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Computer and Information Research Scientists: H-1B salaries
Standard Occupational Classification 15-1221. 14,372 labor condition applications; median offered base salary $180,000, middle half $152,000–$208,825.
By wage level
| Wage level | LCAs | Median salary |
|---|---|---|
| Level I (entry) | 2,248 | $143,208 |
| Level II (qualified) | 5,362 | $180,000 |
| Level III (experienced) | 2,377 | $200,000 |
| Level IV (fully competent) | 1,550 | $227,711 |
The Department of Labor sets four prevailing wage levels for each occupation and area, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). The employer picks the level that matches the job's requirements.
Employers
Cities
- New York, NY$188,000
- Seattle, WA$173,580
- Menlo Park, CA$198,940
- San Francisco, CA$210,000
- Bellevue, WA$178,750
- Mountain View, CA$200,000
- San Jose, CA$205,000
- Sunnyvale, CA$198,940
- Santa Clara, CA$190,000
- Palo Alto, CA$208,000
- San Diego, CA$160,000
- Austin, TX$150,000
- Cambridge, MA$168,000
- Boston, MA$167,600
- Pittsburgh, PA$158,100
- Redmond, WA$200,065
- Chicago, IL$140,000
- Atlanta, GA$128,185
- Berkeley, CA$170,810
- Hillsboro, OR$130,603
- Los Angeles, CA$170,000
- Oak Ridge, TN$127,384
- Princeton, NJ$137,500
- Yorktown Heights, NY$224,158
- Upton, NY$117,000
- Pasadena, CA$160,000
- Burlingame, CA$187,159
- Arlington, VA$156,600
- Houston, TX$140,580
- Lemont, IL$90,063
- Redwood City, CA$191,922
- Ann Arbor, MI$102,488
- Irvine, CA$160,000
- Plano, TX$122,720
- North Reading, MA$170,000
- Jersey City, NJ$180,000
- San Mateo, CA$203,923
- Livermore, CA$193,512
- Santa Monica, CA$172,900
- Brooklyn, NY$180,000
- Cupertino, CA$189,778
- Dallas, TX$130,000
- Kirkland, WA$183,070
- Milpitas, CA$172,716
- Foster City, CA$176,138
- Los Gatos, CA$253,710
- Baltimore, MD$105,000
- East Palo Alto, CA$192,950
- Los Alamos, NM$150,807
- Durham, NC$121,410
- West Lafayette, IN$61,716
- Los Altos, CA$205,000
- Chandler, AZ$135,150
- Madison, WI$100,000
- Charlotte, NC$135,845
- Columbus, OH$151,500
- Nashville, TN$120,000
- La Jolla, CA$78,456
- Salt Lake City, UT$130,449
- Burlington, MA$165,000
Job titles
- Research Scientist3,181
- Applied Scientist II2,043
- Applied Scientist III542
- Applied Scientist I434
- Research Engineer348
- Research Scientist II226
- Member of Technical Staff194
- Machine Learning Engineer173
- Senior Research Scientist166
- Applied Sciences137
- Applied Scientist134
- Research Scientist/Engineer132
- Data Scientist123
- AI Research Scientist115
- Senior Machine Learning Engineer96
- Staff Research Scientist90
- UX Researcher75
- Research Scientist III74
- Research Scientist I73
- Senior Data Scientist73
- Computer and Information Research Scientist64
- AI Engineer64
- Postdoctoral Research Associate58
- Software Engineer57
- Manager III, Applied Science54
- AI Scientist52
- Machine Learning Scientist49
- Senior Researcher48
- Senior Research Engineer48
- Postdoctoral Fellow44
By fiscal year
| Fiscal year | LCAs | Median salary |
|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 2,857 | $168,000 |
| FY2024 | 2,740 | $173,424 |
| FY2025 | 4,000 | $181,500 |
| FY2026 | 4,775 | $187,900 |
Salaries are the lower end of the wage offered on each application, converted to a yearly amount; statistics use certified full-time applications only. An LCA is not a visa approval and one LCA can cover several positions. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, OFLC LCA Disclosure Data, fiscal years 2023–2026 (latest decision Jun 30, 2026).