Highest-Paying H-1B Jobs FY2026
SOC occupations ranked by median annual prevailing wage across all H-1B Labor Condition Applications. Different from the “top occupations by volume” list — high-volume roles (Software Developer) often sit mid-pack on wages; specialised medical and finance roles dominate the top.
Top 10 by median wage
The wage ceiling of the H-1B program — specialised medical, legal and management roles.
Psychiatrists
$210k · 29-1223
Physicians, All Other
$185k · 29-1229
Family Medicine Physicians
$182k · 29-1215
Pediatricians, General
$180k · 29-1221
General Internal Medicine Physicians
$175k · 29-1216
Chief Executives
$168k · 11-1011
Computer and Information Systems Managers
$151k · 11-3021
Lawyers
$145k · 23-1011
Dentists, General
$144k · 29-1021
Computer and Information Research Scientists
$141k · 15-1221
Wage distribution
Spread of median wages across the top 100 occupations.
| Rank | Value |
|---|---|
| 1 | $210k |
| 2 | $185k |
| 3 | $182k |
| 4 | $180k |
| 5 | $175k |
| 6 | $168k |
| 7 | $151k |
| 8 | $145k |
| 9 | $144k |
| 10 | $141k |
| 11 | $135k |
| 12 | $128k |
| 13 | $126k |
| 14 | $125k |
| 15 | $124k |
| 16 | $115k |
| 17 | $114k |
| 18 | $112k |
| 19 | $111k |
| 20 | $111k |
| 21 | $110k |
| 22 | $110k |
| 23 | $110k |
| 24 | $106k |
| 25 | $105k |
| 26 | $104k |
| 27 | $103k |
| 28 | $103k |
| 29 | $100k |
| 30 | $100k |
| 31 | $98k |
| 32 | $97k |
| 33 | $96k |
| 34 | $96k |
| 35 | $95k |
| 36 | $95k |
| 37 | $95k |
| 38 | $94k |
| 39 | $92k |
| 40 | $92k |
| 41 | $91k |
| 42 | $90k |
| 43 | $90k |
| 44 | $90k |
| 45 | $90k |
| 46 | $89k |
| 47 | $89k |
| 48 | $88k |
| 49 | $87k |
| 50 | $86k |
| 51 | $85k |
| 52 | $84k |
| 53 | $83k |
| 54 | $83k |
| 55 | $82k |
| 56 | $82k |
| 57 | $82k |
| 58 | $80k |
| 59 | $79k |
| 60 | $76k |
| 61 | $76k |
| 62 | $76k |
| 63 | $76k |
| 64 | $75k |
| 65 | $75k |
| 66 | $75k |
| 67 | $74k |
| 68 | $72k |
| 69 | $72k |
| 70 | $71k |
| 71 | $70k |
| 72 | $70k |
| 73 | $70k |
| 74 | $70k |
| 75 | $70k |
| 76 | $70k |
| 77 | $69k |
| 78 | $69k |
| 79 | $68k |
| 80 | $68k |
| 81 | $66k |
| 82 | $66k |
| 83 | $65k |
| 84 | $65k |
| 85 | $63k |
| 86 | $62k |
| 87 | $61k |
| 88 | $60k |
| 89 | $58k |
| 90 | $57k |
| 91 | $57k |
| 92 | $57k |
| 93 | $55k |
| 94 | $54k |
| 95 | $53k |
| 96 | $52k |
| 97 | $50k |
| 98 | $50k |
| 99 | $49k |
| 100 | $40k |
#1: $210krank#100: $40k
100 ranked entries
Showing 1–50 of 100 rows
| # | Entity | SOC | Median wage | P25 wage | P75 wage | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychiatrists | 29-1223 | $210,000 | $175,949 | $259,084 | 6,666 |
| 2 | Physicians, All Other | 29-1229 | $185,000 | $66,900 | $250,000 | 101,504 |
| 3 | Family Medicine Physicians | 29-1215 | $182,395 | $148,720 | $220,000 | 8,476 |
| 4 | Pediatricians, General | 29-1221 | $180,000 | $140,000 | $224,700 | 8,858 |
| 5 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | 29-1216 | $175,000 | $67,606 | $220,000 | 12,181 |
| 6 | Chief Executives | 11-1011 | $167,773 | $115,360 | $240,000 | 15,141 |
| 7 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | 11-3021 | $150,744 | $120,000 | $187,350 | 160,669 |
| 8 | Lawyers | 23-1011 | $145,000 | $85,634 | $210,000 | 23,434 |
| 9 | Dentists, General | 29-1021 | $144,000 | $118,996 | $170,290 | 18,132 |
| 10 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | 15-1221 | $140,670 | $99,700 | $178,928 | 26,948 |
| 11 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | 11-9041 | $135,470 | $100,000 | $183,914 | 22,697 |
| 12 | Project Management Specialists | 13-1082 | $128,000 | $96,463 | $160,000 | 17,293 |
| 13 | Financial Managers | 11-3031 | $125,715 | $93,200 | $173,555 | 29,858 |
| 14 | Computer Hardware Engineers | 17-2061 | $124,800 | $92,162 | $158,000 | 16,919 |
| 15 | Marketing Managers | 11-2021 | $123,998 | $90,000 | $160,638 | 33,892 |
| 16 | Pharmacists | 29-1051 | $114,920 | $102,544 | $127,920 | 17,441 |
| 17 | General and Operations Managers | 11-1021 | $114,338 | $86,195 | $147,900 | 54,025 |
| 18 | Managers, All Other | 11-9199 | $111,592 | $85,000 | $140,000 | 6,149 |
| 19 | Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | 25-1071 | $111,290 | $67,000 | $190,000 | 23,570 |
| 20 | Sales Managers | 11-2022 | $111,259 | $78,000 | $153,084 | 16,555 |
| 21 | Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 17-2072 | $110,000 | $87,983 | $139,495 | 97,288 |
| 22 | Financial Specialists, All Other | 13-2099 | $110,000 | $81,120 | $150,000 | 36,625 |
| 23 | Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | 11-3071 | $110,000 | $83,496 | $135,850 | 15,347 |
| 24 | Information Security Analysts | 15-1212 | $105,955 | $82,000 | $135,000 | 66,762 |
| 25 | Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | 25-1041 | $105,012 | $80,250 | $147,000 | 6,089 |
| 26 | Business Teachers, Postsecondary | 25-1011 | $104,000 | $77,005 | $132,390 | 6,948 |
| 27 | Data Scientists | 15-2051 | $103,480 | $80,142 | $135,000 | 357,932 |
| 28 | Software Developers | 15-1252 | $102,690 | $84,300 | $131,000 | 2,843,747 |
| 29 | Sales Engineers | 41-9031 | $100,454 | $78,000 | $128,001 | 30,492 |
| 30 | Financial Risk Specialists | 13-2054 | $100,000 | $76,500 | $130,489 | 12,611 |
| 31 | Industrial Production Managers | 11-3051 | $97,510 | $72,000 | $130,000 | 10,927 |
| 32 | Database Architects | 15-1243 | $97,000 | $75,300 | $125,284 | 40,456 |
| 33 | Operations Research Analysts | 15-2031 | $96,098 | $72,280 | $130,000 | 83,905 |
| 34 | Art Directors | 27-1011 | $96,000 | $70,000 | $140,000 | 6,269 |
| 35 | Economists | 19-3011 | $95,088 | $75,000 | $130,000 | 13,416 |
| 36 | Veterinarians | 29-1131 | $95,000 | $70,000 | $130,000 | 6,201 |
| 37 | Actuaries | 15-2011 | $94,600 | $75,000 | $121,000 | 7,526 |
| 38 | Engineers, All Other | 17-2199 | $93,506 | $75,000 | $120,000 | 20,090 |
| 39 | Materials Engineers | 17-2131 | $92,000 | $77,355 | $115,000 | 13,303 |
| 40 | Social Science Research Assistants | 19-4061 | $91,668 | $71,600 | $125,000 | 15,698 |
| 41 | Statisticians | 15-2041 | $91,217 | $72,400 | $117,416 | 43,654 |
| 42 | Industrial Engineers | 17-2112 | $90,000 | $73,008 | $112,500 | 117,958 |
| 43 | Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 25-1042 | $90,000 | $72,000 | $120,000 | 100,569 |
| 44 | Electrical Engineers | 17-2071 | $90,000 | $73,500 | $115,000 | 73,415 |
| 45 | Computer Network Architects | 15-1241 | $89,627 | $72,000 | $113,000 | 39,618 |
| 46 | Computer Occupations, All Other | 15-1299 | $89,352 | $74,672 | $115,901 | 661,886 |
| 47 | Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers | 17-2031 | $89,082 | $71,406 | $113,474 | 9,426 |
| 48 | Chemical Engineers | 17-2041 | $88,000 | $75,000 | $103,189 | 19,202 |
| 49 | Microbiologists | 19-1022 | $87,360 | $67,704 | $110,950 | 7,791 |
| 50 | Financial and Investment Analysts | 13-2051 | $86,000 | $67,434 | $120,000 | 169,637 |
| 51 | Mechanical Engineers | 17-2141 | $84,872 | $69,992 | $108,000 | 140,175 |
| 52 | Database Administrators | 15-1242 | $84,261 | $70,000 | $107,264 | 109,160 |
| 53 | Medical and Health Services Managers | 11-9111 | $83,200 | $63,246 | $128,544 | 12,225 |
| 54 | Construction Managers | 11-9021 | $82,500 | $66,362 | $107,000 | 11,387 |
| 55 | Physicists | 19-2012 | $82,000 | $62,712 | $125,000 | 29,090 |
| 56 | Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 25-1021 | $82,000 | $66,000 | $100,000 | 6,250 |
| 57 | Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 15-1253 | $81,600 | $68,715 | $100,005 | 375,227 |
| 58 | Web and Digital Interface Designers | 15-1255 | $80,000 | $65,000 | $100,000 | 12,292 |
| 59 | Management Analysts | 13-1111 | $79,102 | $65,000 | $101,333 | 225,988 |
| 60 | Network and Computer Systems Administrators | 15-1244 | $76,316 | $63,604 | $94,910 | 85,783 |
| 61 | Civil Engineers | 17-2051 | $76,000 | $64,522 | $92,500 | 76,696 |
| 62 | Compliance Officers | 13-1041 | $76,000 | $60,549 | $97,780 | 13,933 |
| 63 | Biological Scientists, All Other | 19-1029 | $75,540 | $58,916 | $101,245 | 29,236 |
| 64 | Logisticians | 13-1081 | $75,000 | $59,821 | $100,003 | 26,614 |
| 65 | Commercial and Industrial Designers | 27-1021 | $75,000 | $55,000 | $110,323 | 19,099 |
| 66 | Cost Estimators | 13-1051 | $75,000 | $60,000 | $99,623 | 14,309 |
| 67 | Computer User Support Specialists | 15-1232 | $74,110 | $60,000 | $91,000 | 13,934 |
| 68 | Speech-Language Pathologists | 29-1127 | $71,989 | $62,400 | $88,379 | 7,486 |
| 69 | Occupational Therapists | 29-1122 | $71,968 | $62,504 | $81,776 | 10,563 |
| 70 | Physical Therapists | 29-1123 | $71,282 | $63,419 | $83,200 | 47,786 |
| 71 | Graphic Designers | 27-1024 | $70,429 | $50,000 | $104,042 | 37,815 |
| 72 | Training and Development Specialists | 13-1151 | $70,304 | $58,292 | $82,500 | 11,325 |
| 73 | Registered Nurses | 29-1141 | $70,262 | $60,029 | $83,200 | 7,964 |
| 74 | Computer Systems Analysts | 15-1211 | $70,000 | $60,500 | $88,046 | 806,267 |
| 75 | Chemists | 19-2031 | $70,000 | $55,182 | $90,000 | 19,513 |
| 76 | Web Developers | 15-1254 | $70,000 | $63,000 | $85,000 | 18,841 |
| 77 | Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers | 15-1199 | $69,264 | $60,528 | $77,564 | 6,552 |
| 78 | Computer Programmers | 15-1251 | $68,848 | $61,000 | $80,184 | 313,856 |
| 79 | Accountants and Auditors | 13-2011 | $68,000 | $54,662 | $90,979 | 159,700 |
| 80 | Computer Network Support Specialists | 15-1231 | $67,808 | $61,984 | $85,000 | 7,576 |
| 81 | Architects, Except Landscape and Naval | 17-1011 | $65,707 | $55,000 | $79,061 | 32,271 |
| 82 | Judicial Law Clerks | 23-1012 | $65,510 | $47,653 | $160,000 | 8,508 |
| 83 | Business Operations Specialists, All Other | 13-1199 | $65,000 | $49,982 | $90,000 | 6,335 |
| 84 | Natural Sciences Managers | 11-9121 | $65,000 | $50,877 | $90,542 | 6,097 |
| 85 | Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary | 25-9044 | $63,000 | $50,294 | $80,000 | 10,369 |
| 86 | Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | 13-1161 | $61,589 | $47,000 | $85,696 | 109,991 |
| 87 | Human Resources Specialists | 13-1071 | $60,798 | $48,589 | $79,051 | 17,942 |
| 88 | Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 19-1042 | $60,000 | $48,426 | $78,100 | 102,826 |
| 89 | Budget Analysts | 13-2031 | $58,240 | $50,000 | $71,271 | 6,670 |
| 90 | Biochemists and Biophysicists | 19-1021 | $57,456 | $48,300 | $70,033 | 57,872 |
| 91 | Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | 25-1124 | $57,000 | $48,080 | $69,333 | 9,303 |
| 92 | Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | 29-2011 | $56,576 | $50,352 | $67,309 | 27,528 |
| 93 | Interior Designers | 27-1025 | $55,350 | $45,000 | $70,000 | 7,983 |
| 94 | Biological Technicians | 19-4021 | $54,018 | $44,315 | $68,000 | 68,293 |
| 95 | Special Education Teachers, Elementary School | 25-2056 | $53,248 | $45,183 | $65,508 | 6,470 |
| 96 | Public Relations Specialists | 27-3031 | $52,000 | $41,371 | $70,000 | 12,309 |
| 97 | Atmospheric and Space Scientists | 19-2021 | $50,316 | $44,500 | $59,280 | 20,953 |
| 98 | Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 25-2031 | $49,702 | $42,790 | $58,855 | 28,691 |
| 99 | Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 25-2021 | $48,647 | $42,016 | $57,631 | 38,015 |
| 100 | Rehabilitation Counselors | 21-1015 | $39,520 | $34,000 | $54,000 | 7,329 |
Showing 1–50 of 100 rows
Methodology
Wage values are the offered annual wage, normalised from hour/week/month/year pay units. Outliers (< $20k, > $1M) clipped. SOCs without enough wage data to compute a stable median are excluded.