H-1B LCA Filings in Ames, IA
LCA filing records in the Ames, IA metro. U.S. Department of Labor disclosure data lists 826 Labor Condition Application filings from 94 distinct employer filers across the Ames, IA metropolitan area. DOL certified 98.1% of those filings, a DOL record status for the prevailing-wage and working-condition attestations. This filing record does not establish a USCIS petition, an approval, a hire, confirmed sponsorship, or a visa outcome.
Where this metro sits in the corpus. Ames, IA ranks #95 of 113 published metro profiles by disclosed LCA filing volume, putting it in the top 84% of the current dataset. The comparison is only about recorded filing volume in this DOL snapshot; it does not estimate local job availability, confirmed sponsorship, visa approvals, or the size of the area’s overall workforce.
A completed-year rebound
The filing series first moved down, from 282 in FY2023 to 206 in FY2024 (-27%), then rose to 234 in FY2025 (+14%). That change in direction is visible in the reported LCAs only; it is not evidence about approvals or local employment conditions.
Certification posture. Among metros with ≥100 LCA filings, Ames, IA’s 98.1% DOL certification rate ranks #15 of 113. That is a comparatively high DOL certification rate for a metro of this filing volume.
Occupation mix. The occupation with the most listed LCA filings in the metro is Materials Scientists. The leading title identifies the largest occupation group in this metro's LCA disclosure extract. The mix describes DOL filing records. It is not a measure of local demand, role eligibility, actual compensation, or hiring.
Offered wage. Across disclosed LCAs assigned to Ames, IA, the average annualized offered wage is $84,476. That uses the same 15k–1M annualization guard as employer, occupation, and state pages, so a handful of unit-confused rows cannot drag the metro average into the millions.
Mid-pack metro filing profile
Ames, IA sits outside the national hub tier and the extremes of employer-filer concentration: 826 LCA filings, 94 employer filers, intensity 8.8 LCAs/employer, lead title Materials Scientists.
LCA Filing Volume by Year
H-1B LCA filings in Ames, IA from FY2023 to FY2025
FY2026 is partial data (through Q1). Chart shows completed fiscal years only.
Annual Breakdown
| Year | LCA filings | Certified | Cert Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 282 | 277 | 98.2% |
| FY2024 | 206 | 197 | 95.6% |
| FY2025 | 234 | 232 | 99.1% |
| FY2026(partial) | 104 | 104 | 100% |
Process and wages
Similar Metros
Metro areas with comparable H-1B LCA filing volume to Ames, IA
About This Data
H-1B Labor Condition Application (LCA) filing data is sourced from U.S. Department of Labor disclosure files. Data covers fiscal years 2023 through 2026. Metro assignment uses the Census Bureau's July 2023 CBSA county delineation plus principal-city crosswalk; average offered wages use the same 15k–1M annualization sanity band as employer, occupation, and state pages. These records do not establish USCIS petition outcomes, hiring, or actual compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many H-1B LCA filings are listed in Ames, IA?
The DOL disclosure extract lists 826 H-1B LCA filings with worksites in the Ames, IA metro area from 94 employer filers, with a 98.1% DOL certification rate. These are not USCIS petition approvals or visa outcomes.
What offered wage appears in LCA filings for Ames, IA?
The average offered wage across disclosed H-1B LCAs in Ames, IA is $84,476 per year. That figure annualizes listed LCA wage values with a 15k–1M sanity band (the same guard used for employers, occupations, and states) and assigns filings to the metro via the Census 2023 CBSA county and principal-city crosswalk. It is not verified actual compensation.
Which company has the most listed LCA filings in Ames, IA?
Iowa State University of Science and Technology has the most listed LCA filings in this Ames, IA extract. The area has 94 employer filers in the disclosed records. This does not confirm a USCIS petition, a hire, or a visa outcome.
What occupation has the most listed LCA filings in Ames, IA?
Materials Scientists has the most listed LCA filings in Ames, IA. This is a count in the DOL disclosure extract, not a measure of labor-market demand, qualification, or hiring.
How has LCA filing volume changed in Ames, IA?
Listed LCA filing volume in Ames, IA has decreased from 282 in FY2023 to 234 in FY2025 (-17% over that window). The average listed offered wage across disclosed LCAs is $84,476. This historical DOL filing series is not a forecast of sponsorship, hiring, or visa decisions.
How does Ames, IA's LCA filing record compare to other metros?
Ames, IA ranks #95 of 113 published metros by LCA filing volume and #110 by employer-filer count (826 LCAs across 94 employers). This comparison is descriptive of the DOL extract, not an H-1B market or outcome ranking.
Read our methodology , how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Every figure on PlainVisa is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error.