Research Investigator H-1B wages
Filings decided July 2025 to June 2026. Most are classified as Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists (SOC 19-1042).
Employers filed 93 wage applications for Research Investigator jobs from July 2025 to June 2026, across 6 employers. The median offered wage was $72,960, 14.3% above the government's prevailing wage for the job. University of Michigan filed the most (75, median $72,797).
- Filings
- 93
- Positions covered
- 91
- Employers
- 6
- Median offered
- $72,960
- Median prevailing wage
- $63,773
- Filings since FY2020
- 417
- Median offer change since FY2020
- +13%
Offered wage since 2020
The median wage offered for Research Investigator jobs rose 13%, from $64,355 in fiscal 2020 to $72,980 in fiscal 2026 so far. In fiscal 2026 it was 15.5% above the prevailing wage. Filings peaked in fiscal 2023, with 72 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 Investigator by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Filings | Median offered | vs year before | Median prevailing | vs prevailing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Oct to Jun) | 72 | $72,980 | +1.2% | $63,773 | +15.5% |
| 2025 | 56 | $72,093 | +3.0% | $65,585 | +15.3% |
| 2024 | 62 | $70,000 | +10.0% | $55,099 | +24.0% |
| 2023 | 72 | $63,654 | +0.2% | $48,443 | +27.9% |
| 2022 | 45 | $63,500 | −2.2% | $47,736 | +25.1% |
| 2021 | 65 | $64,900 | +0.8% | $48,422 | +27.0% |
| 2020 | 45 | $64,355 | n/a | $48,901 | +26.7% |
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 Michigan | 75 | $72,797 | +15.5% | |
| The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center | 8 | $66,810 | +13.8% | |
| Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc. | 5 | $110,000 | +14.3% | |
| Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | 3 | $144,200 | +26.4% | |
| The Population Council, Inc. | 1 | $77,875 | +9.2% | |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | 1 | $82,000 | +5.0% | |
Where Research Investigator jobs are filed
| Worksite | Filings | Median offered | Offered range and prevailing wage | vs prevailing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ann Arbor, MI | 74 | $72,771 | +15.6% | |
| Houston, TX | 8 | $66,810 | +13.8% | |
| Cambridge, MA | 5 | $110,000 | +14.3% | |
| Princeton, NJ | 3 | $144,200 | +26.4% | |
| Dearborn, MI | 1 | $77,168 | +0.3% | |
| New York, NY | 1 | $77,875 | +9.2% | |
| Richmond, VA | 1 | $82,000 | +5.0% | |
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.
- 2 filings are for part-time work. Hourly wages are shown as full-time equivalents (2,080 hours a year).
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, OFLC disclosure data. How we clean and count it.
Related job titles
- Research Associate$72,761
- Postdoctoral Fellow$67,000
- Postdoctoral Associate$68,000
- Postdoctoral Research Associate$64,380
- Postdoctoral Scholar$71,383
- Research Fellow$74,982
- Instructor$77,901
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow$65,000
- Staff Scientist$78,000
- Research Assistant Professor$85,480
- Senior Scientist$125,000
- Associate Research Scientist$79,327