Salaries / Materials Scientists
Materials Scientists H-1B salaries
Auto-summary H-1B filings: DOL disclosure data SOC 19-2032
Employers filed 663 certified H-1B applications for materials scientists (July 2025 to June 2026), from 281 employers.
Nationally, the middle half of offers were $74,500 to $124,500, with a median of $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 | 65 | $84,000 | $112,000 | $129,000 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 61 | $75,000 | $91,000 | $107,000 |
| Knoxville, TN | 43 | $87,000 | $90,000 | $124,000 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 41 | $67,500 | $90,000 | $106,500 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 31 | $115,000 | $139,000 | $160,000 |
Wage levels
| Level | Share of filings (US) |
|---|---|
| Level I (entry) | 26% |
| Level II (qualified) | 26% |
| Level III (experienced) | 32% |
| Level IV (fully competent) | 17% |
Top sponsors nationally
| Employer | H-1B filings | Median offer | Green card filings (PERM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookhaven National Laboratory | 40 | $97,000 | — |
| Ut-Battelle, Llc (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) | 35 | $94,500 | — |
| The Dow Chemical Company | 33 | $91,000 | 2 |
| Northwestern University | 16 | $66,500 | — |
| Underwriters Laboratories Inc. | 14 | $106,500 | — |
| Iowa State University of Science and Technology | 12 | $80,000 | — |
| Battelle Memorial Institute | 11 | $120,000 | — |
| Battelle Energy Alliance, Llc | 10 | $144,500 | — |
| Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | 9 | $90,500 | — |
| University of Michigan | 9 | $64,000 | — |
| UChicago Argonne, LLC | 8 | $110,000 | — |
| University of Connecticut | 8 | $70,000 | — |
| Western Digital Technologies, Inc. | 8 | $159,000 | 1 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | 7 | $67,500 | — |
| Triad National Security, LLC | 7 | $115,000 | — |
| W.M. Rice University | 7 | $62,000 | — |
| The University of Texas at Austin | 7 | $65,000 | — |
| The University Of Tennessee | 7 | $75,000 | — |
| Applied Materials, Inc | 7 | $149,500 | 1 |
| ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company | 7 | $148,500 | — |
Common titles filed under this occupation: Senior Research Specialist, Materials Scientist, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Research Scientist, Postdoctoral Scholar, Postdoctoral Fellow, Research Scientist Ii, Postdoctoral Associate, Research Associate Materials Science, Research Assistant Professor.
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.