H-1B salary guideSOC 17-2131Rank #51Updated May 2026

Materials Engineers

H-1B prevailing-wage data for Materials Engineers (SOC 17-2131). Based on 7,753 Labor Condition Applications filed with the US Department of Labor.

Median wage

$98,155

P50 across filings

P25 wage

$83,868

lower quartile

P75 wage

$120,640

upper quartile

Filings

7,753

Rank #51

Summary

Materials Engineers (SOC 17-2131) are among the most frequently sponsored occupations for H-1B visas, with 7,753 filings on record. The typical wage range spans $83,868 to $120,640 (P25–P75), with a median prevailing wage of $98,155 across all Department of Labor approval levels.

Wage progression increases sharply with experience and skill level. Level I positions range from $67,600 to $88,475, while Level IV roles command $112,507 to $153,750. The median wage climbs from $75,712 (Level I) to $130,000 (Level IV), reflecting a 72% increase from entry to advanced proficiency.

California leads in H-1B filings for Materials Engineers with 1,882 positions and a median wage of $112,965, followed by Oregon (1,425 filings, $120,640 median). Michigan ranks third with 773 filings but lower median wages of $86,469. Top employers include Intel Corporation (1,601 filings), The MathWorks, Western Digital Technologies, Lam Research, and Esri.

Materials Engineers H-1B salary
H-1B prevailing wage Materials Engineers
Materials Engineers visa sponsorship
H-1B Materials Engineers by state
Materials Engineers wage levels

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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	1,362	$67,600	$75,712	$88,475
Level II	2,801	$82,888	$91,021	$105,000
Level III	1,953	$106,579	$120,640	$130,291
Level IV	644	$112,507	$130,000	$153,750

Top hiring states

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

#	State	Filings	Median
1	CA	1,882	$112,965
2	OR	1,425	$120,640
3	MI	773	$86,469
4	TX	469	$103,300
5	AZ	375	$98,030
6	NY	233	$93,163
7	MA	219	$112,986
8	IN	205	$80,350
9	NM	189	$90,272
10	IL	180	$90,000

1,882

1,425

773

469

375

233

219

205

189

180

Top sponsoring employers

Who actually files most for this role.

#	Employer	Filings
1	Intel Corporation	1,601
2	The MathWorks, Inc.	87
3	Western Digital Technologies, Inc.	84
4	Lam Research Corporation	80
5	Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (Esri)	80
6	Micron Technology, Inc.	51
7	WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY	48
8	Applied Materials, Inc.	44
9	ASM AMERICA INC.	28
10	Tesla, Inc.	28

Intel Corporation

1,601

The MathWorks, Inc.

Western Digital Technologi…

Lam Research Corporation

Environmental Systems Rese…

Micron Technology, Inc.

WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY

Applied Materials, Inc.

ASM AMERICA INC.

Tesla, Inc.

Median wage by fiscal year

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

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

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