How do H-1B salaries vary by metro area?

H-1B salaries vary dramatically by metro. The same occupation filed at Level III in San Jose might offer $180,000 while the same level in a mid-tier metro offers $110,000. This reflects prevailing wage differences driven by local cost of living and labor market conditions. However, higher metro salaries do not necessarily mean higher real compensation, housing costs in top tech metros can consume a larger share of income. PlainVisa shows metro-level salary distributions for every occupation.

Which states are seeing the fastest growth in H-1B filings?

While California, Texas, New York, and New Jersey maintain the highest absolute filing volumes, states like Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee are seeing the fastest growth rates. This mirrors broader economic trends, employer relocations, remote work hub formation, and lower cost of living attracting both companies and workers to these states. PlainVisa's state pages show filing volume trends across fiscal years.

Guide

H-1B Geographic Trends

Q: Which metro areas have the most H-1B filings?

The San Francisco Bay Area, New York City metro, Seattle, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Chicago consistently rank as the top metros for H-1B LCA filings. The concentration reflects where major tech companies, consulting firms, financial institutions, and healthcare systems are headquartered. However, the geography is shifting, metros like Austin, Atlanta, and Raleigh-Durham have seen significant growth in H-1B filings as remote work and employer relocations redistribute demand.

Q: Are H-1B jobs concentrated in technology?

Technology occupations account for a large share of H-1B filings, software developers, systems engineers, and data scientists dominate the top occupation codes. However, H-1B usage extends well beyond tech: healthcare (physicians, physical therapists), finance (financial analysts, actuaries), engineering (civil, mechanical, electrical), and education (university professors, researchers) are all significant H-1B categories. The tech concentration is partly because tech companies are among the largest individual sponsors.

Where H-1B sponsors are concentrated, which metros are growing fastest, and what geographic filing patterns reveal about the labor market.

PlainVisa Editorial Published April 6, 2026 Updated July 6, 2026

Where H-1B sponsors are concentrated, which metros are growing fastest, and what the geographic patterns mean for visa holders and job seekers.

Key Takeaway

H-1B filings are heavily concentrated in a handful of metros, the top 10 account for over half of all filings. But the geographic landscape is shifting as employers expand beyond traditional tech hubs. For visa holders, understanding metro-level filing patterns helps identify where opportunities are growing and where salary-to-cost-of-living ratios are most favorable.

The Concentration Problem

H-1B filing data reveals an extreme geographic concentration. A small number of metros account for a disproportionate share of all LCA filings. This concentration reflects the headquarters locations of major sponsors, tech companies in the Bay Area and Seattle, consulting firms in the New York-New Jersey corridor, and healthcare systems in major urban centers.

For H-1B job seekers, this concentration means that the vast majority of opportunities are in high-cost-of-living metros. A software engineer sponsored in San Jose may earn $180,000 but face $3,500+ monthly rent. The same role in Austin might pay $140,000 with $1,800 rent. LCA data on PlainVisa's metro pages makes these comparisons possible, but salary numbers alone do not tell the full story.

Metro-Level Salary Variation

What it tells you: Prevailing wages are set by metro area, so the same occupation at the same wage level pays different amounts in different metros. This variation is intentional, it reflects local labor market conditions and cost of living. A Level III Software Developer filing in San Jose has a prevailing wage significantly higher than the same filing in Kansas City. PlainVisa's metro pages show these distributions.

What it doesn't tell you: Prevailing wages are based on BLS survey data that may lag current market conditions by 1-2 years. In rapidly growing metros (Austin, Denver, Nashville), actual market wages may have outpaced prevailing wage determinations. Conversely, in metros experiencing economic decline, prevailing wages may be higher than what the current market offers.

How to use it: Compare the same occupation code across metros on PlainVisa. Focus on Level III and IV filings for experienced-professional benchmarks. Then factor in cost of living, a $150,000 salary in Austin offers more purchasing power than $200,000 in San Francisco. The highest-paying occupations ranking shows which roles pay the most nationally.

Emerging H-1B Metros

What it tells you: While established metros maintain the highest filing volumes, several secondary metros are showing rapid growth in H-1B filings. Austin, Raleigh-Durham, Atlanta, Nashville, and Denver have all seen significant increases as companies establish offices, relocate headquarters, or expand remote-friendly operations in lower-cost markets. For visa holders, these metros often offer better salary-to-cost ratios and less competition for housing.

What it doesn't tell you: Filing growth in a metro does not guarantee approval rates will be similar. USCIS approval rates are not tied to geography, but employer-specific denial rates vary. A growing metro with mostly IT staffing firms may have lower approval rates than one dominated by direct-hire tech companies, even if filing volumes are similar.

How to use it: Use PlainVisa's state pages to identify states with growing H-1B activity. Then drill into metro-level data to see which employers are driving growth and what occupations they are filing for. This can inform job search strategy, targeting employers in growing metros may offer more opportunities and better living standards.

What This Means for You: A Practical Framework

Step 1, Identify target metros. Use PlainVisa's metro pages to see filing volumes and top employers by metro. Look for metros with growing filing activity in your occupation.

Step 2, Compare salary ranges. For your specific occupation, compare prevailing wages across metros. A $20,000 salary difference may not matter if housing costs differ by $15,000 annually.

Step 3, Research employer presence. Check which employers file in each metro on PlainVisa employer pages. Some companies file heavily in one metro but have growing presence in others, this can signal expansion opportunities.

Step 4, Factor in secondary considerations. Beyond salary and cost of living, consider visa processing efficiency (some employer-metro combinations have better USCIS outcomes), community (immigrant networks in established metros are stronger), and career trajectory (emerging metros may offer faster advancement).

Frequently Asked Questions

Which metro areas have the most H-1B filings?

San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Chicago lead in H-1B filings. The top 10 metros account for over half of all filings, though secondary metros like Austin and Atlanta are growing rapidly.

Are H-1B jobs concentrated in technology?

Tech accounts for a large share but H-1B extends well beyond: healthcare, finance, engineering, and education are all significant categories. The tech dominance partly reflects that tech companies are among the largest individual sponsors.

How do H-1B salaries vary by metro?

Dramatically. The same occupation at the same level can vary $50,000+ between metros. Higher metro salaries reflect higher prevailing wages and cost of living, not necessarily better real compensation.

Which states are growing fastest in H-1B filings?

Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee are seeing the fastest growth rates, mirroring broader employer relocations and remote work hub formation in lower-cost states.

Sources: DOL Employment and Training Administration, Foreign Labor Certification Performance Data, FY2023-FY2026.

Last updated: April 2026

Compiled byPlainVisa Editorial, H-1B Visa Editorial Team

Every figure on PlainVisa is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.