Research Fellow H-1B salary at National Institutes of Health Hhs — 1,412 certified filings (FY2016–FY2026)
- 74
- Filings · FY2025
- $99k
- Median base · FY2025
- $93k–$108k
- Middle 50% · FY2025
- +36%
- vs market median · all years
National Institutes of Health Hhs filed 74 certified H-1B LCAs for Research Fellow in FY2025, with a median base salary of $99k and the middle 50% of offers between $93k and $108k. Across all years its $83k median is 36% above the $61k market median for Research Fellow. It has filed 1,412 Research Fellow LCAs since FY2016, most often in Bethesda, MD.
How much does National Institutes of Health Hhs pay a Research Fellow?
Certified base salary for Research Fellow at National Institutes of Health Hhs by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $99k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
Does National Institutes of Health Hhs pay Research Fellows above the market?
National Institutes of Health Hhs's all-years median against every employer's certified Research Fellow LCAs — 36% above 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 |
|---|---|---|
| National Institutes of Health Hhs | 1,412 | $83k |
| All employers · Research Fellow | 6,103 | $61k |
How has National Institutes of Health Hhs's Research Fellow hiring changed by year?
156 certified Research Fellow filings in FY2016 → 62 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 62 | −16% | $102k |
| FY2025 | 74 | −56% | $99k |
| FY2024 | 167 | −14% | $98k |
| FY2023 | 195 | +29% | $90k |
| FY2022 | 151 | −10% | $84k |
| FY2021 | 168 | +11% | $82k |
| FY2020 | 152 | +41% | $76k |
| FY2019 | 108 | +23% | $75k |
| FY2018 | 88 | −3% | $72k |
| FY2017 | 91 | −42% | $69k |
| FY2016 | 156 | — | $67k |
Which wage levels does National Institutes of Health Hhs file for Research Fellow?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 6% of National Institutes of Health Hhs's Research Fellow filings sit at Level III–IV. Higher levels earn more entries in the wage-weighted H-1B lottery.
Share of 1,170 Research Fellow filings with a wage level · all years
- Level I91.5%1,071
- Level II2.5%29
- Level III6.0%70
Where does National Institutes of Health Hhs hire H-1B Research Fellows?
Worksite states and cities on the certified filings for this title, all years, with the median base salary at each.
| State | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 1,316 | $84k |
| North Carolina | 77 | $75k |
| Montana | 9 | $83k |
| Massachusetts | 5 | $90k |
| Arizona | 4 | $64k |
| Washington | 1 | $130k |
| City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Bethesda, MD | 1,110 | $83k |
| Rockville, MD | 83 | $90k |
| Research Triangle Park, NC | 75 | $75k |
| Frederick, MD | 68 | $87k |
| Baltimore, MD | 45 | $86k |
| Hamilton, MT | 9 | $83k |
| Gaithersburg, MD | 5 | $88k |
| Framingham, MA | 4 | $90k |
Also filed as
National Institutes of Health Hhs's other sponsored titles, and the employers that file the most Research Fellow LCAs. All years.
Other titles at National Institutes of Health Hhs
| Job title | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Staff Scientist | 404 | $114k |
| Clinical Fellow | 122 | $85k |
| Investigator Tenure Track | 48 | $145k |
| Staff Clinician | 33 | $170k |
Top Research Fellow sponsors
| Employer | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Mayo Clinic | 707 | $56k |
| General Hospital | 704 | $57k |
| Children S Hospital | 596 | $61k |
| Dana Farber Cancer Institute | 562 | $63k |
| Brigham and Women’s Hospital | 399 | $56k |
| Harvard University | 342 | $62k |
| Albert Einstein College of Medicine | 195 | $53k |
| Memorial Sloan-kettering Cancer Center | 183 | $57k |
| Cincinnati Children S Hospital Medical Center | 109 | $52k |
Common questions about Research Fellow H-1B pay at National Institutes of Health Hhs
- How much does National Institutes of Health Hhs pay a Research Fellow on an H-1B?
- National Institutes of Health Hhs's median certified H-1B base salary for Research Fellow is $99k in FY2025, from 74 filings; the middle 50% of offers fall between $93k and $108k. Across all years the median is $83k.
- How many Research Fellow H-1B LCAs has National Institutes of Health Hhs filed?
- National Institutes of Health Hhs has 1,412 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Research Fellow on record (FY2016–FY2026), 62 of them in FY2026. That is 68% of its 2,081 certified filings across all titles.
- Does National Institutes of Health Hhs pay Research Fellows above the market?
- National Institutes of Health Hhs's all-years median of $83k is 36% above the $61k median for Research Fellow across all H-1B employers (6,103 certified filings).
- Where does National Institutes of Health Hhs hire H-1B Research Fellows?
- National Institutes of Health Hhs's Research Fellow LCAs name worksites mostly in Maryland, North Carolina, Montana; the top cities are Bethesda, MD, Rockville, MD, Research Triangle Park, 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.
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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 →