H-1B salary guideSOC 19-2012Rank #37Updated May 2026

Physicists

H-1B prevailing-wage data for Physicists (SOC 19-2012). Based on 12,498 Labor Condition Applications filed with the US Department of Labor.

Median wage

$92,392

P50 across filings

P25 wage

$70,000

lower quartile

P75 wage

$152,000

upper quartile

Filings

12,498

Rank #37

Summary

Physicists (SOC 19-2012) are among the specialized STEM occupations most commonly sponsored for H-1B visas in the United States. Over 12,400 H-1B filings have been recorded for this occupation, reflecting sustained demand in research, technology, and advanced manufacturing.

Typical Salary Range H-1B physicists earn between $70,000 and $152,000 (25th to 75th percentile), with a median wage of $92,392. Compensation rises sharply with DOL prevailing wage levels: Level I positions range $60k–$83k, Level II $70k–$130k, Level III $90k–$160k, and Level IV $125k–$200k+. This progression reflects experience and role complexity, from entry-level research to senior scientist and principal investigator positions.

Top Hiring States and Employers California leads with 2,802 filings and a median wage of $160,000, followed by Massachusetts (1,450 filings, $80k median), New York (1,448 filings, $92k), Texas (1,108 filings, $65k), and Washington (845 filings, $160k). Top employers include Massachusetts Institute of Technology (247 filings), Meta Platforms, Inc. (127), Intel Corporation (121), The University of Virginia (115), and SUNY Upstate Medical University (98).

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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	3,290	$60,000	$70,000	$83,000
Level II	3,717	$69,888	$86,567	$129,750
Level III	2,605	$90,000	$129,977	$160,000
Level IV	1,534	$125,000	$180,000	$200,351

Top hiring states

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

#	State	Filings	Median
1	CA	2,802	$160,000
2	MA	1,450	$80,000
3	NY	1,448	$92,000
4	TX	1,108	$65,000
5	WA	845	$160,000
6	OH	515	$70,000
7	VA	484	$68,000
8	IL	416	$76,627
9	PA	405	$78,720
10	OR	250	$124,503

2,802

1,450

1,448

1,108

845

515

484

416

405

250

Top sponsoring employers

Who actually files most for this role.

#	Employer	Filings
1	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	247
2	Meta Platforms, Inc	127
3	Intel Corporation	121
4	The University of Virginia	115
5	The Research Foundation for SUNY Upstate Medical University	98
6	THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS M.D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER	89
7	The Leland Stanford, Jr University	83
8	NYU Grossman School of Medicine	82
9	The Ohio State University	66
10	BYTEDANCE INC.	63

Massachusetts Institute of…

247

Meta Platforms, Inc

127

Intel Corporation

121

The University of Virginia

115

The Research Foundation fo…

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS M.…

The Leland Stanford, Jr Un…

NYU Grossman School of Med…

The Ohio State University

BYTEDANCE INC.

Median wage by fiscal year

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

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