H-2B Prevailing Wages Are Climbing for 2027
Every year, the Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) updates the H-2B prevailing wage data that employers rely on to build compliant job orders and forecast labor costs. We pulled the H-2B prevailing wage 2027 numbers and compared them against the 2026 wage year across the occupations that make up the backbone of the program — landscaping, hospitality, forestry, construction, food processing, and more.
The takeaway: wages are up across every occupation we tracked. If your 2027 budget still assumes 2026 rates, it’s time for an update.
H-2B Prevailing Wage 2027: The Numbers
We compared the national average prevailing wage (averaged across all OFLC-published wage areas) for the eight occupations most common in H-2B filings:
Key Findings
- No occupation went down. Every one of the eight core H-2B occupations we track saw a wage increase from 2026 to 2027 — there were no declines in this data set.
- Hospitality and entertainment roles led the increases. Waiters and Waitresses (+4.85%) and Amusement & Recreation Attendants (+4.35%) posted the largest year-over-year jumps in the group.
- Landscaping — the highest-volume H-2B occupation nationally — rose 3.78%. That’s roughly $0.70/hour more in 2027 than 2026.
- Forestry stood out as the exception. Forest & Conservation Workers moved just 0.09% — essentially flat, and well below every other occupation in the group. Employers in this category should confirm current rates directly rather than assuming a typical increase.
- Construction Laborers remain the highest-paid occupation in the group at roughly $23.66/hour nationally for 2027, even with a below-average growth rate (2.88%).
What This Means for Your 2027 Planning
Prevailing wage increases directly affect your H-2B labor certification applications, your budgeting, and your competitiveness in a tight seasonal labor market. Employers who build their 2027 staffing plans on outdated 2026 wage assumptions risk underbudgeting labor costs or facing delays when their wage determination comes back higher than expected.
If you’re preparing H-2B filings for the upcoming season, now’s the time to pull updated wage determinations for your specific worksite and occupation — national averages are a useful directional signal, but your actual prevailing wage will depend on your metro area and wage level.
Have questions about how these changes affect your upcoming H-2B prevailing wage increase 2027? Finding the right H-2 partner can make navigating shifts like this one much easier. Reach out to your Farmer Enterprises team — we’re happy to walk through the numbers for your specific roles and locations for the H-2B prevailing wage increase 2027.
