Research Specialist II H-1B wages
Filings decided July 2025 to June 2026. Most are classified as Biological Scientists, All Other (SOC 19-1029).
Employers filed 29 wage applications for Research Specialist II jobs from July 2025 to June 2026, across 9 employers. The median offered wage was $80,040, 21.8% above the government's prevailing wage for the job. Howard Hughes Medical Institute filed the most (11, median $93,273).
- Filings
- 29
- Positions covered
- 28
- Employers
- 9
- Median offered
- $80,040
- Median prevailing wage
- $63,627
- Filings since FY2020
- 131
- Median offer change since FY2020
- +34%
Offered wage since 2020
The median wage offered for Research Specialist II jobs rose 34%, from $55,600 in fiscal 2020 to $74,250 in fiscal 2026 so far. In fiscal 2026 it was 10.9% above the prevailing wage. Filings peaked in fiscal 2025, with 22 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 Specialist II by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Filings | Median offered | vs year before | Median prevailing | vs prevailing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Oct to Jun) | 21 | $74,250 | +23.8% | $63,295 | +10.9% |
| 2025 | 22 | $60,000 | +5.0% | $54,184 | +4.8% |
| 2024 | 20 | $57,120 | +13.8% | $46,228 | +6.2% |
| 2023 | 14 | $50,210 | −5.3% | $46,093 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 16 | $53,000 | −7.5% | $46,582 | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 17 | $57,292 | +3.0% | $48,890 | +12.1% |
| 2020 | 21 | $55,600 | n/a | $43,597 | +13.6% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Hughes Medical Institute | 11 | $93,273 | +23.0% | |
| The Trustees of Princeton University | 5 | $58,781 | +22.2% | |
| The Curators of the University of Missouri | 3 | $55,120 | +2.9% | |
| Charles River Laboratories, Inc. | 3 | $84,448 | +7.0% | |
| Prairie View A&M University | 2 | $69,684 | +58.0% | |
| Texas A&M AgriLife Research | 2 | $80,040 | +2.2% | |
| The University of Chicago | 1 | $61,627 | +26.7% | |
| Texas A&M University | 1 | $76,500 | +17.9% | |
| Georgetown University | 1 | $60,409 | +10.6% | |
Where Research Specialist II jobs are filed
| Worksite | Filings | Median offered | Offered range and prevailing wage | vs prevailing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton, NJ | 8 | $59,601 | +22.2% | |
| Bethesda, MD | 3 | $84,448 | +7.0% | |
| College Station, TX | 3 | $78,270 | +10.0% | |
| Columbia, MO | 3 | $55,120 | +2.9% | |
| New York, NY | 2 | $87,297 | +26.1% | |
| Prairie View, TX | 2 | $69,684 | +58.0% | |
| Seattle, WA | 2 | $94,348 | +40.2% | |
| Ashburn, VA | 1 | $100,000 | +7.9% | |
| Bloomington, IN | 1 | $94,090 | +65.9% | |
| Chicago, IL | 1 | $61,627 | +26.7% | |
| Dallas, TX | 1 | $88,000 | +42.5% | |
| San Francisco, CA | 1 | $121,800 | +21.8% | |
| Washington, DC | 1 | $60,409 | +10.6% | |
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.