The Most Underused Dataset in H1B Planning
Every H1B petition is anchored to a Labor Condition Application — a public filing with the Department of Labor that declares the employer's intended wage for the sponsored worker. That means every wage offer tied to an H1B sponsor is publicly searchable, and most job seekers never look.
The Work Visa Insights LCA module makes this dataset accessible without SQL or data engineering. Here is everything you need to know.
What Is an LCA?
A Labor Condition Application (LCA) is a mandatory DOL filing that precedes every H1B petition. The employer certifies:
- They will pay the worker at least the prevailing wage for the role and location
- The offered wage is equal to what they pay U.S. workers in the same role
- There is no strike or lockout at the worksite
- Notice of filing was provided to workers
Because LCAs are public record, the exact wage floor offered to H1B workers is publicly visible for every employer that has ever filed.
What the LCA Module Shows
Employer-Level Data
- Total LCA filings per employer
- Average and median wages offered across all filings
- Wage distribution across DOL wage levels (Level I through Level IV)
- Year-over-year filing trends
- Geographic filing footprint
Job Title / SOC Code Level
- Most common job titles filed under each employer
- Median wage per title, per location, per year
- Comparison of what different employers pay for the same title
Location-Level Data
- Median wages in a given city or state
- Which employers dominate LCA filings in a market
- How wages vary between metros for identical roles
Step 1 — Search for Your Target Employer
Use the LCA employer search to find your target company. The autocomplete pulls from the full LCA filing history. Type a partial name and press Enter.
The employer profile shows:
- Total filings over the selected scope
- Median wage offered (this is the number to benchmark against your offer)
- Wage level distribution — what share of filings fall at Level I (entry), II (qualified), III (experienced), or IV (fully competent)
A Level I-heavy employer offering you a Level III wage is a strong positive signal. A Level I-heavy employer offering you a Level I wage in an expensive metro is a red flag — it suggests below-market compensation dressed up as compliance.
Step 2 — Benchmark by Job Title
Navigate to LCA → Jobs. Search for your target job title (e.g. "Software Engineer", "Data Scientist", "Product Manager").
The job profile shows:
- Median wage across all employers filing for that title
- Wage range (10th–90th percentile)
- Which employers file the most LCAs for this title
- How wages have shifted year over year
This is the number to put in your negotiation: "LCA data shows the median wage for Software Engineers on LCA filings in the San Francisco metro is $X — my offer is below that."
Step 3 — Use Location Wage Benchmarks
The same job title pays dramatically different amounts across U.S. metros, partly because the prevailing wage is set at the county level. A Level II Software Engineer in San Francisco has a different DOL prevailing wage than the same level in Columbus, Ohio.
Navigate to LCA → Locations and pick your target city. You will see:
- Median LCA wage for workers in that city
- Top employers filing from that metro
- Most common job titles filed there
Use this to calibrate whether a role in a lower-cost city genuinely compensates for the cost-of-living difference, or whether the nominal salary difference disappears when adjusted.
Understanding DOL Wage Levels
| Level | Description | Typical profile |
|---|---|---|
| Level I | Entry-level, routine tasks, close supervision | New grad, first industry role |
| Level II | Qualified, some autonomy, standard methods | 2–5 years experience |
| Level III | Experienced, complex tasks, significant judgment | Senior / lead |
| Level IV | Fully competent, top of profession, policy-setting | Staff / principal / expert |
If an employer is filing LCAs at Level I for a role you consider mid-level, ask them directly about wage level justification. You have the right to see the LCA before signing an offer.
Pro Tips for Negotiation
- Pull the LCA before your final round — employers cannot legally offer you below the certified wage, and knowing their certified wage gives you a hard floor to negotiate above
- Compare against the prevailing wage for your county and level — the DOL FLC Data Center publishes these, and Work Visa Insights incorporates this context into salary benchmarks
- Check the employer's wage level distribution — a company that files 90% Level I LCAs but wants to hire you at Level II may underpay the moment the initial petition expires
- Look at year-over-year wage trends — stagnant median wages signal that the employer is not passing wage growth to H1B employees
Explore LCA Data Now
Work Visa Insights LCA module is live and continuously updated from DOL disclosure files. Open the LCA module → to start benchmarking wages for your target role and employer.