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Chemists: H-1B salaries
Standard Occupational Classification 19-2031. 7,847 labor condition applications; median offered base salary $86,900, middle half $68,328–$112,966.
Applications (LCAs)7,847
Median offered salary$86,900
Middle half of salaries$68,328–$112,966
10th–90th percentile$60,440–$135,947
By wage level
| Wage level | LCAs | Median salary |
|---|---|---|
| Level I (entry) | 2,088 | $64,350 |
| Level II (qualified) | 2,012 | $85,000 |
| Level III (experienced) | 1,619 | $103,218 |
| Level IV (fully competent) | 1,472 | $125,929 |
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
- Hauppauge, NY$80,100
- Cambridge, MA$116,718
- Piscataway, NJ$93,856
- Cranbury, NJ$90,000
- San Diego, CA$115,500
- East Windsor, NJ$78,770
- Princeton, NJ$66,645
- Boston, MA$125,500
- Houston, TX$79,842
- South San Francisco, CA$141,500
- Atlanta, GA$65,528
- Somerset, NJ$85,763
- Chicago, IL$63,022
- Indianapolis, IN$107,000
- Durham, NC$90,000
- New York, NY$79,518
- Berkeley, CA$82,728
- Oak Ridge, TN$85,643
- Evanston, IL$65,520
- Fairfield, NJ$80,000
- Pearl River, NY$63,086
- Exton, PA$80,088
- Central Islip, NY$81,978
- Monmouth Junction, NJ$82,000
- Thousand Oaks, CA$128,702
- Wilmington, DE$120,000
- Philadelphia, PA$80,000
- Richland, WA$101,842
- Madison, WI$63,081
- West Lafayette, IN$63,752
- Denville, NJ$85,598
- Charles City, IA$75,712
- Rahway, NJ$107,600
- Foster City, CA$127,200
- Ewing, NJ$93,000
- Ann Arbor, MI$65,000
- Hayward, CA$115,000
- La Jolla, CA$76,918
- Middleton, WI$77,022
- Upton, NY$82,650
- Brookhaven, NY$99,000
- New Brunswick, NJ$124,630
- Newtown, PA$94,000
- San Jose, CA$130,000
- Waltham, MA$120,119
- Woburn, MA$105,000
- Columbus, OH$88,421
- Largo, FL$76,170
- Boulder, CO$90,476
- North Chicago, IL$129,100
- Austin, TX$65,499
- Irvine, CA$93,142
- Lexington, MA$129,400
- Dayton, NJ$77,250
- Los Alamos, NM$103,334
- Lemont, IL$70,758
- Devens, MA$97,626
- Hoschton, GA$70,000
- St. Louis, MO$72,100
- South Plainfield, NJ$90,000
Job titles
- Chemist501
- Postdoctoral Research Associate215
- Senior Scientist178
- Research Scientist163
- Scientist157
- Quality Control Chemist145
- Analytical Chemist134
- Postdoctoral Scholar131
- Research Associate125
- Postdoctoral Fellow116
- Postdoctoral Associate95
- QC Chemist94
- Scientist II76
- Senior Chemist67
- Research Chemist65
- Formulation Scientist64
- Scientist I61
- Associate Scientist61
- Analytical Scientist59
- Principal Scientist51
- Quality Assurance Chemist45
- Senior Research Specialist44
- Chemist II44
- Research Associate Chemistry41
- Senior Scientist I41
- Associate Research Scientist40
- Pharmaceutical Chemist - Quality Control38
- Senior Research Scientist37
- Scientist III36
- Staff Scientist32
By fiscal year
| Fiscal year | LCAs | Median salary |
|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 1,837 | $85,000 |
| FY2024 | 2,013 | $85,000 |
| FY2025 | 2,310 | $87,075 |
| FY2026 | 1,687 | $93,000 |
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).