Research Staff Member H-1B salary at IBM — 260 certified filings (FY2016–FY2023)
- 7
- Filings · FY2023
- $211k
- Median base · FY2023
- $198k–$237k
- Middle 50% · FY2023
- −2%
- vs market median · all years
IBM filed 7 certified H-1B LCAs for Research Staff Member in FY2023 (down 67% from the year before), with a median base salary of $211k and the middle 50% of offers between $198k and $237k. Across all years its $137k median is 2% below the $139k market median for Research Staff Member. It has filed 260 Research Staff Member LCAs since FY2016, most often in Yorktown Heights, NY.
How much does IBM pay a Research Staff Member?
Certified base salary for Research Staff Member at IBM by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $211k median in FY2023. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
Does IBM pay Research Staff Members above the market?
IBM's all-years median against every employer's certified Research Staff Member LCAs — 2% 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 | 260 | $137k |
| All employers · Research Staff Member | 349 | $139k |
How has IBM's Research Staff Member hiring changed by year?
53 certified Research Staff Member filings in FY2016 → 7 in FY2023. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 7 | −67% | $211k |
| FY2022 | 21 | +91% | $139k |
| FY2021 | 11 | −31% | $150k |
| FY2020 | 16 | −67% | $165k |
| FY2019 | 49 | −2% | $137k |
| FY2018 | 50 | −6% | $148k |
| FY2017 | 53 | 0% | $120k |
| FY2016 | 53 | — | $118k |
Which wage levels does IBM file for Research Staff Member?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 31% of IBM's Research Staff Member filings sit at Level III–IV. Higher levels earn more entries in the wage-weighted H-1B lottery.
Share of 206 Research Staff Member filings with a wage level · all years
- Level II69.4%143
- Level III22.3%46
- Level IV8.3%17
Where does IBM hire H-1B Research Staff Members?
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 York | 186 | $137k |
| California | 53 | $142k |
| Massachusetts | 11 | $140k |
| Texas | 5 | $160k |
| Washington | 2 | $145k |
| Connecticut | 1 | $128k |
| Florida | 1 | $106k |
| North Carolina | 1 | $98k |
| City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Yorktown Heights, NY | 176 | $137k |
| San Jose, CA | 52 | $142k |
| Cambridge, MA | 11 | $140k |
| Albany, NY | 5 | $120k |
| Austin, TX | 4 | $160k |
| Armonk, NY | 2 | $137k |
| Seattle, WA | 2 | $145k |
| Coppell, TX | 1 | $94k |
Also filed as
IBM's other sponsored titles, and the employers that file the most Research Staff Member LCAs. All years.
Other titles at IBM
| 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 |
Top Research Staff Member sponsors
| Employer | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| International Business Machines | 61 | $139k |
| Lawrence Livermore National Security | 17 | $101k |
| Mayachitra | 6 | $121k |
| Nvidia | 2 | $168k |
| Numenta | 1 | $141k |
| Wolfram Research | 1 | $91k |
| Institute for Defense Analyses | 1 | $176k |
Common questions about Research Staff Member H-1B pay at IBM
- How much does IBM pay a Research Staff Member on an H-1B?
- IBM's median certified H-1B base salary for Research Staff Member is $211k in FY2023, from 7 filings; the middle 50% of offers fall between $198k and $237k. Across all years the median is $137k.
- How many Research Staff Member H-1B LCAs has IBM filed?
- IBM has 260 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Research Staff Member on record (FY2016–FY2023), 7 of them in FY2023. That is 1% of its 23,826 certified filings across all titles.
- Does IBM pay Research Staff Members above the market?
- IBM's all-years median of $137k is 2% below the $139k median for Research Staff Member across all H-1B employers (349 certified filings).
- Where does IBM hire H-1B Research Staff Members?
- IBM's Research Staff Member LCAs name worksites mostly in New York, California, Massachusetts; the top cities are Yorktown Heights, NY, San Jose, CA, Cambridge, MA.
- 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–FY2023). An LCA is not an approved visa; pay figures are base salary and exclude bonus and equity. Methodology →