Research and Development Engineer H-1B wages
Filings decided July 2025 to June 2026. Most are classified as Mechanical Engineers (SOC 17-2141).
Employers filed 48 wage applications for Research and Development Engineer jobs from July 2025 to June 2026, across 25 employers. The median offered wage was $110,713, 1.7% above the government's prevailing wage for the job. University of California, Los Angeles filed the most (6, median $116,500).
- Filings
- 48
- Positions covered
- 46
- Employers
- 25
- Median offered
- $110,713
- Median prevailing wage
- $103,450
- Filings since FY2020
- 208
- Median offer change since FY2020
- +24%
Offered wage since 2020
The median wage offered for Research and Development Engineer jobs rose 24%, from $90,000 in fiscal 2020 to $111,426 in fiscal 2026 so far. In fiscal 2026 it was 2.7% above the prevailing wage. Filings peaked in fiscal 2024, with 37 filings.
Middle half of offered wagesMedian offered wageMedian prevailing wageFilings per year
Fiscal years run October to September. Fiscal 2026 is still running: these figures cover October 2025 to June 2026.
Research and Development Engineer by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Filings | Median offered | vs year before | Median prevailing | vs prevailing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Oct to Jun) | 41 | $111,426 | +11.4% | $105,061 | +2.7% |
| 2025 | 36 | $100,000 | no change | $87,589 | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 37 | $100,000 | +6.8% | $84,448 | +15.3% |
| 2023 | 29 | $93,600 | −3.9% | $83,179 | +10.2% |
| 2022 | 19 | $97,427 | +9.0% | $83,179 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 19 | $89,398 | −0.7% | $87,547 | +6.8% |
| 2020 | 27 | $90,000 | n/a | $79,414 | +9.0% |
Employers that file for this title
Middle half of offered wagesMedian offered wageMedian prevailing wage
| Employer | Filings | Median offered | Offered range and prevailing wage | vs prevailing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California, Los Angeles | 6 | $116,500 | at the minimum | |
| FANUC America Corporation | 5 | $111,426 | +6.3% | |
| MSR Technology Group LLC | 4 | $114,550 | at the minimum | |
| University of California, Berkeley | 3 | $80,400 | at the minimum | |
| Collinear Ai Inc. | 3 | $150,000 | +17.5% | |
| University of California, Davis | 2 | $93,500 | +46.5% | |
| Verotech Solutions, LLC | 2 | $85,280 | +2.1% | |
| TikTok Inc. | 2 | $331,500 | +121.9% | |
| Third Wave Systems, Inc. | 1 | $118,000 | +43.0% | |
| Numbers Only, Inc. | 1 | $94,536 | at the minimum | |
| Meshy LLC | 1 | $230,000 | +1.7% | |
| Nel Hydrogen Inc. | 1 | n/a | ||
| Graham Packaging Company, L.P. | 1 | $147,445 | +40.3% | |
| Proton Energy Systems, Inc. | 1 | $131,598 | +4.0% | |
| University of Delaware | 1 | $110,000 | +16.6% | |
| Trimah Technologies LLC | 1 | $134,202 | +16.6% | |
| Atosa USA, Inc. | 1 | $69,160 | at the minimum | |
| Phoenix Packaging Operations, LLC | 1 | $72,155 | at the minimum | |
Showing the 18 employers with the most filings of 25. Employers with fewer than 5 filings in total are counted but not named.
Where Research and Development Engineer jobs are filed
| Worksite | Filings | Median offered | Offered range and prevailing wage | vs prevailing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | 6 | $116,500 | at the minimum | |
| Rochester Hills, MI | 5 | $111,426 | +6.3% | |
| Irvine, CA | 4 | $114,550 | at the minimum | |
| Berkeley, CA | 3 | $80,400 | at the minimum | |
| Mountain View, CA | 3 | $150,000 | +17.5% | |
| Arlington, VA | 2 | $128,125 | +1.6% | |
| Davis, CA | 2 | $93,500 | +46.5% | |
| Maple Grove, MN | 2 | $85,280 | +2.1% | |
| Palo Alto, CA | 2 | $250,000 | +21.8% | |
| Raleigh, NC | 2 | $83,200 | +12.7% | |
| Ridgewood, NY | 2 | $82,000 | +0.7% | |
| San Jose, CA | 2 | $331,500 | +121.9% | |
| Wallingford, CT | 2 | $131,598 | +4.0% | |
| Austin, TX | 1 | $129,500 | +59.0% | |
| Cincinnati, OH | 1 | $94,536 | at the minimum | |
| Dublin, VA | 1 | $72,155 | at the minimum | |
| Durham, NC | 1 | $95,000 | +11.8% | |
| Eden Prairie, MN | 1 | $118,000 | +43.0% | |
| Gainesville, FL | 1 | $134,202 | +16.6% | |
| Houston, TX | 1 | $78,500 | +27.7% | |
| Newark, DE | 1 | $110,000 | +16.6% | |
| Rockwall, TX | 1 | $69,160 | at the minimum | |
| Santa Clara, CA | 1 | $230,000 | +1.7% | |
| York, PA | 1 | $147,445 | +40.3% | |
Seniority of the jobs filed
The government assigns each job one of four wage levels. A higher level means a higher legal minimum.
What these numbers are
- They are wages employers attested to on Labor Condition Applications (Form ETA-9035), not paychecks. Bonuses and stock are not included.
- A filing is not a visa or a hire. One filing can cover several positions, and some are later withdrawn. Wage figures use certified filings only.
- The prevailing wage is the minimum the employer must pay for that job in that area, set from government wage surveys.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, OFLC disclosure data. How we clean and count it.
Related job titles
- Mechanical Engineer$94,000
- Design Engineer$92,678
- Mechanical Design Engineer$105,000
- Product Engineer$116,610
- Senior Mechanical Engineer$130,500
- Product Development Engineer$113,580
- Senior Design Engineer$110,700
- Equipment Engineer$104,000
- Sr Mechanical Design Engineer$151,200
- Mechanical Engineer II$101,629
- Design Engineer II$93,590
- Product Design Engineer$147,000