DOL wage area 11180 · Iowa

H-1B prevailing wages in Ames, IA

Covers Boone County, IA; Story County, IA.

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What are the H-1B prevailing wages in Ames, IA?

Ames, IA is DOL wage area 11180, covering 2 counties (Boone County, IA; Story County, IA). For the 2026–27 wage year, Software Developers need $147,701 for Level IV and $83,783 for Level I; Computer Systems Analysts need $107,682 for Level IV and $74,152 for Level I; Data Scientists need $102,586 for Level IV and $61,360 for Level I. Under the weighted H-1B lottery, each wage level adds one entry, from one at Level I to four at Level IV, and DHS projects selection odds of about 15%, 31%, 46% and 61%. Some of these wages are borrowed from a wider geography because local survey data was thin, but they are still the official figures for this area. The table below covers the 50 occupations most filed for H-1B; any other job can be checked with the calculator.

Top H-1B occupations

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50 occupations

Occupation	Level I	Level II	Level III	Level IV
Software Developers15-1252	83,783	105,082	126,402	147,701
Computer Systems Analysts15-1211	74,152	85,322	96,512	107,682
Data Scientists15-2051	61,360	75,109	88,837	102,586
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers15-1253	64,688	82,660	100,631	118,602
Computer Occupations, All Other15-1299	56,368	79,332	102,274	125,237
Information Security Analysts15-1212	74,132	90,688	107,224	123,781
Database Administrators15-1242	69,223	88,754	108,285	127,816
Database Architects15-1243	84,282	103,085	121,909	140,712
Network and Computer Systems Administrators15-1244	62,546	76,295	90,023	103,772
Computer Network Architects15-1241	73,050	87,693	102,336	116,980
Computer and Information Research Scientists15-1221	89,752	121,680	153,608	185,536
Web Developers15-1254	53,477	64,314	75,151	85,988
Web and Digital Interface Designers15-1255	43,452	56,493	69,556	82,597
Computer Programmers15-1251	62,671	75,692	88,692	101,712
Computer Network Support Specialists15-1231	57,325	67,434	77,543	87,652
Computer User Support Specialists15-1232	48,776	59,156	69,514	79,893
Operations Research Analysts15-2031	53,186	73,404	93,600	113,818
Statisticians15-2041	47,653	62,400	77,168	91,916
Actuaries15-2011	84,740	104,853	124,967	145,080
Computer and Information Systems Managers11-3021	100,173	123,864	147,556	171,247
Marketing Managers11-2021	84,802	113,340	141,856	170,394
Sales Managers11-2022	83,200	114,400	145,580	176,780
Financial Managers11-3031	83,783	113,028	142,252	171,496
Architectural and Engineering Managers11-9041	119,725	129,688	139,631	149,594
Natural Sciences Managers11-9121	76,919	101,837	126,735	151,653
Medical and Health Services Managers11-9111	80,226	97,448	114,671	131,893
Accountants and Auditors13-2011	57,013	70,804	84,615	98,405
Financial and Investment Analysts13-2051	60,820	76,711	92,623	108,514
Financial Risk Specialists13-2054	83,013	100,568	118,103	135,658
Management Analysts13-1111	64,189	79,207	94,224	109,242
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists13-1161	42,911	54,975	67,060	79,124
Logisticians13-1081	53,956	66,165	78,396	90,605
Business Operations Specialists, All Other13-1199	56,410	67,268	78,146	89,004
Computer Hardware Engineers17-2061	90,376	105,269	120,183	135,076
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer17-2072	64,210	73,341	82,452	91,583
Electrical Engineers17-2071	75,879	91,479	107,079	122,679
Mechanical Engineers17-2141	72,072	84,802	97,552	110,282
Industrial Engineers17-2112	69,972	82,327	94,703	107,058
Civil Engineers17-2051	71,552	86,071	100,568	115,087
Engineers, All Other17-2199	75,276	87,319	99,362	111,405
Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers17-2031	72,904	87,215	101,546	115,856
Chemical Engineers17-2041	86,840	99,383	111,946	124,488
Aerospace Engineers17-2011	95,098	118,456	141,836	165,194
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists19-1042	62,733	87,548	112,362	137,176
Biological Scientists, All Other19-1029	72,509	83,076	93,663	104,229
Chemists19-2031	59,239	75,692	92,144	108,597
Pharmacists29-1051	112,944	125,528	138,133	150,717
Physical Therapists29-1123	68,370	79,956	91,520	103,106
Lawyers23-1011	71,781	101,026	130,250	159,495
Graphic Designers27-1024	42,100	49,567	57,013	64,480

Annual salary in U.S. dollars, rounded up. Source: DOL OFLC prevailing wage data, effective July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027, computed directly from the DOL file (methodology). Page updated 2026-10-14.

Learn more: How to legitimately raise your wage level · How the weighted lottery works