Salaries / Physicists
Physicists H-1B salaries
Auto-summary H-1B filings: DOL disclosure data SOC 19-2012
Employers filed 948 certified H-1B applications for physicists (July 2025 to June 2026), from 245 employers.
Nationally, the middle half of offers were $75,000 to $139,000, with a median of $89,000.
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 | 214 | $82,500 | $93,500 | $133,000 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 73 | $77,000 | $99,500 | $115,500 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 69 | $84,500 | $136,000 | $171,500 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 45 | $72,500 | $89,000 | $122,500 |
| Knoxville, TN | 37 | $88,000 | $105,000 | $132,000 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 35 | $75,000 | $82,000 | $105,000 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 32 | $87,000 | $128,500 | $175,500 |
Wage levels
| Level | Share of filings (US) |
|---|---|
| Level I (entry) | 56% |
| Level II (qualified) | 22% |
| Level III (experienced) | 15% |
| Level IV (fully competent) | 7% |
Top sponsors nationally
| Employer | H-1B filings | Median offer | Green card filings (PERM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brookhaven National Laboratory | 154 | $123,500 | — |
| Fermi Forward Discovery Group, LLC | 33 | $99,500 | — |
| Ut-Battelle, Llc (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) | 30 | $127,500 | — |
| University of Maryland College Park | 19 | $76,000 | — |
| Leland Stanford Jr. Univ/SLAC National Accelerator Lab | 19 | $126,000 | — |
| Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | 16 | $161,000 | — |
| Triad National Security, LLC | 15 | $155,500 | — |
| Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC | 14 | $188,000 | — |
| The Simons Foundation Inc. | 14 | $91,000 | — |
| The Leland Stanford, Jr University | 14 | $83,000 | — |
| The Trustees of Princeton University | 13 | $84,500 | — |
| University of California, Berkeley | 13 | $83,000 | — |
| Columbia University | 13 | $79,000 | — |
| California Institute of Technology | 13 | $81,500 | — |
| UChicago Argonne, LLC | 12 | $99,500 | — |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 11 | $83,500 | — |
| University of Michigan | 11 | $75,000 | — |
| Harvard University | 11 | $72,500 | — |
| University of Rochester | 10 | $74,500 | — |
| precess medical derivatives | 10 | $98,000 | 1 |
Common titles filed under this occupation: Medical Physicist, Research Scientist, Research Staff 3 Physics, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Postdoctoral Associate, Research Associate Physics, Research Associate, Postdoctoral Fellow, Postdoctoral Scholar, Research Staff 4 Physics.
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.