IBM — 23,826 certified H-1B filings (FY2016–FY2026)
- 2,409
- Filings · FY2025
- $121k
- Median base · FY2025
- Application Developer
- Top role · 3,199 all-time
- TX
- Top state · 3,634 all-time
IBM filed 2,409 certified H-1B LCAs in FY2025 (down 13% from the year before), with a median base salary of $121k and the middle 50% of offers between $104k and $158k. Across all years it has 23,826 certified filings since FY2016, most often for Application Developer in Texas.
How much does IBM 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. $121k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
How has IBM's H-1B hiring changed by year?
1,473 certified filings in FY2016 → 734 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 734 | −70% | $158k |
| FY2025 | 2,409 | −13% | $121k |
| FY2024 | 2,756 | +51% | $112k |
| FY2023 | 1,829 | +9% | $106k |
| FY2022 | 1,676 | +62% | $96k |
| FY2021 | 1,032 | −57% | $88k |
| FY2020 | 2,420 | −41% | $85k |
| FY2019 | 4,126 | +4% | $90k |
| FY2018 | 3,957 | +180% | $87k |
| FY2017 | 1,414 | −4% | $108k |
| FY2016 | 1,473 | — | $99k |
Which wage levels does IBM file?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 47% of IBM'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 22,120 filings with a wage level · all years
- Level I0.0%3
- Level II53.4%11,813
- Level III30.7%6,783
- Level IV15.9%3,521
What jobs does IBM sponsor for H-1B?
The most-filed job titles across all years (DOL titles, employer pay-grade codes stripped), with base-salary percentiles. Open a title for IBM's pay on that role by year, wage level and worksite.
| Job title | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Application Developer | 3,199 | $86k |
| Software Developer | 1,263 | $110k |
| Managing Consultant | 854 | $124k |
| Software Engineer | 847 | $92k |
| Application Architect | 797 | $108k |
| Package Consultant | 730 | $104k |
| Test Specialist | 612 | $76k |
| Project Manager | 580 | $97k |
| IT Specialist | 420 | $81k |
| Senior Managing Consultant | 417 | $159k |
Where does IBM 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 |
|---|---|---|
| TX | 3,634 | $102k |
| CA | 2,604 | $118k |
| NJ | 2,482 | $101k |
| NY | 2,268 | $121k |
| NC | 1,924 | $95k |
| GA | 1,542 | $93k |
| MA | 1,206 | $102k |
| IL | 1,195 | $94k |
| PA | 1,037 | $98k |
| AZ | 752 | $87k |
What has IBM filed recently?
The 50 most recent of 23,826 certified LCAs: job title, worksite, prevailing-wage level and the offered base salary.
Common questions about IBM's H-1B filings
- How much does IBM pay H-1B workers?
- IBM's median certified H-1B base salary is $121k (FY2025), from 2,409 filings. See the full salary distribution and percentiles above.
- How many H-1B workers does IBM sponsor?
- IBM has 23,826 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications on record (FY2016–FY2026).
- What jobs does IBM sponsor for H-1B?
- IBM's most-sponsored H-1B roles include Application Developer, Software Developer, Managing Consultant, Software Engineer.
- Where does IBM hire H-1B workers?
- IBM's top H-1B worksite states are TX, CA, NJ, NY.
- 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.
Keep exploring
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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 →