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Physicists: H-1B salaries
Standard Occupational Classification 19-2012. 4,166 labor condition applications; median offered base salary $83,100, middle half $67,941–$121,002.
Applications (LCAs)4,166
Median offered salary$83,100
Middle half of salaries$67,941–$121,002
10th–90th percentile$60,549–$169,200
By wage level
| Wage level | LCAs | Median salary |
|---|---|---|
| Level I (entry) | 2,085 | $71,500 |
| Level II (qualified) | 716 | $118,000 |
| Level III (experienced) | 356 | $141,194 |
| Level IV (fully competent) | 197 | $190,404 |
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
- Upton, NY$120,750
- Batavia, IL$75,400
- New York, NY$85,000
- Berkeley, CA$85,000
- Los Alamos, NM$107,830
- Menlo Park, CA$95,800
- Cambridge, MA$74,590
- Oak Ridge, TN$120,000
- Princeton, NJ$85,000
- Lemont, IL$80,059
- Livermore, CA$169,200
- Pasadena, CA$86,000
- Chicago, IL$74,000
- College Park, MD$76,302
- Boston, MA$89,024
- Stanford, CA$84,000
- Baltimore, MD$81,370
- Ann Arbor, MI$76,000
- Newport News, VA$109,500
- East Lansing, MI$90,000
- Austin, TX$65,650
- Durham, NC$75,000
- St. Louis, MO$67,018
- College Station, TX$55,391
- Urbana, IL$62,150
- Rochester, NY$85,000
- Houston, TX$65,000
- Gaithersburg, MD$79,339
- Ithaca, NY$73,218
- Philadelphia, PA$70,720
- Los Angeles, CA$80,662
- Boulder, CO$92,400
- New Haven, CT$72,000
- La Jolla, CA$83,200
- Richland, WA$108,573
- Madison, WI$74,042
- Palo Alto, CA$149,760
- Atlanta, GA$66,530
- Kansas City, KS$150,000
- West Lafayette, IN$60,549
- Stony Brook, NY$68,058
- Columbus, OH$62,838
- Tallahassee, FL$80,117
- Dallas, TX$66,279
- Santa Barbara, CA$77,030
- San Diego, CA$123,092
- Santa Clara, CA$156,083
- Evanston, IL$65,408
- Knoxville, TN$64,636
Job titles
- Postdoctoral Research Associate258
- Research Associate214
- Postdoctoral Associate203
- Research Scientist192
- Postdoctoral Fellow153
- Medical Physicist152
- Postdoctoral Scholar117
- Research Staff 3 Physics76
- Associate Scientist74
- Research Associate Physics59
- Post-Doctoral Associate55
- Associate Research Scientist53
- Assistant Research Scientist52
- Post Doctoral Research Associate45
- Postdoctoral Scholar Employee44
- Postdoctoral Research Scholar44
- Research Staff 4 Physics43
- Postdoctoral Researcher42
- Postdoctoral Appointee41
- Assistant Project Scientist40
- Physicist38
- Research Assistant Professor37
- Scientist36
- Scientist 236
- Assistant Professor35
- Staff Scientist31
- Associate Research Scholar31
- Physical Science Research Scientist28
- Medical Physics Resident28
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow27
By fiscal year
| Fiscal year | LCAs | Median salary |
|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 931 | $80,000 |
| FY2024 | 1,046 | $80,850 |
| FY2025 | 1,183 | $85,000 |
| FY2026 | 1,006 | $85,230 |
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).