On July 1, 2025, the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) released updated prevailing wage data for the wage year covering July 2025 through June 2026. The data is based on the May 2024 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and it continues to use the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes.

A major update this year involves the geographic delineations used for wage determinations. Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) have been revised to reflect changes from the 2020 Census. As a result, some new MSAs were created, others renamed or redefined, and several were removed from publication. Non-MSA areas have also been updated—some added, others dropped or modified. For the New England states, the BLS has discontinued the use of New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs). Moving forward, wage determinations for these states will use the updated MSAs and non-MSA areas instead.

These geographic updates will be applied to all prevailing wage determinations issued by the National Prevailing Wage Center (NPWC) beginning with the current wage year. The BLS has published a reference spreadsheet outlining the area names and definitions used in the May 2024 OEWS data to support the transition.

Employers and stakeholders utilizing OFLC services for labor programs such as PERM, H-1B, or H-2B must now reference these updated wage levels and geographic delineations when preparing applications. Changes to MSA classification may affect the required wage levels for compliance. Additionally, OFLC has released updated Job Zones and Education Data for the 2025–2026 wage year, all available online alongside the full technical release notes.

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OFLC Updates Prevailing Wages

OFLC Wage Search | Flag.dol.gov

OFLC Technical Release Notes for Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Update