Best US Cities for Data Analyst Jobs on OPT and H-1B: Employer Density, Wage Levels and Rent Compared
New York and Dallas file the most data analyst H-1B LCAs, but a $100,000 offer under SOC 15-2051 reaches Wage Level II in Chicago and only Level I in New York.
Part of our guide to H-1B wage levels.
The best cities for data analyst jobs on OPT and H-1B are New York and Dallas-Fort Worth for sheer sponsor volume, Chicago for the best balance of volume and reachable wage levels, and Atlanta or Charlotte if you want a smaller market where more data analyst filings sit at the higher wage levels. That comes from DOL's LCA filings and wage tables, read on 2026-11-01. The biggest surprise: filed under SOC 15-2051, the same $100,000 offer is Wage Level II in Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta, but only Level I in New York, Boston and Charlotte.
Status, as of 2026-11-01. Wage-weighted H-1B selection is in effect (since 2026-02-27). The FY2028 registration window is not announced; USCIS must give at least 30 days' notice. OFLC's wage tables for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 are in effect. DOL's prevailing-wage rule (NPRM of 2026-03-27, which would move Level I from the 17th to the 34th percentile) is proposed, with no final rule. The $100,000 H-1B payment is blocked and not being collected, though Proclamation 11069 stands on paper; the payment never covered a change of status USCIS grants inside the US.
Best cities for data analyst jobs on OPT and H-1B: the short answer
For a data analyst on OPT, the strongest sponsorship markets are New York and Dallas-Fort Worth by filing volume, with Chicago close behind on value. Wage levels are measured against each metro's own DOL table, so a metro with a lower table can turn the same salary into a higher H-1B wage level and more lottery entries. Weigh rent separately. The sections below take the three tests in order: sponsors, wage level, rent.
Which cities have the most data analyst H-1B filings?
New York, Dallas-Fort Worth and the Washington DC area had the most certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) for data analyst titles. We read DOL's FY2026 Q3 disclosure file from the OFLC performance data page, which DOL says covers "determinations issued between October 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026," and kept H-1B cases with "data analyst" in the job title. That gave 4,137 H-1B cases of all statuses, 3,773 of them certified, covering 5,043 positions (our count).
Certified H-1B LCAs with "data analyst" in the job title, by worksite metro, as of 2026-11 (DOL file covering 2025-10-01 to 2026-06-30)
| Metro (worksite MSA) | Certified LCAs | Level I | Level II | Level III-IV | No OEWS level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | 426 | 28% | 50% | 16% | 6% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 380 | 23% | 50% | 15% | 12% |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | 321 | 21% | 18% | 6% | 55% |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | 187 | 35% | 39% | 20% | 7% |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | 139 | 21% | 49% | 29% | 1% |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | 131 | 32% | 27% | 21% | 21% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 117 | 44% | 31% | 25% | 1% |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | 108 | 25% | 52% | 20% | 3% |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton | 99 | 32% | 41% | 14% | 12% |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | 98 | 26% | 33% | 32% | 10% |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | 97 | 31% | 40% | 19% | 10% |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | 93 | 37% | 44% | 18% | 1% |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | 45 | 20% | 47% | 29% | 4% |
| St. Louis | 31 | 10% | 48% | 42% | 0% |
| Columbus, OH | 23 | 22% | 48% | 30% | 0% |
The level columns show the prevailing-wage level the employer put on the LCA, which reflects how it classified the job's experience requirements. "No OEWS level" means another wage source, such as a private survey. Each case is counted at its first worksite, and an LCA is a past wage filing, not an opening. St. Louis and Columbus are small samples.
For scale, DOL's FY2026 Q3 selected statistics count 426,659 LCA applications received through Q3, 8.8% below FY2025, with software developers 29.1% of certified positions. That is why total H-1B rankings mostly measure software hiring, not analytics hiring. About 55% of the data analyst cases above asked for at least one new-employment position (our count); the rest were continuations, employer changes and amendments.
Sponsor density in eight metros: employers and petitions
Sponsor density is the second filter. Our metro hubs count employers with at least 25 H-1B petitions (approvals plus denials, initial and continuing) across FY2024 through FY2026 to date, from the USCIS Employer Data Hub extract behind our company pages, pulled on 2026-07-29 while FY2026 was still partial. The USCIS Employer Data Hub itself now says it covers FY2026 through quarter 4.
H-1B sponsor density, eight metros, as of 2026-11 (FY2024 through FY2026 to date)
| Metro hub | Employers (25+ petitions) | Petitions | Data analyst LCAs (Oct 2025-Jun 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 310 | 43,144 | 426 |
| Dallas | 266 | 31,600 | 380 |
| Chicago | 100 | 20,453 | 187 |
| Boston | 133 | 18,279 | 99 |
| Atlanta | 62 | 7,562 | 139 |
| Charlotte | 49 | 5,051 | 45 |
| St. Louis | 23 | 4,288 | 31 |
| Columbus | 16 | 1,638 | 23 |
Two geographies sit in this table. The hubs group employers by the city on their USCIS record (usually a headquarters or mailing address), with suburbs folded in for New York, Dallas and Boston, so a headquarters city collects petitions for workers placed elsewhere. The LCA column uses the worksite. That is partly why Boston has more hub employers than Chicago (its hub includes Cambridge, Waltham and Burlington) but about half the data analyst filings. For the full 55-metro list, see our ranking of cities with the most H-1B sponsors.
What SOC code do data analysts get on an H-1B LCA?
Most data analyst LCAs are filed under SOC 15-2051 Data Scientists, the code that also holds the Business Intelligence Analysts title. In the file above, 69.5% of certified data analyst LCAs used 15-2051, 6.4% used 15-2031 Operations Research Analysts, 3.1% used 15-1211 Computer Systems Analysts and 3.0% used 15-2041 Statisticians (our count).
This matters because the employer picks the SOC code from your duties, and each code has its own wage table. In Chicago, Level II is $72,238 under 13-1161 Market Research Analysts and $97,490 under 15-2051 (OFLC 2026-27 tables). The code is not a lever to pull: a code that does not match the duties is a compliance problem for the employer and a risk for your petition. Our guide to data analyst H-1B sponsorship covers how duties map to codes.
The duties also decide whether the job is a specialty occupation (see the FAQ below). A title like Data Analyst says little; the duties, the degree field and the link between them carry the case. Since 2026-08-05, USCIS can deny without an RFE when required initial evidence is missing (PA-2026-05, in effect and challenged), so the employer's first filing is the one that counts.
Does a cheaper city lower my H-1B wage level?
Not by itself. Your level is measured against the DOL table for the area where you will actually work, and a metro with a lower table lets the same salary reach the same or a higher level. Under the weighted lottery, USCIS's registration page says selection is "based generally on the highest OEWS wage level that the beneficiary's proffered wage will equal or exceed," for the SOC code in the area of intended employment. The final rule locks that level to the OEWS wage data in effect on the day the registration is submitted.
The weighted selection final rule enters a Level IV registration four times, Level III three times, Level II twice and Level I once. More entries means better odds, but not a fixed multiple, because the result depends on who else registers.
DOL prevailing wages for SOC 15-2051 Data Scientists, annual, wage year July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 (as of 2026-11)
| Metro (OFLC area) | Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV | A $100,000 offer reaches | A $120,000 offer reaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $87,256 | $115,835 | $144,414 | $172,994 | Level I | Level II |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton | $88,920 | $112,861 | $136,781 | $160,722 | Level I | Level II |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $79,997 | $104,312 | $128,648 | $152,963 | Level I | Level II |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $75,691 | $99,299 | $122,907 | $146,515 | Level II | Level II |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | $77,875 | $98,946 | $120,037 | $141,107 | Level II | Level II |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $76,336 | $97,490 | $118,664 | $139,818 | Level II | Level III |
| Columbus, OH | $71,448 | $93,018 | $114,608 | $136,178 | Level II | Level III |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $66,394 | $85,509 | $104,603 | $123,718 | Level II | Level III |
Source: OFLC wage year 2026-27 tables (based on BLS May 2025 estimates), hourly rates multiplied by 2,080; the last two columns are our arithmetic. Check any figure in the FLAG OFLC Wage Search. Two details stand out. Charlotte's thresholds are higher than Chicago's, so "cheaper city" is not a reliable shortcut. And in New York and Boston, an $85,000 offer under 15-2051 sits below the OEWS Level I wage: the employer would need a legitimate non-OEWS wage source for the LCA, and the final rule counts such a registration as Level I. Ask the employer's immigration counsel how they would handle it before you accept.
Common misconception: "A higher-cost city pays more, so it gives me a higher wage level." Correction: levels are relative to the local table. New York's Level II for 15-2051 is $18,345 above Chicago's (our arithmetic), so a New York offer must be that much bigger to reach the same level.
Worked example: Chicago at $100,000 vs New York at $108,000
Say you finish a STEM-designated MS in analytics in December 2026 and, while on OPT, hold two data analyst offers that both employers would file under 15-2051.
- New York, $108,000. That is above Level I ($87,256) but below Level II ($115,835), so the registration would be entered once.
- Chicago, $100,000. That clears Level II ($97,490), so the registration would be entered twice.
- The registration window. The FY2028 window is not announced. Because the level is locked to the wage data in effect on the day of registration, a registration submitted before July 1, 2027 would be measured against the 2026-27 tables above. March 2027 is an expectation, not a date USCIS has set.
- If you are not selected. If your degree and employer qualify, STEM OPT can give you more registration seasons; your DSO confirms eligibility. The unemployment limit stays 90 days on post-completion OPT and 150 days in total on STEM OPT, per the SEVP unemployment counter page.
The New York offer pays $8,000 more but gets one lottery entry instead of two. Whether that trade is worth it depends on rent. Our data analyst wage level and lottery strategy guide covers how promotions and scope move you up a level.
How to compare rent against your wage level
No federal dataset prices "data analyst rent," so build the comparison from HUD. HUD's Fair Market Rents estimate "the 40th percentile gross rent paid by recent movers into standard quality units" in each FMR area, where gross rent means rent plus utilities. The FY2027 figures took effect October 1, 2026, according to HUD's FY2027 FMR notice (91 FR 56156).
HUD often splits a metro into smaller "HUD Metro FMR Areas," so pick the one that contains the county you would live in, not the OFLC wage area. Then take the one-bedroom FMR, multiply by 12 and divide by the offer, and write that rent share beside the wage level the offer reaches.
Run that for both offers in the example. If New York's rent share is much higher than Chicago's, the extra $8,000 may not cover the gap, and the Chicago registration has the extra lottery entry. If the shares are close, New York's larger employer base may be worth more for your next job. Our guide to which metros push H-1B to a higher wage level runs the same logic for other occupations.
City-by-city notes for data analysts
The employers named below filed certified data analyst LCAs between October 2025 and June 2026.
- New York. The largest market, with insurers, banks and academic medical centers (ACE American Insurance, Barclays Services, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NYU Grossman School of Medicine). New York and Boston have the highest thresholds of the eight; Boston's Level I is slightly higher, New York's Levels II to IV are higher.
- Dallas-Fort Worth. Nearly New York's volume at lower thresholds. Capital One was the most frequent data analyst filer. Gov. Abbott has frozen new H-1B petitions at Texas state agencies and public universities from 2026-01-27 to 2027-05-31 unless the Texas Workforce Commission permits them (Texas Tribune); private employers are not covered.
- Chicago. The best mix of volume and reachable levels: 187 filings, 35% of them classified at Level I, which suggests many entry-level roles, yet a $100,000 offer clears Level II. Northwestern University and the University of Illinois Chicago filed alongside Capital One, Chime and Uber.
- Boston. Hospital-heavy (Mass General's General Hospital Corporation, Brigham and Women's, Boston Medical Center), with Staples and CarGurus. High thresholds, few data analyst filings relative to its sponsor count.
- Atlanta and Charlotte. Smaller, but 29% of data analyst filings in each sat at Level III or IV. Home Depot led Atlanta; Vanguard and Truist filed in Charlotte.
- St. Louis and Columbus. The lowest thresholds of the eight and few filings (Washington University and Bayer CropScience in St. Louis; Nationwide Children's research institute in Columbus). Good levels, thin markets.
- Houston and the Bay Area. Houston had 93 filings and a 15-2051 Level I of $70,658 (Houston hub). In San Jose, an offer has to reach $125,486 just to clear Level I under 15-2051.
Universities and some affiliated research hospitals may file cap-exempt petitions (ask HR), but cap-exempt petitions get no cap-gap protection. USCIS's unpublished "Reforming the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program" proposal (RIN 1615-AD00), under OIRA review since 2026-08-24, lists "revising eligibility for cap exemptions" in its agenda abstract; its text is not public.
Indeed's October 22, 2026 snapshot put its Software Development postings index at about 78-79, the lowest of five charted sectors, with Seattle (67) and San Francisco (72) among the weakest local indices. Analytics roles in finance, insurance, retail and health care spread your search beyond the tech hubs.
Data analyst jobs in NYC vs Chicago: which is better on OPT?
New York wins on volume and Chicago on value. New York has more than twice Chicago's data analyst filings, led by insurers, banks and medical schools; Chicago's filers mix universities with fintech and tech employers. Chicago's lower table means an ordinary offer reaches a higher level there. Apply in both, then compare actual offers with the wage table and the HUD rent share.
How to build your city shortlist
- Open the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, or our metro hubs, and list the sponsors in each metro you would move to.
- Download the FY2026 Q3 LCA disclosure file from DOL's OFLC performance page and filter JOB_TITLE for your target titles and WORKSITE_COUNTY or WORKSITE_CITY for each metro. Our guide on how to search LCA filings walks through it.
- Note the SOC_CODE and PW_WAGE_LEVEL employers actually used for those titles.
- Look up that SOC code for each metro in the FLAG OFLC Wage Search and record Levels I-IV.
- Compare a realistic offer with each table and write down the highest level it reaches.
- Check the one-bedroom HUD Fair Market Rent for the area you would live in and compute the rent share for that offer.
- Confirm your OPT or STEM OPT dates and unemployment days with your DSO, and report any new employer or address the way your DSO directs.
Common mistakes
- Ranking cities by total H-1B petitions. Totals track software and IT services. Filter for data analyst titles instead.
- Assuming your title sets the SOC code. Most data analysts were filed as Data Scientists (15-2051), and each code has its own wage table.
- Reading the LCA's prevailing-wage level as your lottery level. The lottery uses the highest OEWS level your offered wage equals or exceeds, which can be above the level on the LCA.
- Assuming the registration uses your best location. If you will work in more than one location, the final rule requires the lowest level your wage reaches among them. The LCA must also cover where you actually work (for a remote job, generally your home); a later move can require a new LCA and an amended petition.
- Relocating without watching the clock. Unemployment days keep counting on OPT (90) and STEM OPT (150 in total) while you job-hunt in a new city.
- Banking on the proposed DOL wage rule either way. It is proposed only (NPRM, 2026-03-27); if finalized, every threshold above would rise.
Frequently asked questions
Which city is best for data analyst jobs with visa sponsorship?
No single city wins on every measure. New York (426) and Dallas-Fort Worth (380) had the most certified H-1B LCAs for data analyst titles from October 2025 to June 2026. Chicago (187) pairs solid volume with lower wage thresholds than New York, and 29% of filings in Atlanta and Charlotte sat at Level III or IV, against 16% in New York. Pick the city where your likely offer reaches the highest level for the rent you will pay.
Is New York or Chicago better for data analysts on OPT?
New York has more sponsors (310 hub employers against 100) and more data analyst LCAs (426 against 187). Chicago has the lower wage table. Under SOC 15-2051, Level II for July 2026 to June 2027 is $115,835 in New York and $97,490 in Chicago, so a $100,000 offer is Level I in New York and Level II in Chicago. Compare rent with HUD Fair Market Rents before you decide.
Does a cheaper city lower my H-1B wage level?
Usually the opposite. Your level is measured against the DOL wage table for the area where you will work, and lower-cost metros often have lower thresholds, though not always (Charlotte's are above Chicago's). Since 2026-02-27, the highest OEWS level your offered wage reaches, using the wage data in effect on the day of registration, decides how many times your registration is entered in the lottery.
Are data analyst roles specialty occupations for H-1B?
They can be, but the title does not decide it. Under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)(iii)(A), the job must meet one of four tests built around a US bachelor's or higher degree in a directly related specific specialty, or its equivalent, and USCIS reads the actual duties. Since 2026-08-05, USCIS can deny without an RFE when required initial evidence is missing (PA-2026-05, in effect and challenged).
Which cities have the most data analyst H-1B filings?
In DOL's FY2026 Q3 LCA disclosure file (determinations from 2025-10-01 to 2026-06-30), the most certified H-1B LCAs with "data analyst" in the job title listed worksites in New York (426), Dallas-Fort Worth (380), the Washington DC area (321), Chicago (187) and Atlanta (139). An LCA is a wage filing, not a job opening or an approved petition.
Sources
- DOL OFLC, Performance data and LCA disclosure files (FY2026 Q3)
- DOL OFLC, LCA Selected Statistics, FY2026 Q3
- DOL FLAG, OFLC Wage Search (wage year 2026-27)
- USCIS, H-1B electronic registration process
- Federal Register, Weighted selection final rule (2025-12-29)
- USCIS, H-1B Employer Data Hub
- USCIS, Form I-129 page ($100,000 payment status)
- HUD USER, Fair Market Rents
- HUD, FY2027 Fair Market Rents notice, 91 FR 56156 (2026-09-01)
- SEVP, Unemployment counter
- USCIS, PA-2026-05
- Federal Register, DOL prevailing-wage NPRM (2026-03-27)
- Indeed Hiring Lab, US labor market snapshot, October 2026
How we checked this: on 2026-11-01 we counted cases in DOL's FY2026 Q3 LCA disclosure file, read OFLC's wage year 2026-27 tables and their release notes, read the weighted selection final rule, HUD's FY2027 FMR notice and USCIS's registration page, and used our Employer Data Hub extract (pulled 2026-07-29). Our employer counts measure filing names, not companies.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your own I-20, EAD and notices govern; take F-1 and OPT questions to your DSO and petition or wage-level questions to the employer's immigration attorney.
If you are weighing cities on OPT and want a search aimed at employers that file for data analysts, F1Jobs can help you build that target list. For the data scientist version of this comparison, see best cities for data scientists seeking H-1B sponsorship.
Frequently asked questions
Which city is best for data analyst jobs with visa sponsorship?
No single city wins on every measure. New York (426) and Dallas-Fort Worth (380) had the most certified H-1B LCAs for data analyst titles from October 2025 to June 2026. Chicago (187) pairs solid volume with lower wage thresholds than New York, and 29% of filings in Atlanta and Charlotte sat at Level III or IV, against 16% in New York. Pick the city where your likely offer reaches the highest level for the rent you will pay.
Is New York or Chicago better for data analysts on OPT?
New York has more sponsors (310 hub employers against 100) and more data analyst LCAs (426 against 187). Chicago has the lower wage table. Under SOC 15-2051, Level II for July 2026 to June 2027 is $115,835 in New York and $97,490 in Chicago, so a $100,000 offer is Level I in New York and Level II in Chicago. Compare rent with HUD Fair Market Rents before you decide.
Does a cheaper city lower my H-1B wage level?
Usually the opposite. Your level is measured against the DOL wage table for the area where you will work, and lower-cost metros often have lower thresholds, though not always (Charlotte's are above Chicago's). Since 2026-02-27, the highest OEWS level your offered wage reaches, using the wage data in effect on the day of registration, decides how many times your registration is entered in the lottery.
Are data analyst roles specialty occupations for H-1B?
They can be, but the title does not decide it. Under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)(iii)(A), the job must meet one of four tests built around a US bachelor's or higher degree in a directly related specific specialty, or its equivalent, and USCIS reads the actual duties. Since 2026-08-05, USCIS can deny without an RFE when required initial evidence is missing (PA-2026-05, in effect and challenged).
Which cities have the most data analyst H-1B filings?
In DOL's FY2026 Q3 LCA disclosure file (determinations from 2025-10-01 to 2026-06-30), the most certified H-1B LCAs with data analyst in the job title listed worksites in New York (426), Dallas-Fort Worth (380), the Washington DC area (321), Chicago (187) and Atlanta (139). An LCA is a wage filing, not a job opening or an approved petition.