New Prevailing Wage Data Brings Higher Salary Requirements for Many Employers

The U.S. Department of Labor has released its updated prevailing wage data, and most employers sponsoring foreign workers will face higher wage requirements for new immigration filings.

A Boundless analysis of the new Wage Year 2026–27 data found that prevailing wages increased across roughly 74% of occupations nationwide, with a median increase of 3.3%. The new wage rates took effect on July 1, 2026, and generally apply to new H-1B, PERM labor certification, and other employment-based immigration filings that rely on prevailing wage determinations.

Not sure how the updated prevailing wages affect your next H-1B or PERM filing? Talk to a Boundless immigration attorney before you submit your application.

What is a prevailing wage?

A prevailing wage is the minimum salary employers must generally offer when sponsoring foreign workers through many employment-based immigration programs, including H-1B visas and PERM labor certifications.

Each year, the Department of Labor updates these wage levels using federal occupational employment data. While annual increases are common, the size of those increases, and how they vary by occupation and location, can have a significant impact on hiring costs and filing strategies.

Most occupations saw wage increases

Boundless compared Wage Year 2025–26 and Wage Year 2026–27 prevailing wage data across approximately 179,000 occupation-by-metro combinations.

The analysis found:

• About 74% of occupations saw prevailing wages increase.
• The median wage increase nationwide was 3.3%.
• Science, legal, arts and media, healthcare, and computer occupations experienced some of the strongest growth.
• Protective service and agricultural occupations saw little change.

Among the largest median increases by occupation family were:

• Life, physical, and social science: +5.2%
• Legal: +5.2%
• Arts and media: +5.1%
• Healthcare practitioners: +4.0%
• Computer and mathematical occupations: +3.4%

Silicon Valley was the exception

While technology wages generally increased across major hiring markets, one region bucked the trend.

In Santa Clara/San Jose, California, prevailing wages fell for both Software Developers (-2.1%) and Data Scientists (-5.7%), making it the only major metro in the analysis where both occupations declined year over year.

Despite those decreases, Santa Clara continues to have the highest prevailing wage levels in the country for both occupations. According to the analysis, the decline likely reflects a normalization in an already exceptionally high-paying market rather than a broader slowdown in demand for tech talent.

What employers should do now

Although many of the changes were relatively modest, employers planning immigration filings should review the updated wage data before submitting new applications.

"Most employers shouldn't be surprised to see prevailing wages increase this year, but even relatively small changes can affect whether a position meets the required wage level," said Boundless CEO Xiao Wang. "Before filing an H-1B, PERM, or other employment-based case, it's worth confirming that the offered salary still meets the updated prevailing wage."

The new wage data is particularly important for employers with filings planned in the coming months, especially if an offered salary is close to the prevailing wage threshold.

A few wage swings deserve a closer look

The analysis also identified several unusually large increases and decreases in individual occupations and metro areas, including certain physician specialties and broad occupational categories.

These changes are likely driven by small survey sample sizes or how some occupations are grouped in the Department of Labor's wage data, rather than dramatic shifts in local labor markets. Employers encountering unusually large changes should review those cases carefully before filing.

The bottom line

Most employers filing employment-based immigration cases this year will encounter higher prevailing wage requirements than they did last year. Before submitting an H-1B, PERM, or other filing that relies on prevailing wage data, review the updated wage rates to make sure your offered salary still meets the requirement.

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