City guides / Syracuse and Central New York

Syracuse and Central New York

An affordable, mid-sized metro where universities and hospitals sponsor most H-1B workers, many of them outside the lottery, and where Micron is building a $100 billion chip campus.

Guide Wages: DOL wage year 2026-27 H-1B filings: DOL disclosure data

Covers Syracuse, DeWitt, Fayetteville–Manlius, Clay–Liverpool–Cicero, Baldwinsville, Camillus, Skaneateles, Oswego and Hamilton.

Central New York is a different H-1B life from the big coastal metros. Over the last year, H-1B filings in the Syracuse area were led by SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse University and physician groups. IT services firms and local manufacturers followed. Many of these employers are universities and their affiliated nonprofits, which are exempt from the H-1B cap: they can file at any time of year without the lottery.

Housing, commutes and day-to-day costs are well below New York City, Boston or the Bay Area, and several suburban school districts are among the best-rated in the state. The trade-offs are winter (Syracuse averages about 128 inches of snow a year), a smaller job market if you are laid off, and an airport with no international nonstops.

The biggest change coming is Micron. Its semiconductor campus in the Town of Clay, north of the city, broke ground on January 16, 2026. It is planned to employ about 9,000 people once the first fabs are running, plus thousands of construction and supplier jobs.

What the jobs pay

Prevailing wages for the Syracuse (Onondaga, Madison and Oswego counties) metro area. Your employer must pay at least the wage for your job's level. Explore every job and level →

Job	Level I	Level II	Level III	Level IV
Software Developers	$87,963	$109,366	$130,770	$152,173
Data Scientists	$69,867	$91,936	$113,984	$136,053
Computer Systems Analysts	$69,514	$84,178	$98,862	$113,526
Electrical Engineers	$84,531	$100,360	$116,168	$131,997
Management Analysts	$66,643	$84,427	$102,211	$119,995
Accountants and Auditors	$61,277	$76,898	$92,518	$108,139
Registered Nurses	$70,866	$80,309	$89,752	$99,195
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary (universities)	$56,350	$75,463	$94,577	$113,690

Who sponsors here

407 certified H-1B applications (LCAs) from 156 employers for jobs in the Syracuse, NY area. Certified H-1B LCAs decided July 2025 to June 2026. Typical offered pay: $67,000 to $123,500 (middle half), median $89,000.

Employer	H-1B filings here	Median pay	Green card filings (all US)
State University of New York, Upstate Medical University	52	$61,500	13
Syracuse University	38	$65,000	32
Dept of Medicine Medical Service Group at SUNY-HSC at Syracuse, Inc.	20	$195,000	—
L&T Technology Services Limited	15	$95,000	94
Wipro Limited PERM green card filings suspended	14	$83,500	506
Colgate University	11	$97,500	5
Grandison Management, Inc.	9	$63,500	6
John Mezzalingua Associates, LLC	8	$109,500	6
Crouse Health Hospitals, Inc.	8	$83,000	—
The Research Foundation for SUNY Upstate Medical University	6	$63,500	1
Pediatric Service Group, LLP	6	$150,500	—
Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company	6	$125,000	13
Tata Consultancy Services Limited PERM green card filings suspended	6	$71,000	508
Science Academies Of New York Charter Schools	6	$76,000	—
Welch Allyn, Inc.	5	$134,000	2

Most common jobs

Where the jobs are

Syracuse 230
East Syracuse 36
Liverpool 20
Oswego 15
Skaneateles Falls 11
Hamilton 11
Jamesville 5
Minoa 3
Cicero 3
Clay 2

One LCA can cover more than one worker, and a filing is not an approved petition. Green card filings are certified PERM applications for the employer nationwide. Search sponsors by job →

Taxes

New York State taxes income at graduated rates up to 10.9%. Unlike New York City, Syracuse and its suburbs add no local income tax. Sales tax in Onondaga County is 8% (4% state plus 4% county). Property taxes in New York are high, so check a house's annual school and property tax bill before you make an offer. NY Department of Taxation and Finance: income tax rates

The good

Many cap-exempt employers: SUNY Upstate Medical University (the county's largest employer), Syracuse University, SUNY Oswego, Colgate University and research foundations can hire on H-1B without the lottery
Housing and everyday costs are far lower than in the big coastal metros
Top-rated suburban schools in Fayetteville–Manlius, Skaneateles and Jamesville–DeWitt
Micron's campus in Clay is planned to bring about 9,000 direct jobs, plus suppliers
Short commutes, the Finger Lakes, Adirondacks and Thousand Islands within a few hours' drive

The hard

About 128 inches of snow a year, from November to April. You will need winter tires or all-wheel drive, and a real winter coat
A smaller job market: about 150 employers filed H-1B applications here in a year, so a 60-day job search after a layoff can mean moving
No international nonstop flights: trips to India or China connect through New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit or Washington
You will need a car. Buses cover the city and the university but thin out in the suburbs
Prevailing wages are lower than in large metros (see the table above)
Housing is getting tighter in the northern suburbs as Micron construction ramps up

Where people live

Syracuse (city)

University Hill puts Syracuse University, Upstate and Crouse hospitals within walking distance, popular with residents, postdocs and people without a car. Eastwood, Strathmore and the Westcott area have older, affordable houses. Most families with school-age children look at suburban districts.

DeWitt, Jamesville and East Syracuse

Just east of the city, 10 to 15 minutes from downtown and the hospitals. East Syracuse is the second-busiest H-1B worksite in the area. Jamesville–DeWitt schools are rated A.

Fayetteville and Manlius

Established eastern suburbs with the county's top-rated school district (Fayetteville–Manlius, A+), shopping and Green Lakes State Park. Around 20 minutes to downtown.

Clay, Cicero, Liverpool and North Syracuse

North of the city, where Micron is building and where Lockheed Martin and many other employers are located. Newer subdivisions, the Liverpool school district, and the gurdwara nearby. Expect rising prices and rents as the Micron workforce grows.

Baldwinsville, Camillus and the west side

Family suburbs with Baldwinsville, West Genesee and Westhill schools (rated A− to B+). The Hindu Mandir of Central New York is on State Fair Boulevard, northwest of the city.

Skaneateles

A lakeside village about 30 minutes southwest, with an A+ school district and higher house prices. Welch Allyn (Baxter) sponsors engineers at Skaneateles Falls.

Oswego

On Lake Ontario, about 40 minutes north. SUNY Oswego is a cap-exempt employer. Heavier lake-effect snow.

Hamilton and Cazenovia (Madison County)

Small, rural college towns. Colgate University in Hamilton and SUNY Morrisville hire faculty on H-1B.

Micron and what it means

Micron's memory-chip campus at White Pine Commerce Park in Clay is the largest private investment in New York State history. It will reshape jobs and housing in the region over the next two decades.

Groundbreaking was on January 16, 2026, and foundation work began in summer 2026, reported as ahead of schedule.
Up to four fabs are planned over about 20 years, with about $100 billion of investment and $6.44 billion in federal CHIPS Act funding.
Micron plans about 9,000 manufacturing and facility jobs in New York and about 4,500 construction jobs. Estimates of total regional jobs, including suppliers, run to about 50,000.
The first fab is expected to start operating as late as the third quarter of 2030. The second is not expected to open until late 2033.
Micron already sponsors H-1B workers at its other sites. Its employer report card shows how many it files and what it pays.
Housing is the open question: the region needs roughly 30,000 more homes by the time the campus is finished. Expect competition for rentals in Clay, Cicero and Liverpool.
Micron employer report card
NIST: Micron (New York) CHIPS award

Winter

Syracuse is one of the snowiest large cities in the United States. Lake-effect bands off Lake Ontario can drop a foot of snow in a day on one side of town and almost none on the other.

The average is 127.8 inches a season (1991–2020), with about 30 inches each in December, January and February.
The first snow usually falls in November and the last in April. About 34 days a year bring an inch or more.
Before your first winter, budget for winter tires or an all-wheel-drive car, an ice scraper and brush, insulated boots and a proper coat.
Arrange snow clearing for your driveway early in the fall; many plowing services fill up by November.
Heating is a real part of the budget: ask for a year of past utility bills before you sign a lease.
Schools close or delay for heavy storms. Sign up for your district's alerts, and have a backup plan for childcare.

Getting around

Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR): About 23 nonstop destinations, including JFK, LaGuardia, Chicago O'Hare, Atlanta, Detroit, Washington Dulles and Charlotte, for connections to India and Asia. No international nonstops.
Amtrak: At the William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center: Empire Service to New York City, the Lake Shore Limited to Boston and Chicago, and the Maple Leaf to Toronto.
Centro buses: City and Syracuse University routes are frequent; suburban service is limited.
The I-81 Viaduct Project: The elevated highway through downtown is being replaced by a street grid. In September 2026, I-481 around the east side became the new I-81. Expect downtown detours for several years.
By car, New York City and Toronto are each about four to five hours away. Ithaca is about an hour, Rochester about 90 minutes, and Niagara Falls about two and a half hours.

Paperwork close to home

USCIS Syracuse Field Office: 205 S. Salina St., downtown. Appointments only. Syracuse also has an Application Support Center for biometrics.
Social Security office: Federal Building, 100 S. Clinton St., 4th floor.
New York driver license: You can drive for a while on a valid foreign license with an International Driving Permit, but get a New York license soon: many insurers charge much more, or refuse cover, without one. Onondaga County DMV offices are run by the County Clerk.
Consulates: The Consulates General of India and of China in New York City serve New York State for passports, OCI and other services.

Health care

The region has three major hospital systems: Upstate University Hospital (including Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital), Crouse Health and St. Joseph's Health. All three are among the county's largest employers.
Many physicians here are on H-1B through Upstate and its affiliated practice groups. If you or your spouse is a doctor, ask about cap-exempt positions.
Check that your employer's health plan includes these hospitals before you pick a plan in open enrollment.

Schools

Families usually choose a house by school district. Niche's 2027 ranking of Onondaga County districts:

A+: Fayetteville–Manlius, Skaneateles
A: Jamesville–DeWitt
A−: West Genesee, Westhill
B+: Baldwinsville, Liverpool, Marcellus, Onondaga Central
Niche: best school districts in Onondaga County
Universities nearby: Syracuse University, SUNY Upstate Medical University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Le Moyne College, SUNY Oswego, Colgate University, and Cornell University in Ithaca about an hour away.

Weekends

Skaneateles, Owasco and Cayuga lakes and the Finger Lakes wine trails
Green Lakes State Park in Fayetteville, with swimming, hiking and a golf course
The Great New York State Fair each August and September at the fairgrounds in Geddes
Syracuse University basketball and football at the JMA Wireless Dome
Day trips to the Thousand Islands, the Adirondacks and Niagara Falls

Community

The Indian and Chinese communities are spread across the suburbs rather than concentrated in one neighborhood, and families tend to choose where to live by school district. Hindu and Swaminarayan temples, a gurdwara, a mosque and a long-running Indian cultural center hold festivals and language classes (see the list below). There is also a Chinese language school and a large university community. Syracuse also resettles many refugees, so the city has a wide mix of newer immigrant communities, especially on the North Side.

Home away from home

Places of worship, Indian and Asian groceries, restaurants and community groups in and around the city, from OpenStreetMap. Tap a pin or a name for the address.

Places of worship Groceries Community & language schools Restaurants

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, updated weekly. Listings depend on what volunteers have mapped, so some places are missing; anyone can add them.

Cost of living

For a realistic budget by family size, see the MIT Living Wage Calculator for this metro area. Compare it with the wage table above to see how far a Level I or II salary goes.

Sources: DOL OFLC wage library, DOL LCA and PERM disclosure data, NY Department of Taxation and Finance: income tax rates, MIT Living Wage Calculator, Onondaga County: major employers, NIST: Micron (New York) CHIPS award, Construction Dive: Micron breaks ground (Jan 2026), Spectrum News: revised Micron timeline (Nov 2025), CNYCentral: first fab foundation (Jul 2026), Current Results: Syracuse snowfall averages (NOAA 1991–2020), Syracuse Hancock International Airport: destinations, NY Governor: I-81 Viaduct Project milestones (Sep 2026), Syracuse University: living in Syracuse. Last verified 2026-09-29.