Application Developer H-1B salary at IBM — 3,199 certified filings (FY2016–FY2026)
- 474
- Filings · FY2025
- $107k
- Median base · FY2025
- $100k–$121k
- Middle 50% · FY2025
- −3%
- vs market median · all years
IBM filed 474 certified H-1B LCAs for Application Developer in FY2025, with a median base salary of $107k and the middle 50% of offers between $100k and $121k. Across all years its $86k median is 3% below the $88k market median for Application Developer. It has filed 3,199 Application Developer LCAs since FY2016, most often in Atlanta, GA.
How much does IBM pay a Application Developer?
Certified base salary for Application Developer at IBM by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $107k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
Does IBM pay Application Developers above the market?
IBM's all-years median against every employer's certified Application Developer LCAs — 3% below the market. Same cleaned DOL title, same base-salary definition, so the two rows compare like for like.
| Base salary for this title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|
| IBM | 3,199 | $86k |
| All employers · Application Developer | 18,035 | $88k |
How has IBM's Application Developer hiring changed by year?
5 certified Application Developer filings in FY2016 → 75 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 75 | −84% | $134k |
| FY2025 | 474 | −4% | $107k |
| FY2024 | 494 | +43% | $99k |
| FY2023 | 345 | +31% | $93k |
| FY2022 | 264 | +10% | $89k |
| FY2021 | 241 | −55% | $80k |
| FY2020 | 531 | +33% | $77k |
| FY2019 | 398 | +14% | $77k |
| FY2018 | 349 | +1417% | $73k |
| FY2017 | 23 | +360% | $100k |
| FY2016 | 5 | — | $91k |
Which wage levels does IBM file for Application Developer?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 32% of IBM's Application Developer filings sit at Level III–IV. Higher levels earn more entries in the wage-weighted H-1B lottery.
Share of 3,186 Application Developer filings with a wage level · all years
- Level II68.2%2,173
- Level III28.2%900
- Level IV3.5%113
Where does IBM hire H-1B Application Developers?
Worksite states and cities on the certified filings for this title, all years, with the median base salary at each.
| State | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 527 | $92k |
| Texas | 456 | $87k |
| Georgia | 293 | $87k |
| California | 258 | $97k |
| North Carolina | 250 | $85k |
| Illinois | 201 | $87k |
| Pennsylvania | 136 | $80k |
| Ohio | 133 | $81k |
| City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA | 264 | $87k |
| Dallas, TX | 235 | $79k |
| Cary, NC | 120 | $83k |
| Newark, NJ | 120 | $96k |
| West Sacramento, CA | 119 | $91k |
| Middletown, NJ | 103 | $83k |
| Parsippany, NJ | 100 | $81k |
| Durham, NC | 89 | $102k |
Also filed as
IBM's other sponsored titles, and the employers that file the most Application Developer LCAs. All years.
Other titles at IBM
| Job title | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Senior Consultant | 383 | $101k |
Top Application Developer sponsors
| Employer | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| IBM India Private | 2,324 | $74k |
| International Business Machines | 771 | $84k |
| Astir IT Solutions | 420 | $93k |
| U.S. Bank National Association | 271 | $106k |
| Adp Technology Services | 251 | $99k |
| Photon Infotech | 249 | $94k |
| HM Health Solutions | 186 | $78k |
| Astir Services | 175 | $90k |
| JPMorgan Chase | 159 | $100k |
Common questions about Application Developer H-1B pay at IBM
- How much does IBM pay a Application Developer on an H-1B?
- IBM's median certified H-1B base salary for Application Developer is $107k in FY2025, from 474 filings; the middle 50% of offers fall between $100k and $121k. Across all years the median is $86k.
- How many Application Developer H-1B LCAs has IBM filed?
- IBM has 3,199 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Application Developer on record (FY2016–FY2026), 75 of them in FY2026. That is 13% of its 23,826 certified filings across all titles.
- Does IBM pay Application Developers above the market?
- IBM's all-years median of $86k is 3% below the $88k median for Application Developer across all H-1B employers (18,035 certified filings).
- Where does IBM hire H-1B Application Developers?
- IBM's Application Developer LCAs name worksites mostly in New Jersey, Texas, Georgia; the top cities are Atlanta, GA, Dallas, TX, Cary, NC.
- 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
Calculate your H-1B lottery odds →orCheck out the insights →
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 →