Salaries / Chemists
Chemists H-1B salaries
Auto-summary H-1B filings: DOL disclosure data SOC 19-2031
Employers filed 1,846 certified H-1B applications for chemists (July 2025 to June 2026), from 740 employers.
Nationally, the middle half of offers were $74,500 to $119,000, with a median of $94,500.
Of the 3 metro areas with at least 100 filings, the highest median offer was in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ($125,000) and the lowest in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD ($95,000).
By city
Metro areas with at least 25 filings. Areas with 100 or more have their own page.
| Metro area | Filings | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 470 | $81,000 | $95,000 | $114,500 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 122 | $75,000 | $95,000 | $115,000 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 100 | $90,000 | $125,000 | $149,000 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 94 | $107,000 | $129,500 | $148,500 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 64 | $67,000 | $81,500 | $125,500 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | 47 | $66,000 | $92,000 | $105,000 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 44 | $108,500 | $121,500 | $139,000 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 35 | $75,000 | $100,500 | $120,000 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 29 | $101,000 | $114,500 | $165,000 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 29 | $88,000 | $118,000 | $139,500 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 26 | $82,000 | $85,000 | $103,000 |
| Madison, WI | 25 | $64,500 | $75,000 | $87,000 |
Wage levels
| Level | Share of filings (US) |
|---|---|
| Level I (entry) | 25% |
| Level II (qualified) | 26% |
| Level III (experienced) | 23% |
| Level IV (fully competent) | 26% |
Top sponsors nationally
| Employer | H-1B filings | Median offer | Green card filings (PERM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eli Lilly and Company | 38 | $151,000 | 4 |
| Amgen Inc. | 31 | $136,000 | 3 |
| Sciegen Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 30 | $81,000 | — |
| Amneal Pharmaceuticals, LLC | 23 | $118,000 | 2 |
| Brookhaven National Laboratory | 23 | $85,000 | — |
| Tris Pharma, Inc. | 21 | $97,500 | 6 |
| InvaGen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 19 | $85,000 | 1 |
| Frontage Laboratories, Inc. | 17 | $83,000 | 5 |
| AbbVie Inc. | 16 | $135,000 | 4 |
| J-Star Research, Inc. | 16 | $107,500 | 6 |
| University of California, Berkeley | 15 | $83,000 | — |
| PPD Development, L.P. | 15 | $87,000 | 1 |
| Havix Group Inc. | 15 | $70,000 | 2 |
| Ut-Battelle, Llc (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) | 14 | $90,000 | — |
| Ascent Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 13 | $82,000 | 3 |
| Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. | 13 | $95,000 | 6 |
| Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. | 13 | $100,000 | 1 |
| PPG Industries, Inc. | 13 | $105,000 | 2 |
| The Trustees of Princeton University | 13 | $65,000 | — |
| Cambrex Charles City, Inc. | 12 | $98,500 | 9 |
Common titles filed under this occupation: Chemist, Research Scientist, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Senior Scientist, Quality Control Chemist, Research Associate, Postdoctoral Scholar, Scientist, Analytical Chemist, Senior Chemist.
Offers from certified Labor Condition Applications (Certified H-1B LCAs decided July 2025 to June 2026); base pay only, annualized. Source: DOL disclosure data. Not legal or financial advice.