H-1B salary guideSOC 19-2021Rank #47Updated Sep 2026

Atmospheric and Space Scientists

H-1B prevailing-wage data for Atmospheric and Space Scientists (SOC 19-2021). Based on 20,953 Labor Condition Applications filed with the US Department of Labor.

Median wage

$67,824

P50 · FY2026

P25 wage

$62,230

lower quartile · FY2026

P75 wage

$74,200

upper quartile · FY2026

Filings

755

Rank #47 · FY2026

Summary

Atmospheric and Space Scientists (SOC 19-2021) represent a specialized segment of H-1B sponsorship in the US, with over 20,900 filings on record. In FY2026, this occupation saw 755 new filings with a median wage of $67,824, reflecting strong demand for advanced expertise.

Typical H-1B Wage Range: Across all experience levels, these professionals earn between $44,500 (25th percentile) and $59,280 (75th percentile), with a median of $50,316. Wage progression is substantial by DOL classification: Level I positions average $59,100 median, Level II reaches $63,500, Level III climbs to $68,848, and Level IV specialist roles command a median of $107,559—demonstrating significant pay growth for advanced qualifications and responsibility.

Top Hiring States & Employers: Texas leads with 3,269 filings (median $48,909), followed by New York (1,973 filings, $56,182), Maryland (1,898 filings, $51,160), Georgia (1,536 filings), and Massachusetts (1,524 filings). Northwestern University, Harvard University, and The University of Texas at Austin are the largest employers in this occupation, reflecting the concentration of atmospheric and space science roles in academia and research institutions.

Atmospheric and Space Scientists H-1B salary
H-1B prevailing wage by DOL level
Space scientist H-1B sponsorship
Atmospheric scientist jobs by state
H-1B employer ranking atmospheric science

Wage by DOL prevailing-wage level

P25 / P50 / P75 of offered annual wage at each PW_WAGE_LEVEL. Level I = entry, Level IV = expert — the I-to-IV gap is the career runway.

Level	N	P25	Median	P75
Level I	6,616	$54,000	$59,100	$65,000
Level II	699	$55,632	$63,500	$75,002
Level III	169	$58,510	$68,848	$90,000
Level IV	34	$80,400	$107,559	$124,591

Wage by level (P25 / median / P75)
Level	P25	Median	P75
Level I	$54,000	$59,100	$65,000
Level II	$55,632	$63,500	$75,002
Level III	$58,510	$68,848	$90,000
Level IV	$80,400	$107,559	$124,591

Top hiring states

Worksite states with the most filings for this SOC, with the local median wage.

#	State	Filings	Median
1	TX	3,269	$48,909
2	NY	1,973	$56,182
3	MD	1,898	$51,160
4	GA	1,536	$52,904
5	MA	1,524	$53,785
6	IL	1,423	$47,500
7	CA	1,302	$55,000
8	IN	809	$50,000
9	CO	720	$50,000
10	PA	591	$49,754

3,269

1,973

1,898

1,536

1,524

1,423

1,302

809

720

591

Top sponsoring employers

Who actually files most for this role.

#	Employer	Filings
1	Northwestern University	1,124
2	Harvard University	978
3	The University of Texas at Austin	953
4	THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS M.D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER	812
5	Johns Hopkins University	686
6	University of Maryland Baltimore	665
7	State University of New York, Upstate Medical University	619
8	Georgia Institute of Technology	467
9	University of Utah	363
10	Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis	326

Northwestern University

1,124

Harvard University

978

The University of Texas at…

953

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS M.…

812

Johns Hopkins University

686

University of Maryland Bal…

665

State University of New Yo…

619

Georgia Institute of Techn…

467

University of Utah

363

Indiana University Purdue …

326

Median wage by fiscal year

How the typical offered wage for this SOC has drifted across fiscal years.

Time series
Period	Value
FY2010	$42k
FY2011	$43k
FY2012	$43k
FY2013	$45k
FY2014	$45k
FY2015	$46k
FY2016	$47k
FY2017	$48k
FY2018	$49k
FY2019	$51k
FY2020	$54k
FY2021	$56k
FY2022	$58k
FY2023	$60k
FY2024	$62k
FY2025	$65k
FY2026	$68k

Compare Atmospheric and Space Scientists with another occupation

Side-by-side view of KPIs, outcomes, top breakdowns and yearly trend.

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Who actually sponsors this role?

50 employers filed H-1B LCAs for Atmospheric and Space Scientists — ranked, with certification rates and a sponsor-health signal.

Find Atmospheric and Space Scientists sponsors

Explore by rank

Pre-built leaderboards for the most-asked questions.

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Understand the data

Definitions and methodology behind these H-1B figures.

How the prevailing wage works DOL wage levels I–IV, explained Common H-1B salary questions How this data is built