Wage year 2026-27
Wage levels I to IV
Every prevailing wage cell holds four figures. Which one binds depends on the job as the employer describes it, and the gap between the top and the bottom is usually the largest number in the filing.
The four, side by side
Illustrated with a real cell: Software Developers (15-1252) in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, the highest-volume occupation in the FY2025 Q1 to Q4 certified filing data, and the highest-volume area in the county-matched subsample of it. The wage figures are from the OFLC file. The filing shares are from the disclosure data.
| Level | Reads as | Hourly | Annual | National median | Filed at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level I | Entry | $52.81 | $109,845 | $79,560 | 10.7% |
| Level II | Experienced | $66.21 | $137,717 | $100,214 | 44.5% |
| Level III | Qualified | $79.61 | $165,589 | $120,474 | 24.4% |
| Level IV | Fully competent | $93.01 | $193,461 | $141,149 | 20.3% |
Hourly and annual: Software Developers (15-1252), New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. ALC_Export.csv, OFLC_Wages_2026-27.zip, wage year July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. National median is the median across the 500 areas where this occupation's wage was surveyed locally. Filed at: certified H-1B filings for this occupation, DOL Labor Condition Application disclosure data, FY2025 Q1 to Q4.
Level IV in this cell is $83,616 a year above Level I. That difference is decided by the worksheet, not by the wage file, which is why the derivation matters more than the lookup.
What moves a job up a level
Four things, each worth one step from a Level I starting point: experience beyond what the occupation ordinarily requires, education above the occupation's usual entry level, special skills or other requirements beyond the norm, and supervisory duties that aren't already inherent to the occupation. Add the steps, cap at four, and that's the level.
The experience step is the one that turns on the occupation rather than the job. Software Developers sits in O*NET Job Zone 4, so up to 10 years counts as ordinary for it. Ask for more than that and the requirement clears the norm. The usual entry education for the occupation is bachelor's degree, and a requirement above that is a separate step.
The four pages
- Level I, entry: The floor. A job whose requirements sit at what the occupation itself ordinarily asks for, and no further.
- Level II, experienced: One step up. Something in the job description clears the occupational norm, usually experience or education.
- Level III, qualified: Two steps up. Two separate requirements each clear the occupational norm.
- Level IV, fully competent: Three or four steps up. The ceiling, and the level that needs the most support in the job description.
Which level gets filed most
For Software Developers, 29,058 certified filings in FY2025 Q1 to Q4 carry a level. Level II takes 44.5% of them, which is the pattern across most high-volume occupations: one step up from entry, and the step is usually experience.
Certified H-1B filings for Software Developers (15-1252) carrying a wage level, DOL Labor Condition Application disclosure data, FY2025 Q1 to Q4. 103,285 certified filings analysed in total.
A high filing share isn't evidence that a level is correct for your job. It records what employers filed, and an employer picking the level that costs least is filing the same data as one who worked it through. Run your own facts on the calculator and check the working.