What approved green-card workers earn: median wage by state — FY2025
How much do workers with an approved PERM (green-card step one) earn? The table shows the median and the central wage range per state, for states with 100+ cases.
Period: FY2025 (out/2024 – set/2025) · Updated: 07/18/2026
95,385
Cases
| State | Median wage | 25% earn up to | 75% earn up to | Cases | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $147,410 | $128,502 | $171,000 | 4,725 | |
| California | $143,874 | $107,702 | $179,000 | 21,142 | |
| New York | $133,900 | $86,520 | $169,000 | 7,763 | |
| Delaware | $128,762 | $102,737 | $147,075 | 422 | |
| Massachusetts | $121,638 | $89,508 | $150,000 | 3,736 | |
| Rhode Island | $121,490 | $92,854 | $149,625 | 192 | |
| North Carolina | $120,058 | $87,027 | $140,483 | 2,461 | |
| Texas | $117,700 | $83,720 | $139,464 | 11,052 | |
| Connecticut | $116,008 | $84,662 | $148,897 | 680 | |
| New Jersey | $115,918 | $89,290 | $149,850 | 4,900 | |
| Oregon | $115,000 | $78,202 | $145,916 | 758 | |
| Virginia | $110,240 | $64,880 | $138,488 | 2,564 | |
| Illinois | $110,000 | $70,366 | $134,118 | 4,112 | |
| Missouri | $109,824 | $73,798 | $129,792 | 930 | |
| Arizona | $109,484 | $84,400 | $136,552 | 1,353 | |
| Kentucky | $109,387 | $62,309 | $135,000 | 407 | |
| Pennsylvania | $109,054 | $80,600 | $132,330 | 2,217 | |
| Michigan | $106,389 | $87,000 | $123,525 | 2,748 | |
| Minnesota | $105,268 | $70,524 | $130,998 | 1,090 | |
| Washington DC | $104,500 | $73,000 | $148,907 | 404 | |
| Arkansas | $104,000 | $76,432 | $120,000 | 591 | |
| Colorado | $103,813 | $56,347 | $135,306 | 1,064 | |
| New Hampshire | $103,459 | $70,408 | $140,691 | 201 | |
| Georgia | $102,081 | $53,260 | $136,822 | 3,716 | |
| Ohio | $100,000 | $60,000 | $123,469 | 1,711 | |
| Tennessee | $97,037 | $59,224 | $122,868 | 922 | |
| Indiana | $95,000 | $62,648 | $117,780 | 799 | |
| Maryland | $92,500 | $50,000 | $130,000 | 1,241 | |
| Iowa | $86,590 | $57,200 | $113,191 | 416 | |
| Wisconsin | $86,590 | $33,280 | $120,750 | 979 | |
| New Mexico | $86,008 | $60,530 | $116,480 | 161 | |
| Nevada | $85,051 | $50,074 | $120,903 | 379 | |
| Nebraska | $84,198 | $55,156 | $116,376 | 330 | |
| Maine | $83,000 | $39,000 | $118,914 | 113 | |
| Utah | $81,000 | $55,390 | $127,971 | 881 | |
| South Carolina | $80,000 | $42,500 | $115,066 | 580 | |
| Idaho | $78,326 | $40,400 | $106,642 | 190 | |
| Kansas | $74,250 | $34,107 | $114,700 | 432 | |
| Oklahoma | $69,139 | $42,090 | $104,962 | 276 | |
| Mississippi | $67,954 | $41,912 | $109,070 | 111 | |
| Florida | $66,248 | $43,514 | $110,000 | 5,177 | |
| Louisiana | $65,000 | $39,135 | $110,421 | 307 | |
| Alabama | $63,700 | $40,000 | $98,758 | 573 | |
| Hawaii | $61,524 | $40,000 | $90,834 | 105 | |
| South Dakota | $48,653 | $34,320 | $83,123 | 154 | |
| North Dakota | $48,506 | $35,034 | $59,758 | 203 | |
| GU | $46,883 | $37,835 | $66,643 | 117 |
Methodology & source
PERM is the labor certification issued by the DOL — step one of the employment-based green card (EB-2/EB-3). Figures come from the PERM Disclosure Data (FY2025, Oct 2024–Sep 2025), the latest official release, counting certified (approved) cases with a plausible annual wage. FY is the U.S. government fiscal year.
Primary source: U.S. Department of Labor — PERM Disclosure Data, FY2025
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Source: "What approved green-card workers earn: median wage by state — FY2025" — Green Card Journey, from public DOL data. https://greencardjourney.co/dados/salario-por-estado