Which industries rely most heavily on H-1B workers? This analysis breaks down LCA filings by SOC occupation category, showing filing volume and average wages across all sectors represented in our dataset of 600,000+ filings.
| # ↕ | Occupation / SOC Title ↕ | Total Filings ↕ | Avg Wage ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|
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The H-1B visa was designed for "specialty occupations" requiring at least a bachelor's degree in a specific field. Computer science, engineering, and mathematics naturally dominate because these fields have large skill gaps that U.S. employers struggle to fill domestically, and because the education requirements map cleanly to the H-1B specialty occupation standard.
Software developers and IT-adjacent roles account for over 60% of approved H-1B petitions in recent years. The rise of cloud computing, AI/ML, and cybersecurity has accelerated demand for specialized talent that the domestic pipeline cannot supply fast enough.
Physicians, surgeons, and registered nurses represent the second-largest block of H-1B filings. Healthcare faces a chronic shortage of professionals, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Physician H-1B sponsorship is common among hospitals, academic medical centers, and rural health systems that cannot recruit domestically.
Healthcare H-1B wages vary enormously by specialty. Physicians and surgeons earn the highest wages across all H-1B occupations, while some allied health roles hover near the prevailing wage minimum.
Civil, mechanical, electrical, and aerospace engineers represent a significant portion of H-1B filings. Defense contractors, automotive manufacturers, and infrastructure firms all sponsor engineering talent. These roles tend to have better wage compliance than staffing-heavy sectors.