Research Scientist I H-1B wages

Filings decided July 2025 to June 2026. Most are classified as Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists (SOC 19-1042).

Employers filed 101 wage applications for Research Scientist I jobs from July 2025 to June 2026, across 39 employers. The median offered wage was $80,496, 17.4% above the government's prevailing wage for the job. Colorado State University filed the most (12, median $90,000).

Filings: 101
Positions covered: 109
Employers: 39
Median offered: $80,496
Median prevailing wage: $65,416
Filings since FY2020: 738
Median offer change since FY2020: −9%

Research Scientist I, all employers101 filings, July 2025 to June 2026

$80,496Median wage employers told the government they would pay

$69,031 to $94,730Where the middle half of the filings fall

$65,416Prevailing wage: the legal minimum for these jobs

Offered wage since 2020

The median wage offered for Research Scientist I jobs fell 9%, from $90,200 in fiscal 2020 to $81,640 in fiscal 2026 so far. In fiscal 2026 it was 19.9% above the prevailing wage. Filings peaked in fiscal 2022, with 142 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 I by fiscal year

Fiscal year	Filings	Median offered	vs year before	Median prevailing	vs prevailing
2026 (Oct to Jun)	77	$81,640	+2.0%	$66,248	+19.9%
2025	92	$80,000	−6.1%	$66,331	+12.9%
2024	90	$85,212	+1.9%	$69,535	+20.3%
2023	135	$83,654	−7.7%	$67,361	+14.4%
2022	142	$90,605	+13.3%	$70,366	+19.0%
2021	97	$80,000	−11.3%	$61,901	+13.7%
2020	105	$90,200	n/a	$76,357	+27.2%

Employers that file for this title

Middle half of offered wagesMedian offered wageMedian prevailing wage

Employer	Filings	Median offered	vs prevailing
Colorado State University	12	$90,000	+3.0%
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Inc.	11	$80,496	+44.9%
Charles River Laboratories, Inc.	10	$98,655	+11.7%
Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc.	9	$75,000	+33.4%
Amazon.com Services LLC	4	$140,350	+8.1%
Georgia Institute of Technology	4	$77,912	+30.3%
The Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc.	4	$64,302	+19.3%
W.M. Rice University	4	$73,794	+6.9%
The Broad Institute, Inc.	3	$92,700	+46.4%
Iowa State University of Science and Technology	3	$58,000	+9.8%
The University of Alabama in Huntsville	3	$72,392	+8.0%
Brandeis University	2	$96,428	+40.2%
The University of Tennessee	2	$96,053	+6.1%
i3 Pharmaceuticals, LLC	2	$58,011	+1.7%
Health Research, Inc.	2	$70,579	+3.6%
University of New Mexico	2	$60,000	+6.8%
Amazon Development Center U.S., Inc.	2	$143,500	+63.4%
Father Flanagan's Boys' Home	1	$116,500	+23.4%
The University of Texas at Arlington	1	$52,308	+20.3%
Georgia State University	1	$72,320	+37.9%
South Carolina State University	1	$60,000	+8.8%
Transportation Research Center, Inc.	1	$100,006	+36.4%
Versiti Wisconsin, Inc.	1	$68,000	+21.0%
New Mexico State University	1	$59,966	+11.4%
The University of Chicago	1	$77,000	+31.6%

Showing the 25 employers with the most filings of 39. Employers with fewer than 5 filings in total are counted but not named.

Where Research Scientist I jobs are filed

Worksite	Filings	Median offered	vs prevailing
Fort Collins, CO	12	$90,000	+3.0%
Milwaukee, WI	11	$74,263	+32.1%
Tampa, FL	11	$80,496	+44.9%
Atlanta, GA	5	$72,320	+31.0%
Houston, TX	5	$78,000	+6.6%
Mattawan, MI	5	$95,000	+14.8%
Albany, NY	4	$73,118	+4.8%
Cambridge, MA	4	$91,350	+38.4%
Ames, IA	3	$58,000	+9.8%
Huntsville, AL	3	$72,392	+8.0%
Menands, NY	3	$63,665	+3.1%
Albuquerque, NM	2	$60,000	+6.8%
Bellevue, WA	2	$141,100	+10.2%
Pasadena, CA	2	$143,500	+63.4%
Seattle, WA	2	$104,351	+3.8%
Shrewsbury, MA	2	$102,798	+2.5%
Waltham, MA	2	$96,428	+40.2%
Warminster, PA	2	$58,011	+1.7%
Arlington, TX	1	$52,308	+20.3%
Ashland, OH	1	$95,000	+31.9%
Bethlehem, PA	1	$75,000	+14.7%
Cary, NC	1	$105,473	+8.6%
Chicago, IL	1	$77,000	+31.6%
Clovis, NM	1	$59,966	+11.4%
East Liberty, OH	1	$100,006	+36.4%

Seniority of the jobs filed

Level I, entry47%

Level II, qualified28%

Level III, experienced18%

Level IV, fully competent7%

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.