One of the most common questions we hear from people going through the PERM green card process is deceptively simple: what should I actually be getting paid?
PERM cases are public record. Every certified application includes the employer's committed wage. We've indexed 167,000+ certified cases. Today we're releasing the Salary Explorer — a tool that turns that data into something actionable.
What the Salary Explorer Does
The tool is at permtrack.app/salary. Here's what it shows:
- P5 / Median / Average / P95 wages for any occupation and state combination
- Multi-state comparison — select California, Texas, and Washington simultaneously and see their wage distributions overlaid
- Wage distribution histogram — visualizes where most salaries cluster, not just the average
- Per-state breakdown table — every state, sortable by any wage statistic
One design choice worth explaining: we show P5 and P95 instead of minimum and maximum. The reason is that raw min/max figures are easily corrupted by a single data entry error — one case filed at $500,000 or $19,000 skews the entire picture. P5/P95 covers the realistic range for 90% of cases.
What the Data Shows for Software Developers
Software developers (SOC 15-1252) file more PERM cases than any other occupation in our dataset — 34,764 certified cases. Here's what the data looks like across the top states:
| State | Cases | Median | P95 |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 7,918 | $167,149 | $225,336 |
| New York | 1,895 | $157,477 | $205,370 |
| Washington | 3,318 | $147,538 | $203,047 |
| Massachusetts | 1,096 | $150,197 | $180,962 |
| Texas | 5,338 | $129,397 | $165,048 |
| North Carolina | 972 | $139,027 | $165,000 |
| Illinois | 1,377 | $134,118 | $159,130 |
| New Jersey | 2,708 | $116,000 | $170,000 |
The median software developer PERM wage in California is $38,000 higher than in Texas. That's not a small difference — it's the size of an entry-level salary elsewhere in the world.
California's P95 ($225K) also tells you something important: there's a meaningful high end of the market in the Bay Area that doesn't exist at the same scale in other states.
The Multi-State Comparison Feature
The most useful feature for anyone weighing competing job offers is the multi-state comparison. Select CA, WA, and TX simultaneously and you'll see:
- A grouped bar chart showing how each state's salary distribution is shaped — not just where the median lands, but whether the distribution is narrow or wide
- A side-by-side breakdown table for all three states
This is especially useful if you're deciding between offers in different cities or negotiating a remote work arrangement where your employer might want to set your pay based on their office location rather than yours.
Other Occupations Worth Knowing
Software developers get the most attention in immigration discussions, but they're not the only occupation with significant PERM filings:
| Occupation | Certified Cases | Median | P95 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers (15-1252) | 34,764 | $137,000 | $199,503 |
| Computer Systems Analysts (15-1211) | 7,037 | $126,402 | $180,000 |
| Project Management Specialists (13-1082) | 3,939 | $133,488 | $193,000 |
| Mechanical Engineers (17-2141) | 1,718 | $104,865 | $163,195 |
If your occupation isn't listed here, use the occupation search in the tool — we have data for every SOC code with enough certified cases.
A Note on What These Numbers Mean
PERM wages are the employer's committed offer at time of filing. A few things to keep in mind:
They are a floor, not a ceiling. The DOL requires the offered wage to meet or exceed the prevailing wage for the occupation and location. Employers can and often do pay more — but never less than what's filed.
They don't include equity or bonuses. For tech companies where RSUs are a large part of total compensation, PERM wages will understate the full picture. Use this data alongside Levels.fyi and other sources for a complete view.
Filing date vs. current pay. Some cases were filed 1–2 years ago. Wages may have moved since then — particularly in tech, which saw significant swings in 2023–2024.
With those caveats understood, 167,000+ certified cases is the most authoritative public dataset on what employers actually commit to paying for green card–sponsored roles.
How to Use It
- Go to permtrack.app/salary
- Search for your occupation in the SOC picker
- Select your state — or multiple states if you're comparing locations
- Filter to your fiscal year if you want recent data only
- Use the histogram to understand the shape of the distribution, not just the median
If you're negotiating an offer or evaluating a relocation, the data is there. Free, no account required.
Data covers certified PERM cases from FY2024–FY2026 Q1. Wages reflect employer submissions at time of filing. P5/P95 methodology excludes the top and bottom 5% of cases to suppress outliers. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification.