H-1B Database Explained

Search H-1B salaries, sponsors, and LCA data from official sources.

If you're researching H-1B visa sponsorship, salary benchmarks, or employer approval rates, publicly available H-1B database tools give you direct access to government filing data. These resources compile Labor Condition Application records from the Department of Labor and petition outcomes from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, with third-party sites indexing over 4.8 million disclosure data records from 2013 to 2025.

Whether you're conducting a job search to find H-1B sponsors, an employer benchmarking wages for foreign workers, or a professional verifying an offer against prevailing rates, understanding how to navigate these resources makes your research more effective. 

This guide covers where the data comes from, how to search it, and what insights you can extract for your job search or compliance planning.

Where H-1B data comes from

Before you search any H-1B database, it helps to understand the two government agencies that publish this data. Each source serves a different purpose, and knowing the distinction helps you find the right information for your job search.

Two federal agencies publish H-1B data:

• DOL Disclosure Data: Before filing an H-1B petition with the immigration agency, employers must submit a Labor Condition Application to the US Department of Labor. The Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) publishes certified applications annually, including employer name, job title, offered wage, wage level (I through IV), O*NET/SOC code, and worksite location. This disclosure data is the primary source for H-1B salary information used by H-1B workers researching compensation.
• H-1B Employer Data Hub: The immigration agency publishes petition outcomes, including approvals, denials, and withdrawals, organized by employer and worksite. This dataset covers FY2009 through FY2025 (Q4) and allows you to query by company, location, and NAICS code. It does not include wage figures but shows approval trends for H-1B workers by employer.

Important note: Application certification does not guarantee petition approval. An employer may file multiple applications and never use them. The two datasets answer different questions: OFLC disclosure data tells you what salary was offered; the employer data hub tells you whether petitions were approved.

Third-party websites make this raw .gov data more searchable, which brings us to the most popular tools available.

Popular H-1B database websites

Several websites index H-1B data from government filings. Each tool serves a different purpose, and the right choice depends on what you're trying to learn during your job search.

Third-party sites like H1BData.info and Levels.fyi index the same OFLC disclosure data but provide easier search interfaces than downloading raw .gov files. For official compliance verification or when you need data for legal purposes, use government sources directly.

If you're researching visa sponsorship history, the H-1B employer data hub shows actual petition outcomes. For salary benchmarking, the salary database tools give you more granular wage information. Many professionals also cross-reference LinkedIn profiles with H-1B database results to identify hiring managers at sponsoring companies during their job search.

How to search H-1B salary data

Finding relevant salary data requires knowing what to search for and which database fits your needs. Follow these steps to get accurate, useful results for your job search.

Step 1: Identify your search criteria

Start by determining what you want to learn. Common search filters include:

• Company name (exact employer you're researching, such as Microsoft or other major sponsors)
• Job title or O*NET/SOC code (for occupation-specific results)
• City, state, or metro area (location affects prevailing wages significantly)
• Year (2024 and 2025 data is the most current for market comparisons)

For salary benchmarking, you'll get better results by using the SOC code rather than job title alone, since employers may use different titles for similar specialty occupation roles.

Step 2: Choose the right database

Match your question to the appropriate .gov source or third-party tool:

• Salary by company or title: Use H1BData.info or Levels.fyi for searchable disclosure data
• Employer approval rates: Use the H-1B employer data hub
• Prevailing wage verification: Use the OFLC Wage Search for official wage determinations based on BLS data

Step 3: Filter and compare results

Once you run a search, narrow your results:

• Filter by year to ensure relevance (older data may not reflect current market rates)
• Compare offered wages against wage level thresholds (Level I through IV)
• Look at multiple employers in your field to establish a range

Step 4: Verify with official sources

Cross-check third-party results against .gov disclosure files or H-1B employer data downloads. Both government sources offer downloadable Excel and CSV files for detailed analysis. Companies like Microsoft publish thousands of records annually, making them useful benchmarks for tech roles.

Important note: H-1B salary data shows base salary only. It excludes stock compensation, bonuses, signing bonuses, and other forms of total compensation. For tech roles especially, base salary may represent only a portion of the actual offer.

What you can learn from H-1B data

H-1B databases help you answer specific questions depending on whether you're researching sponsors, comparing offers, or tracking market trends. Here are the most common use cases for H-1B workers and job seekers. H-1B database tools help you answer these questions:

• Does this company sponsor H-1B visas? Search the employer in the H-1B employer data hub to see petition volume and approval rates. Consistent filings over multiple years indicate an established program for foreign workers.
• What salary should I expect? Search your job title and location to find median, minimum, and maximum wages from certified applications. Filter by wage level to compare similar experience levels.
• Is my job offer competitive? Compare the offered wage against the prevailing wage for your SOC code and geographic area. Employers must pay at least the prevailing wage, but market rates often exceed BLS minimums.
• Which employers have high approval rates? The H-1B employer data shows approvals versus denials by company. Consistent approvals suggest strong compliance history and well-prepared petitions, which matters for H-1B workers evaluating potential sponsors.
• What are salary trends over time? Filter by year to track wage changes for specific specialty occupation roles. This helps you understand whether compensation is rising in your field.

Understanding these patterns can inform your H-1B lottery strategy and help you evaluate potential employers before committing to a job search. Many professionals combine H-1B database research with LinkedIn networking to identify contacts at companies with strong approval histories.

Limitations to understand:

• Disclosure data reflects certified job offers, not actual hires or employment of H-1B workers
• Prevailing wage varies significantly by wage level (I through IV) and geographic location based on BLS surveys
• Petition data typically lags by one quarter

Understanding H-1B wage levels

Wage levels are central to interpreting H-1B salary data accurately. The OFLC assigns one of four wage levels to each position based on experience, education, and job complexity. Understanding these levels helps you compare salaries meaningfully during your job search.

The OFLC determines prevailing wages using Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment Statistics data. Employers filing Form ETA-9035 must pay at least the prevailing wage for the assigned level, protecting both foreign workers and U.S. citizens from wage suppression.

When searching the salary database, filter by wage level to ensure you're comparing similar positions. A Software Engineer at Level I in San Francisco has a different prevailing wage than Level III in Austin, and both differ significantly from Level IV in either location.

For workers pursuing green card sponsorship through PERM, wage level also matters. The PERM process requires employers to offer at least the prevailing wage for the position, and that determination follows the same BLS-based methodology used for H-1B filings.

If you're evaluating an H-1B extension or considering cap-exempt positions, understanding how wage levels affect your filed application helps you verify that your employer is meeting compliance requirements.

Choosing the right support partner

H-1B visa sponsorship involves coordinating application filing with the OFLC, maintaining prevailing wage compliance, and preparing the Form I-129 petition for agency review. H-1B database research helps you verify offers and understand market rates, but the actual filing process requires precise documentation and timing.

Lighthouse provides eligibility diagnostics, application preparation guidance, legal review of petition materials, and case management technology that tracks deadlines across the process. Our approach combines experienced immigration teams with tools built for employment-based visa workflows.

Start your H-1B evaluation today.

Frequently asked questions

What is the H-1B database?

The H-1B database refers to searchable collections of H-1B salary, sponsor, and petition data compiled from government public filings. Third-party websites index this disclosure data to help job seekers research employers, compare salaries by role and location, and evaluate approval history before applying for positions.

Where can I find H-1B salary data?

OFLC disclosure files contain salary information from certified applications, and sites like H1BData.info make this data searchable. Filter by company, job title, and location to find relevant salary ranges. For official prevailing wage determinations, use the .gov OFLC Wage Search tool.

Is H-1B data publicly available?

Yes. Both the immigration agency and the US Department of Labor publish H-1B data as public records. The H-1B employer data hub covers petition approvals and denials per company. The OFLC publishes certified applications with wage details. You can download both datasets in Excel or CSV format from official .gov sites.

How accurate is H-1B salary data?

The data reflects certified filings, which represent job offers rather than actual hires or final compensation for H-1B workers. Base salary figures exclude stock, bonuses, and other compensation. Use it for benchmarking and general research, but verify specific offers against current prevailing wage determinations for your SOC code and location.

Can I download H-1B data?

Yes. The H-1B employer data hub and OFLC both offer downloadable Excel and CSV files from their .gov websites. Raw data downloads allow custom analysis by employer, occupation code, geographic region, or year. This is useful for employers conducting compliance reviews or researchers analyzing trends across industries.

What's the difference between OFLC data and petition data?

OFLC disclosure data shows salary details, job titles, worksites, and wage levels for certified applications. The H-1B employer data from the immigration agency shows petition outcomes: approvals, denials, and withdrawals by company. Use OFLC data for salary research and petition data for evaluating employer approval rates. Together, they provide a complete picture of an employer's H-1B history for your job search.