DOL wage area 42100 · California

H-1B prevailing wages in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

Covers Santa Cruz County, CA.

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What are the H-1B prevailing wages in Santa Cruz, CA?

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is DOL wage area 42100, covering 1 county (Santa Cruz County, CA). For the 2026–27 wage year, Software Developers need $179,754 for Level IV and $101,504 for Level I; Computer Systems Analysts need $140,317 for Level IV and $87,194 for Level I; Data Scientists need $158,372 for Level IV and $80,892 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	101,504	127,588	153,671	179,754
Computer Systems Analysts15-1211	87,194	104,895	122,616	140,317
Data Scientists15-2051	80,892	106,725	132,538	158,372
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers15-1253	80,725	104,000	127,255	150,530
Computer Occupations, All Other15-1299	64,688	92,748	120,807	148,866
Information Security Analysts15-1212	93,122	132,808	172,474	212,160
Database Administrators15-1242	72,010	90,272	108,556	126,818
Database Architects15-1243	135,367	165,132	194,917	224,682
Network and Computer Systems Administrators15-1244	83,367	100,319	117,292	134,244
Computer Network Architects15-1241	122,533	151,716	180,919	210,101
Computer and Information Research Scientists15-1221	117,957	158,143	198,308	238,493
Web Developers15-1254	54,829	73,008	91,188	109,367
Web and Digital Interface Designers15-1255	69,368	94,536	119,725	144,893
Computer Programmers15-1251	92,831	110,511	128,191	145,871
Computer Network Support Specialists15-1231	60,050	79,748	99,424	119,122
Computer User Support Specialists15-1232	53,560	66,061	78,541	91,042
Operations Research Analysts15-2031	72,967	91,936	110,885	129,855
Statisticians15-2041	92,935	127,088	161,221	195,375
Actuaries15-2011	101,650	132,517	163,405	194,272
Computer and Information Systems Managers11-3021	136,344	169,000	201,677	234,333
Marketing Managers11-2021	100,652	140,733	180,815	220,896
Sales Managers11-2022	67,975	102,128	136,261	170,415
Financial Managers11-3031	107,328	144,602	181,876	219,149
Architectural and Engineering Managers11-9041	132,871	166,213	199,556	232,898
Natural Sciences Managers11-9121	138,383	174,533	210,704	246,855
Medical and Health Services Managers11-9111	83,221	118,997	154,773	190,549
Accountants and Auditors13-2011	62,213	78,354	94,474	110,615
Financial and Investment Analysts13-2051	75,068	90,522	105,997	121,452
Financial Risk Specialists13-2054	84,199	96,284	108,368	120,453
Management Analysts13-1111	70,720	91,853	112,986	134,119
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists13-1161	52,541	70,471	88,380	106,309
Logisticians13-1081	68,848	87,152	105,436	123,740
Business Operations Specialists, All Other13-1199	52,916	73,445	93,954	114,484
Computer Hardware Engineers17-2061	98,156	128,732	159,287	189,863
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer17-2072	103,709	140,796	177,861	214,948
Electrical Engineers17-2071	107,349	127,400	147,452	167,503
Mechanical Engineers17-2141	98,613	119,101	139,610	160,098
Industrial Engineers17-2112	91,458	111,343	131,248	151,133
Civil Engineers17-2051	81,640	99,549	117,479	135,388
Engineers, All Other17-2199	107,037	126,839	146,661	166,463
Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers17-2031	99,716	120,183	140,629	161,096
Chemical Engineers17-2041	130,021	158,164	186,306	214,448
Aerospace Engineers17-2011	130,063	155,917	181,792	207,647
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists19-1042	91,604	115,940	140,276	164,612
Biological Scientists, All Other19-1029	62,962	84,032	105,082	126,152
Chemists19-2031	65,021	81,162	97,303	113,444
Pharmacists29-1051	122,700	142,605	162,490	182,396
Physical Therapists29-1123	96,866	111,717	126,589	141,440
Lawyers23-1011	78,500	123,656	168,813	213,970
Graphic Designers27-1024	45,303	59,301	73,300	87,298

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