Cato Institute — 45 certified H-1B filings (FY2016–FY2026)
- 5
- Filings · FY2025
- $73k
- Median base · FY2025
- Research Associate
- Top role · 7 all-time
- DC
- Top state · 43 all-time
Cato Institute filed 5 certified H-1B LCAs in FY2025 (down 17% from the year before), with a median base salary of $73k and the middle 50% of offers between $70k and $108k. That is 14% above the market median for the same job titles. Across all years it has 45 certified filings since FY2016, most often for Research Associate in District of Columbia.
How much does Cato Institute pay H-1B workers?
Certified base salary by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $73k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
How has Cato Institute's H-1B hiring changed by year?
2 certified filings in FY2016 → 5 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 5 | 0% | $89k |
| FY2025 | 5 | −17% | $73k |
| FY2024 | 6 | +100% | $52k |
| FY2023 | 3 | −40% | $76k |
| FY2022 | 5 | −37% | $87k |
| FY2021 | 8 | +300% | $62k |
| FY2019 | 2 | −67% | $48k |
| FY2018 | 6 | +100% | $45k |
| FY2017 | 3 | +50% | $96k |
| FY2016 | 2 | — | $40k |
Which wage levels does Cato Institute file?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 9% of Cato Institute's filings sit at Level III–IV. A heavy I–II skew reads as entry-level or contractor-style hiring; a heavy IV skew as senior in-house roles — and higher levels earn more lottery entries.
Share of 43 filings with a wage level · all years
- Level I53.5%23
- Level II37.2%16
- Level III4.7%2
- Level IV4.7%2
What jobs does Cato Institute sponsor for H-1B?
The most-filed job titles across all years (DOL titles, employer pay-grade codes stripped), with base-salary percentiles.
| Job title | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Research Associate | 7 | $52k |
| Policy Analyst | 5 | $87k |
| Research and Program Manager | 4 | $62k |
| Visiting Senior Fellow | 3 | $96k |
| Economist | 3 | $123k |
| Research Assistant | 3 | $45k |
| Research Fellow | 3 | $149k |
| UX Designer | 3 | $89k |
| Senior Data Visualization Engineer | 2 | $115k |
| Conference Coordinator | 1 | $58k |
Where does Cato Institute hire H-1B workers?
Worksite states on the certified filings, all years. Deeper pink = more filings; hover a state for its figures.
| State | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| DC | 43 | $73k |
| PA | 1 | $115k |
| VA | 1 | $52k |
What has Cato Institute filed recently?
Every certified LCA on record for Cato Institute: job title, worksite, prevailing-wage level and the offered base salary.
Common questions about Cato Institute's H-1B filings
- How much does Cato Institute pay H-1B workers?
- Cato Institute's median certified H-1B base salary is $73k (FY2025), from 5 filings. See the full salary distribution and percentiles above.
- How many H-1B workers does Cato Institute sponsor?
- Cato Institute has 45 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications on record (FY2016–FY2026).
- What jobs does Cato Institute sponsor for H-1B?
- Cato Institute's most-sponsored H-1B roles include Research Associate, Policy Analyst, Research and Program Manager, Visiting Senior Fellow.
- Where does Cato Institute hire H-1B workers?
- Cato Institute's top H-1B worksite states are DC, PA, VA.
- Does a certified LCA mean an H-1B visa was approved?
- No. A Labor Condition Application (LCA) is the Department of Labor attestation an employer must have certified before filing an H-1B petition with USCIS. It records the job, worksite and offered wage, but not whether the petition was filed, selected in the lottery, or approved. Filing counts measure intent to sponsor, not headcount.
- What salary do these figures show?
- The base annual wage offered on the certified LCA, converted to a yearly amount. Bonus, equity, overtime and benefits are not included, so total compensation is typically higher. Figures are medians and percentiles over certified filings; wages above $5,000,000 a year are excluded as data-entry errors.
- What do prevailing-wage levels I–IV mean?
- The Department of Labor assigns each LCA an OES wage level from I (entry) to IV (fully competent) for the occupation and area. Under the FY2027 wage-weighted H-1B lottery rule, a higher level earns more selection entries, so an employer's level mix is a proxy for how senior its sponsored roles are.
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Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification — certified LCA disclosure data through June 2026 (FY2016–FY2026). An LCA is not an approved visa; pay figures are base salary and exclude bonus and equity. Methodology →