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
Pediatricians, General
$180k · 29-1221
Family Medicine Physicians
$180k · 29-1215
General Internal Medicine Physicians
$175k · 29-1216
Chief Executives
$166k · 11-1011
Computer and Information Systems Managers
$150k · 11-3021
Dentists, General
$143k · 29-1021
Lawyers
$140k · 23-1011
Computer and Information Research Scientists
$137k · 15-1221
Wage distribution
Spread of median wages across the top 100 occupations.
| Rank | Value |
|---|---|
| 1 | $210k |
| 2 | $185k |
| 3 | $180k |
| 4 | $180k |
| 5 | $175k |
| 6 | $166k |
| 7 | $150k |
| 8 | $143k |
| 9 | $140k |
| 10 | $137k |
| 11 | $135k |
| 12 | $129k |
| 13 | $125k |
| 14 | $124k |
| 15 | $123k |
| 16 | $115k |
| 17 | $114k |
| 18 | $111k |
| 19 | $110k |
| 20 | $110k |
| 21 | $110k |
| 22 | $109k |
| 23 | $109k |
| 24 | $105k |
| 25 | $105k |
| 26 | $104k |
| 27 | $103k |
| 28 | $102k |
| 29 | $100k |
| 30 | $100k |
| 31 | $97k |
| 32 | $96k |
| 33 | $96k |
| 34 | $95k |
| 35 | $95k |
| 36 | $94k |
| 37 | $94k |
| 38 | $92k |
| 39 | $91k |
| 40 | $90k |
| 41 | $90k |
| 42 | $90k |
| 43 | $89k |
| 44 | $89k |
| 45 | $89k |
| 46 | $88k |
| 47 | $88k |
| 48 | $88k |
| 49 | $87k |
| 50 | $85k |
| 51 | $84k |
| 52 | $84k |
| 53 | $83k |
| 54 | $82k |
| 55 | $81k |
| 56 | $81k |
| 57 | $80k |
| 58 | $80k |
| 59 | $79k |
| 60 | $76k |
| 61 | $75k |
| 62 | $75k |
| 63 | $75k |
| 64 | $75k |
| 65 | $75k |
| 66 | $74k |
| 67 | $74k |
| 68 | $72k |
| 69 | $71k |
| 70 | $71k |
| 71 | $70k |
| 72 | $70k |
| 73 | $70k |
| 74 | $70k |
| 75 | $70k |
| 76 | $70k |
| 77 | $69k |
| 78 | $69k |
| 79 | $68k |
| 80 | $67k |
| 81 | $65k |
| 82 | $65k |
| 83 | $64k |
| 84 | $64k |
| 85 | $63k |
| 86 | $60k |
| 87 | $60k |
| 88 | $60k |
| 89 | $58k |
| 90 | $57k |
| 91 | $57k |
| 92 | $57k |
| 93 | $55k |
| 94 | $54k |
| 95 | $53k |
| 96 | $52k |
| 97 | $50k |
| 98 | $49k |
| 99 | $48k |
| 100 | $39k |
#1: $210krank#100: $39k
100 ranked entries
Showing 1–50 of 100 rows
| # | Entity | SOC | Median wage | P25 wage | P75 wage | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychiatrists | 29-1223 | $210,000 | $175,000 | $255,000 | 6,541 |
| 2 | Physicians, All Other | 29-1229 | $185,000 | $66,238 | $247,450 | 98,627 |
| 3 | Pediatricians, General | 29-1221 | $180,000 | $140,000 | $222,583 | 8,611 |
| 4 | Family Medicine Physicians | 29-1215 | $180,000 | $146,998 | $220,000 | 8,203 |
| 5 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | 29-1216 | $175,000 | $67,358 | $220,000 | 11,846 |
| 6 | Chief Executives | 11-1011 | $166,400 | $115,000 | $240,000 | 14,642 |
| 7 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | 11-3021 | $150,000 | $120,000 | $185,501 | 155,662 |
| 8 | Dentists, General | 29-1021 | $143,000 | $117,208 | $169,000 | 17,424 |
| 9 | Lawyers | 23-1011 | $140,000 | $85,000 | $200,000 | 22,007 |
| 10 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | 15-1221 | $137,000 | $96,720 | $175,200 | 24,777 |
| 11 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | 11-9041 | $135,054 | $99,134 | $183,500 | 21,921 |
| 12 | Project Management Specialists | 13-1082 | $128,544 | $96,475 | $160,000 | 16,396 |
| 13 | Financial Managers | 11-3031 | $125,000 | $92,000 | $170,331 | 28,893 |
| 14 | Computer Hardware Engineers | 17-2061 | $123,784 | $91,104 | $156,800 | 16,393 |
| 15 | Marketing Managers | 11-2021 | $122,832 | $90,000 | $160,000 | 32,945 |
| 16 | Pharmacists | 29-1051 | $114,608 | $102,211 | $127,400 | 17,095 |
| 17 | General and Operations Managers | 11-1021 | $113,714 | $85,987 | $146,300 | 52,572 |
| 18 | Managers, All Other | 11-9199 | $111,000 | $85,000 | $140,000 | 5,981 |
| 19 | Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | 25-1071 | $110,160 | $66,664 | $190,000 | 22,783 |
| 20 | Sales Managers | 11-2022 | $110,053 | $77,142 | $151,923 | 16,102 |
| 21 | Financial Specialists, All Other | 13-2099 | $110,000 | $80,246 | $150,000 | 34,895 |
| 22 | Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 17-2072 | $109,470 | $87,422 | $137,500 | 94,342 |
| 23 | Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | 11-3071 | $108,819 | $82,500 | $135,000 | 14,581 |
| 24 | Information Security Analysts | 15-1212 | $105,144 | $81,952 | $135,000 | 64,965 |
| 25 | Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | 25-1041 | $105,000 | $80,000 | $146,374 | 5,934 |
| 26 | Business Teachers, Postsecondary | 25-1011 | $103,774 | $76,512 | $132,000 | 6,762 |
| 27 | Data Scientists | 15-2051 | $102,700 | $80,000 | $135,000 | 340,799 |
| 28 | Software Developers | 15-1252 | $102,000 | $84,000 | $130,000 | 2,765,226 |
| 29 | Sales Engineers | 41-9031 | $100,000 | $77,584 | $126,818 | 29,702 |
| 30 | Financial Risk Specialists | 13-2054 | $100,000 | $76,000 | $130,000 | 12,209 |
| 31 | Database Architects | 15-1243 | $96,500 | $75,000 | $125,000 | 39,482 |
| 32 | Industrial Production Managers | 11-3051 | $96,000 | $71,060 | $128,930 | 10,438 |
| 33 | Art Directors | 27-1011 | $96,000 | $70,000 | $140,000 | 6,167 |
| 34 | Operations Research Analysts | 15-2031 | $95,493 | $72,000 | $129,298 | 80,044 |
| 35 | Economists | 19-3011 | $94,924 | $75,000 | $129,485 | 12,851 |
| 36 | Veterinarians | 29-1131 | $94,000 | $70,000 | $124,800 | 5,903 |
| 37 | Actuaries | 15-2011 | $93,840 | $74,635 | $120,224 | 7,274 |
| 38 | Engineers, All Other | 17-2199 | $92,000 | $74,838 | $118,000 | 18,902 |
| 39 | Materials Engineers | 17-2131 | $91,470 | $76,918 | $112,986 | 12,778 |
| 40 | Statisticians | 15-2041 | $90,200 | $72,000 | $116,352 | 42,431 |
| 41 | Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 25-1042 | $90,000 | $72,000 | $120,000 | 97,842 |
| 42 | Social Science Research Assistants | 19-4061 | $90,000 | $71,261 | $122,855 | 15,151 |
| 43 | Electrical Engineers | 17-2071 | $89,378 | $73,029 | $113,485 | 70,778 |
| 44 | Industrial Engineers | 17-2112 | $89,217 | $72,800 | $111,103 | 112,895 |
| 45 | Computer Network Architects | 15-1241 | $89,000 | $71,963 | $112,000 | 38,479 |
| 46 | Computer Occupations, All Other | 15-1299 | $88,489 | $74,464 | $115,000 | 644,075 |
| 47 | Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers | 17-2031 | $88,150 | $71,000 | $111,019 | 9,087 |
| 48 | Chemical Engineers | 17-2041 | $87,600 | $74,776 | $102,100 | 18,704 |
| 49 | Microbiologists | 19-1022 | $86,570 | $67,000 | $110,000 | 7,436 |
| 50 | Financial and Investment Analysts | 13-2051 | $85,000 | $67,000 | $116,938 | 163,725 |
| 51 | Mechanical Engineers | 17-2141 | $84,000 | $69,389 | $106,788 | 135,602 |
| 52 | Database Administrators | 15-1242 | $84,000 | $70,000 | $106,638 | 106,820 |
| 53 | Medical and Health Services Managers | 11-9111 | $83,000 | $63,000 | $126,906 | 11,926 |
| 54 | Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 25-1021 | $81,600 | $65,549 | $100,000 | 6,042 |
| 55 | Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 15-1253 | $81,328 | $68,549 | $100,000 | 367,097 |
| 56 | Construction Managers | 11-9021 | $81,286 | $65,083 | $104,692 | 10,698 |
| 57 | Physicists | 19-2012 | $80,205 | $62,000 | $120,000 | 27,908 |
| 58 | Web and Digital Interface Designers | 15-1255 | $80,000 | $65,000 | $100,000 | 11,853 |
| 59 | Management Analysts | 13-1111 | $78,707 | $65,000 | $100,422 | 220,414 |
| 60 | Network and Computer Systems Administrators | 15-1244 | $76,000 | $63,294 | $94,461 | 83,967 |
| 61 | Compliance Officers | 13-1041 | $75,171 | $60,000 | $97,360 | 13,317 |
| 62 | Civil Engineers | 17-2051 | $75,000 | $64,064 | $91,478 | 73,095 |
| 63 | Biological Scientists, All Other | 19-1029 | $75,000 | $58,349 | $100,010 | 28,296 |
| 64 | Logisticians | 13-1081 | $75,000 | $59,000 | $100,000 | 25,148 |
| 65 | Cost Estimators | 13-1051 | $75,000 | $60,000 | $98,000 | 13,578 |
| 66 | Computer User Support Specialists | 15-1232 | $74,110 | $60,000 | $91,100 | 13,806 |
| 67 | Commercial and Industrial Designers | 27-1021 | $73,500 | $54,300 | $110,000 | 18,455 |
| 68 | Occupational Therapists | 29-1122 | $71,739 | $62,400 | $83,158 | 9,658 |
| 69 | Speech-Language Pathologists | 29-1127 | $71,104 | $62,192 | $87,360 | 7,249 |
| 70 | Physical Therapists | 29-1123 | $70,803 | $63,086 | $82,757 | 46,243 |
| 71 | Training and Development Specialists | 13-1151 | $70,304 | $58,200 | $82,093 | 11,051 |
| 72 | Computer Systems Analysts | 15-1211 | $70,000 | $60,320 | $88,000 | 792,250 |
| 73 | Graphic Designers | 27-1024 | $70,000 | $50,000 | $103,064 | 36,600 |
| 74 | Chemists | 19-2031 | $70,000 | $55,000 | $89,388 | 18,798 |
| 75 | Web Developers | 15-1254 | $69,950 | $63,000 | $85,000 | 18,375 |
| 76 | Registered Nurses | 29-1141 | $69,826 | $59,987 | $82,576 | 7,495 |
| 77 | Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers | 15-1199 | $69,170 | $60,507 | $77,563 | 6,482 |
| 78 | Computer Programmers | 15-1251 | $68,640 | $61,000 | $80,000 | 307,209 |
| 79 | Accountants and Auditors | 13-2011 | $67,500 | $54,600 | $90,000 | 154,950 |
| 80 | Computer Network Support Specialists | 15-1231 | $67,205 | $61,815 | $84,510 | 7,359 |
| 81 | Architects, Except Landscape and Naval | 17-1011 | $65,000 | $54,080 | $78,000 | 30,947 |
| 82 | Natural Sciences Managers | 11-9121 | $65,000 | $50,809 | $90,000 | 5,899 |
| 83 | Judicial Law Clerks | 23-1012 | $64,480 | $46,259 | $160,000 | 8,040 |
| 84 | Business Operations Specialists, All Other | 13-1199 | $63,710 | $49,000 | $88,400 | 5,980 |
| 85 | Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary | 25-9044 | $62,500 | $50,040 | $80,000 | 10,155 |
| 86 | Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | 13-1161 | $60,320 | $46,675 | $85,000 | 106,242 |
| 87 | Human Resources Specialists | 13-1071 | $60,100 | $48,443 | $78,104 | 17,457 |
| 88 | Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists | 19-1042 | $59,592 | $48,216 | $77,800 | 100,500 |
| 89 | Budget Analysts | 13-2031 | $57,812 | $50,000 | $70,000 | 6,484 |
| 90 | Biochemists and Biophysicists | 19-1021 | $57,100 | $48,192 | $70,000 | 56,526 |
| 91 | Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | 25-1124 | $56,950 | $48,080 | $69,024 | 9,161 |
| 92 | Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists | 29-2011 | $56,576 | $50,045 | $66,695 | 26,708 |
| 93 | Interior Designers | 27-1025 | $55,000 | $45,000 | $69,987 | 7,494 |
| 94 | Biological Technicians | 19-4021 | $54,000 | $44,124 | $67,629 | 66,960 |
| 95 | Special Education Teachers, Elementary School | 25-2056 | $53,003 | $45,000 | $65,514 | 6,269 |
| 96 | Public Relations Specialists | 27-3031 | $52,000 | $41,142 | $70,000 | 11,769 |
| 97 | Atmospheric and Space Scientists | 19-2021 | $50,112 | $44,340 | $58,741 | 20,607 |
| 98 | Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 25-2031 | $49,317 | $42,661 | $58,490 | 27,913 |
| 99 | Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 25-2021 | $48,228 | $42,000 | $57,213 | 36,921 |
| 100 | Rehabilitation Counselors | 21-1015 | $39,127 | $33,800 | $54,000 | 7,099 |
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.