Research Scientist H-1B salary at Massachusetts Institute of Technology — 497 certified filings (FY2016–FY2026)
- 59
- Filings · FY2025
- $85k
- Median base · FY2025
- $78k–$105k
- Middle 50% · FY2025
- −29%
- vs market median · all years
Massachusetts Institute of Technology filed 59 certified H-1B LCAs for Research Scientist in FY2025, with a median base salary of $85k and the middle 50% of offers between $78k and $105k. Across all years its $78k median is 29% below the $110k market median for Research Scientist. It has filed 497 Research Scientist LCAs since FY2016, most often in Cambridge, MA.
How much does Massachusetts Institute of Technology pay a Research Scientist?
Certified base salary for Research Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $85k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
Does Massachusetts Institute of Technology pay Research Scientists above the market?
Massachusetts Institute of Technology's all-years median against every employer's certified Research Scientist LCAs — 29% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 497 | $78k |
| All employers · Research Scientist | 12,917 | $110k |
How has Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Research Scientist hiring changed by year?
23 certified Research Scientist filings in FY2016 → 52 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 52 | −12% | $87k |
| FY2025 | 59 | +13% | $85k |
| FY2024 | 52 | +18% | $85k |
| FY2023 | 44 | +2% | $80k |
| FY2022 | 43 | 0% | $79k |
| FY2021 | 43 | +13% | $74k |
| FY2020 | 38 | −40% | $73k |
| FY2019 | 63 | +31% | $70k |
| FY2018 | 48 | +50% | $70k |
| FY2017 | 32 | +39% | $71k |
| FY2016 | 23 | — | $67k |
Which wage levels does Massachusetts Institute of Technology file for Research Scientist?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 35% of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Research Scientist filings sit at Level III–IV. Higher levels earn more entries in the wage-weighted H-1B lottery.
Share of 399 Research Scientist filings with a wage level · all years
- Level I48.6%194
- Level II16.3%65
- Level III30.1%120
- Level IV5.0%20
Where does Massachusetts Institute of Technology hire H-1B Research Scientists?
Worksite states and cities on the certified filings for this title, all years, with the median base salary at each.
| State | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 493 | $78k |
| California | 1 | $78k |
| Maryland | 1 | $67k |
| New York | 1 | $70k |
| Ohio | 1 | $74k |
| City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge, MA | 486 | $78k |
| Bedford, MA | 1 | $74k |
| Boston, MA | 1 | $65k |
| Cambrdige, MA | 1 | $81k |
| Cambridg, MA | 1 | $80k |
| Cambridgeg, MA | 1 | $72k |
| Cleveland, OH | 1 | $74k |
| Cmabridge, MA | 1 | $65k |
Also filed as
Massachusetts Institute of Technology's other sponsored titles, and the employers that file the most Research Scientist LCAs. All years.
Other titles at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
| Job title | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Postdoctoral Associate | 454 | $63k |
| Assistant Professor | 67 | $140k |
| Research Associate | 34 | $69k |
Top Research Scientist sponsors
| Employer | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Platforms | 2,093 | $186k |
| 890 | $160k | |
| 685 | $192k | |
| Intel | 409 | $131k |
| Nvidia | 327 | $168k |
| UT Southwestern Medical Center | 156 | $62k |
| Bytedance | 153 | $215k |
| University of Pittsburgh | 142 | $60k |
| The University of Virginia | 135 | $67k |
Common questions about Research Scientist H-1B pay at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- How much does Massachusetts Institute of Technology pay a Research Scientist on an H-1B?
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology's median certified H-1B base salary for Research Scientist is $85k in FY2025, from 59 filings; the middle 50% of offers fall between $78k and $105k. Across all years the median is $78k.
- How many Research Scientist H-1B LCAs has Massachusetts Institute of Technology filed?
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology has 497 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Research Scientist on record (FY2016–FY2026), 52 of them in FY2026. That is 43% of its 1,152 certified filings across all titles.
- Does Massachusetts Institute of Technology pay Research Scientists above the market?
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology's all-years median of $78k is 29% below the $110k median for Research Scientist across all H-1B employers (12,917 certified filings).
- Where does Massachusetts Institute of Technology hire H-1B Research Scientists?
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Research Scientist LCAs name worksites mostly in Massachusetts, California, Maryland; the top cities are Cambridge, MA, Bedford, MA, Boston, 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.
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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 →