Insights · H-1B
Groundwork research · Published October 5, 2026 · Updated October 6, 2026 · Data as of June 30, 2026 · 4 min read
Since the fiscal 2027 cap season, the H-1B selection gives a registration one entry at DOL wage level I, two at level II, three at level III and four at level IV. We looked at 661,885 certified wage disclosures to see what each level looks like in practice.
111,430 filings
241,190 filings
128,866 filings
117,353 filings
Share of all certified filings. 10% list no level.
If registrations looked like certified filings, level I would hold 19% of the pool and level IV 20%. With the weights applied, level I holds 8% of the entries and level IV 32%. Registrations and filings are different things, so read this as an illustration of the weights.
Share of filings that list a wage level (the mix)
Share of entries after the weights (1, 2, 3 and 4)
Software developers are the largest occupation in the data, with 199,299 filings. The median offered wage climbs with each level, from $103,300 at level I to $178,500 at level IV, a difference of $75,200, or 73%.
Median offered annual wage, software developers
The other 14% of software developer filings list no wage level.
The level IV median against the level I median for the 7 next largest occupations.
Median offered annual wage at level IV
Level IV made up 17% of certified filings in Jul–Sep 2024, 18% in Jul–Sep 2025 and 18% in Oct 2025–Jun 2026. Level I stayed between 16% and 17%.
The level on a wage disclosure is the one the employer lists for the job. The selection rule gives a registration the highest OEWS wage level that its offered wage reaches for the occupation and area, so the level that counts in the selection and the level a disclosure lists can differ for the same job. What the filings show is where employers place their jobs and what those jobs pay, a guide to the market the weights apply to.
Certified wage disclosures (LCAs) in DOL OFLC LCA disclosure data, Jul–Sep 2024, Jul–Sep 2025, Oct 2025–Jun 2026: 661,885 filings, of which
63,046 list no wage level. Shares of the mix count the filings that list a level; the entry shares use the weights 1, 2, 3 and 4
on those filings. Percentages are rounded to whole numbers that total 100. Medians are of the offered annual wage. The three data windows are unequal
(3, 3 and 9 months), so the comparison across windows uses shares. Built by scripts/build_insights.py.
Sources: the weighted selection final rule in the Federal Register; SHRM on the wage-weighted selection (effective February 27, 2026); DOL OFLC performance data.
Informational only; not legal, immigration, or financial advice.
See what a specific employer files, how its hiring has moved and whether it comes back year after year.
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Wage data: U.S. Department of Labor OFLC LCA Disclosure Data and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS. LCA filings reflect sponsored-worker wage offers, which skew toward mid-large employers and specific occupations — treat any estimate built from a small sample cautiously. Informational only; not legal, immigration, or financial advice.