Research Scientist/Engineer H-1B wages
Filings decided July 2025 to June 2026. Most are classified as Computer and Information Research Scientists (SOC 15-1221).
Employers filed 44 wage applications for Research Scientist/Engineer jobs from July 2025 to June 2026, across 3 employers. The median offered wage was $178,006, exactly the government's prevailing wage, the legal minimum, for the job. Adobe Inc. filed the most (42, median $178,006).
- Filings
- 44
- Positions covered
- 44
- Employers
- 3
- Median offered
- $178,006
- Median prevailing wage
- $164,403
- Filings since FY2020
- 194
- Median offer change since FY2020
- +27%
Offered wage since 2020
The median wage offered for Research Scientist/Engineer jobs rose 27%, from $138,819 in fiscal 2020 to $176,453 in fiscal 2026 so far. In fiscal 2026 it sat exactly on the prevailing wage. Filings peaked in fiscal 2024, with 62 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 Scientist/Engineer by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Filings | Median offered | vs year before | Median prevailing | vs prevailing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Oct to Jun) | 42 | $176,453 | −9.5% | $164,403 | at the minimum |
| 2025 | 38 | $195,000 | −1.1% | $186,259 | +6.6% |
| 2024 | 62 | $197,220 | +5.2% | $178,950 | +7.8% |
| 2023 | 8 | $187,500 | +29.7% | $180,274 | +12.8% |
| 2022 | 17 | $144,517 | −5.3% | $143,874 | at the minimum |
| 2021 | 18 | $152,576 | +9.9% | $146,370 | at the minimum |
| 2020 | 9 | $138,819 | n/a | $120,578 | at the minimum |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Inc. | 42 | $178,006 | at the minimum | |
| Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc. | 1 | $110,000 | +104.5% | |
| Vanderbilt University | 1 | $95,606 | +17.5% | |
Where Research Scientist/Engineer jobs are filed
| Worksite | Filings | Median offered | Offered range and prevailing wage | vs prevailing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | 29 | $201,094 | at the minimum | |
| Seattle, WA | 7 | $178,006 | at the minimum | |
| San Francisco, CA | 6 | $171,621 | +26.5% | |
| Nashville, TN | 1 | $95,606 | +17.5% | |
| Peachtree Corners, GA | 1 | $110,000 | +104.5% | |
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
- Research Scientist$163,202
- Applied Scientist II$180,000
- Research Engineer$192,000
- Senior Research Scientist$113,400
- Applied Scientist III$202,555
- Research Scientist II$103,525
- Applied Scientist$190,000
- Applied Scientist I$160,700
- Researcher$98,520
- AI Research Scientist$235,586
- Senior Research Engineer$131,242
- AI Scientist$280,000