149,802 | +$41,101 |
| Level III | $91.79 | $190,923 | +$41,121 |
| Level IV | $111.55 | $232,024 | +$41,101 |
Mean wage for this occupation and area is $191,318. Surveyed for this metropolitan area. ALC_Export.csv, OFLC_Wages_2026-27.zip, wage year 2026-27.
What changed since last year
Against the 2025-26 file, Level II here moved +1.5%, from $147,555 to $149,802. The band between Level I and Level IV widened, so the gap between an entry determination and a fully competent one is larger than it was. The level matters more this year.
The four levels don't move together. All four rose here.
Comparison against ALC_Export.csv from the 2025-26 wage file. Both files use the same schema and the same area and SOC keys.
Against the whole country
Each mark is one of 62 areas with a surveyed figure for Physicists.
Rank 14 of 62, in the 77th percentile nationally. The national median is $131,726, so this area sits +13.7% against it.
Areas whose figure is imputed from a broader geography are excluded, so this compares surveyed figures only.
What these figures mean here
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ covers 22 counties, including Bergen County, Bronx County, Essex County. Every worksite inside that boundary takes the same figure, so an offer in an outlying county carries the same floor as one in the principal city.
At Level II this area is +13.7% against the national median of $131,726, which puts it in the 77th percentile. Among the 30 areas covered here it ranks 11, in the middle of the pack.
The spread between Level I and Level IV is $123,323 a year. That band is wider than the median area for this occupation, so the level determination moves the required wage more here than it does in most places. Getting the experience or education input wrong costs more than choosing the wrong city would.` Across certified filings for this occupation, 39% were at Level II or above.
How the level is decided
The level isn't a property of the job title. It comes out of a worksheet that starts at Level I and steps up for experience beyond what Job Zone 5 treats as ordinary, education beyond Doctoral or professional degree, special skills, and supervisory duties that aren't already part of the occupation.
Run the determination for this occupation and area to see which level a specific set of requirements lands on, and the step by step reasoning behind it.
Worksheet structure follows the DOL ETA Prevailing Wage Determination Policy Guidance, Nonagricultural Immigration Programs, revised November 2009. This is a computed reading of published data, not a wage determination and not legal advice.
The same occupation elsewhere
| Area | Level II | Against here |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $157,955 | +5.4% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $137,093 | -8.5% |
Same-state areas first, then the highest paying areas for this occupation. All figures Level II, wage year 2026-27.