Reference · How the program works
SOC Codes, Explained: Occupations and Wage Data
Last scanned: · Last verified: · XH1B
Review scope and corrections
This review checks the guide’s classifications against the listed BLS system and crosswalk sources and its wage distinction against the required-wage rule. It retains the earlier archive examples and query scope.
Clarified missing occupation codes and the distinction between agency findings, court determinations, and site comparisons. Rechecked the BLS classification and wage definitions.
A code or benchmark comparison does not establish payroll, misconduct, or an individual worker’s status. This review does not refresh the archive.
Archive last successful ingest: Sep 2, 2026
- Code format
- ##-####
- Classification levels
- 4
- Current version
- 2018 SOC
- Wage estimates
- BLS OEWS
What the code says
What does a SOC code identify?
A SOC code names an occupation: a group of workers who perform similar duties. Under the SOC system, workers are classified into occupations based on their job duties, not their job titles, so a fancy title and a plain title can share one code, and two people with the same title can hold different codes. Recorded codes can be missing or malformed. Where provided, H-1B labor condition applications record a code for the position, and PERM filings record the code from the prevailing wage request.[4][5]
Reading the digits
How do you read the digits?
A detailed-occupation code has six digits in a two-and-four shape, written with a hyphen: 15-1252. The pieces climb a four-level hierarchy from major group to detailed occupation.
Major group
The first two digits name one of 23 broad families. 15-0000 is Computer and Mathematical Occupations; 11-0000 is Management Occupations.
Minor and broad groups
The next digits narrow the family: 15-12 gathers the computer occupations, and 15-125 gathers the developer, programmer, and tester group inside it.
Detailed occupation
The full six digits are the detailed occupation: Software Developers. The site displays codes in this hyphenated form.
Groups and All Other
A code ending in 0 marks a group of occupations, not a detailed one. A code ending in 9 marks an All Other occupation: the residual workers who fit no other detailed code.
Classify by the duties, then, when a filing's job title looks odd. A recorded title like Senior Ninja Rockstar still carries a plain occupation code underneath it.
2010 and 2018 codes
Why do filings mix 2010 and 2018 codes?
The 2018 SOC manual replaces the 2010 edition. Federal statistical agencies began implementation in reference year 2018. Historical filings can retain codes from earlier editions. BLS publishes a crosswalk between the two systems; a mapping can involve more than a change of number.
| 2010 SOC | 2018 SOC | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| 15-1121 Computer Systems Analysts | 15-1211 Computer Systems Analysts | Same title, new number. |
| 15-1131 Computer Programmers | 15-1251 Computer Programmers | Same title, new number. |
| 15-1132 / 15-1133 Software Developers, Applications and Systems Software | 15-1252 Software Developers / 15-1253 Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | The two 2010 developer codes are replaced by these two occupations. Read the duties and the crosswalk; the mapping is not a simple renumbering. |
| 11-3021 Computer and Information Systems Managers | 11-3021 Computer and Information Systems Managers | Unchanged. |
This site keeps historical occupation pages available: 15-1121 and 15-1133. Newer codes have their own pages: 15-1251 and 15-1252. Check the code edition and the benchmark year shown beside an estimate when comparing figures.
Offered wage vs BLS estimate
Offered wage or BLS estimate?
Two different numbers sit beside every occupation here. They answer different questions, so this guide labels them.
Offered wage· A filing's promise
The wage the employer promised in a disclosure filing, per year, hour, or another unit. It is a recorded promise, not observed payroll.
BLS estimate· An independent survey
The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey publishes occupation wage estimates, including means, medians, and percentiles where available. May 2025 is an estimate’s reference period; the survey combines six panels collected over three years. Some estimates are suppressed.[6]
Open question· What no filing shows
The disclosure files do not show what a worker was actually paid. Whether an employer met its promised wage is a question the filing alone cannot answer.
The examples side by side
| Code | Occupation | H-1B filings | BLS national median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15-1121 | Computer Systems Analysts | 804,898 | $89K (2018 median) |
| 15-1133 | Software Developers, Systems Software | 237,138 | $110K (2018 median) |
| 15-1251 | Computer Programmers | 42,079 | $100K (2025 median) |
| 15-1252 | Software Developers | 609,663 | $136K (2025 median) |
Filings counts come from certified H-1B disclosure records on this site. Medians are BLS OEWS national estimates, labeled with the latest survey year that published the code. A retired 2010 code keeps its last vintage; the median is a benchmark, not a wage anyone was paid.
Compare offers with medians by occupation on the salary page, or read the filing's wage promise in the LCA guide.
Find a code here
Find an occupation on this site
Search a code with or without the hyphen — 151133 and 15-1133 reach the same page — or search an occupation title. Every live code has a page with filings, employers, states, and wage charts.
This archive currently publishes 1,003 occupation pages.
Start from a code in the table above, browse the salary rankings, or see how the codes carry into green-card filings on PERM records.
FAQ
SOC code FAQ
SOC code FAQ
What is a SOC code?
A Standard Occupational Classification code. Federal statistical agencies use it to group workers into occupations by job duties. BLS maintains the system on behalf of the Office of Management and Budget's classification process, and the current version is the 2018 SOC.
Why do searches show codes without the hyphen, like 151133?
People type codes both ways. This site's search and occupation pages accept the compact six-digit form and the hyphenated form, and both reach the same occupation.
What happened to SOC code 15-1133?
In the official crosswalk, each of the 2010 codes 15-1132 and 15-1133 maps to both 15-1252 Software Developers and 15-1253 Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers. The mapping is not a one-to-one renumbering; use the job duties and code definitions. The historical /soc/15-1133 page retains filings recorded under the older code.
Is the BLS median what the worker was paid?
No. It is a survey estimate for the occupation in a survey year. The offered wage is the employer's recorded promise in one filing. Neither number shows anyone's actual payroll.
A filing offered below the BLS median — is that a violation?
Not by itself. The legal wage test uses the higher of the employer's actual wage for comparable workers and the prevailing wage for the occupation and area. A BLS median is a separate benchmark. A site comparison alone does not establish a violation; inspect the applicable rule and evidence.[9]
How do I find my occupation's code?
Search the title in the top bar, or browse the occupation tables on the salary page. For official codes and definitions, use the BLS 2018 SOC manual.
References
- [1] Guidance · BLS. Standard Occupational Classification. Classification Principles 1–2 and Coding Guideline 2; job duties, not job titlesChecked 2026-10-08.
- [2] Guidance · BLS. 2018 SOC Manual. Printed pages 1–3 and 11–14 (PDF pages 7–9 and 17–20): purpose, implementation, four levels and six-digit coding structure; Appendix A, printed pages 221 and 223–224 (PDF pages 227 and 229–230): mapping notes, 11-3021, 15-1121, 15-1131, 15-1132 and 15-1133The manual is the 2018 edition. It classifies work for statistical purposes; disclosure records can retain earlier code editions.; The developer-code rows are a many-to-many mapping. Read the duties and the marked breakouts/merges; this is not a universal renumbering.Checked 2026-10-18.
- [3] Dataset documentation · BLS. OEWS technical notes (May 2025). Scope of the survey; occupational coding; concepts and estimation methodologyDocuments occupation and geographic wage estimates, not an individual worker’s pay. Use the estimate year and geography stated by the site; older releases can differ.Checked 2026-10-17.
- [4] Dataset documentation · DOL OFLC. LCA public disclosure record layout (FY2026 Q3). Pages 1–4: application, DOL outcome and dates, requested positions, employer, representatives, worksites and pay unitsThis layout covers determinations issued October 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. It documents employer-provided application fields and DOL decisions, not USCIS decisions, payroll verification, legal bills or worker-linked moves. Older layouts can differ.Checked 2026-10-17.
- [5] Dataset documentation · DOL OFLC. PERM public disclosure record layout (FY2026 Q3). Pages 1–7: ETA-9089 application, DOL outcome and dates, employer, wages and recruitment fieldsThis layout covers determinations issued October 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, on the form introduced June 1, 2023. A DOL certification is not I-140 approval or permanent residence. Older layouts can differ.Checked 2026-10-17.
- [6] Guidance · BLS. OEWS Frequently Asked Questions. Wage definitions, percentiles, survey population, and reference periods
- [7] Law or rulemaking · eCFR. Back wages, penalties, and disqualification. 20 CFR 655.810(a)–(b), (d): back wages, civil money penalties and minimum petition-approval disqualification periodsParagraph (d) gives minimum disqualification periods of one, two, or three years by violation tier. Paragraphs (a)–(b) cover back wages and penalties.Checked 2026-10-18.
- [8] Primary record · U.S. Department of Justice. Brothers Sentenced on Visa Fraud Convictions. Northern District of Texas, June 3, 2016; Dibon caseThis is a specific adjudicated example of false job representations, unpaid bench time, and prohibited fee shifting. It does not establish prevalence across staffing firms.Checked 2026-10-08.
- [9] Law or rulemaking · eCFR. Required wage and wage sources. 20 CFR 655.731(a)The required wage is the higher of the actual wage and prevailing wage. An independent market median is a comparison, not this legal test.Checked 2026-10-08.
The code is the lens; the wages are the data. Next: PERM, the green-card side.