Smithsonian Institution — 91 certified H-1B filings (FY2016–FY2026)

11
Filings · FY2025
$83k
Median base · FY2025
Conservator
Top role · 5 all-time
DC
Top state · 60 all-time
FY

Smithsonian Institution filed 11 certified H-1B LCAs in FY2025 (up 22% from the year before), with a median base salary of $83k and the middle 50% of offers between $71k and $139k. That is 5% below the market median for the same job titles. Across all years it has 91 certified filings since FY2016, most often for Conservator in District of Columbia.

How much does Smithsonian Institution 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. $83k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.

$0$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’26

How has Smithsonian Institution's H-1B hiring changed by year?

12 certified filings in FY2016 → 1 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.

Smithsonian Institution certified H-1B filings and base salary by fiscal year
Fiscal yearFilingsvs prior FYMedian base
FY20261−91%$124k
FY202511+22%$83k
FY20249+125%$99k
FY20234−43%$64k
FY20227+75%$111k
FY20214−67%$66k
FY202012+20%$72k
FY201910−9%$68k
FY201811+10%$67k
FY201710−17%$62k
FY201612—$65k

Which wage levels does Smithsonian Institution file?

DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 42% of Smithsonian Institution'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 77 filings with a wage level · all years

21%
38%
19%
22%
  • Level I20.8%16
  • Level II37.7%29
  • Level III19.5%15
  • Level IV22.1%17

What jobs does Smithsonian Institution sponsor for H-1B?

The most-filed job titles across all years (DOL titles, employer pay-grade codes stripped), with base-salary percentiles.

Smithsonian Institution most-sponsored H-1B job titles with base-salary percentiles
Job titleFilingsMedian base
Conservator5$69k
Ecologist4$62k
Museum Specialist3$71k
Investment Analyst3$100k
Information Technology Specialist (Gallery Technology)3$59k
Business Development Associate3$65k
Assistant Curator3$73k
Biologist3$56k
Museum Curator (Art)2$83k
Conservation Biologist2$57k

Where does Smithsonian Institution hire H-1B workers?

Worksite states on the certified filings, all years. Deeper pink = more filings; hover a state for its figures.

160Certified filings (log scale)
Smithsonian Institution H-1B worksite states
StateFilingsMedian base
DC60$72k
MD10$75k
VA10$67k
NY8$116k
MA2$216k
MT1$52k

What has Smithsonian Institution filed recently?

The 50 most recent of 91 certified LCAs: job title, worksite, prevailing-wage level and the offered base salary.

Smithsonian Institution recent certified H-1B LCA filings
FYJob titleBase salary
2026Director of Individual Giving (Gift Officer)$124,189
2025Visual Information Specialist (Exhibitions/Graphic Designer)$69,923
2025Visual Information Specialist (Exhibitions/Graphic Designer)$69,923
2025Education Technician (Research)$72,254
2025Research Biologist$74,584
2025Director, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory$216,000
2025Museum Specialist$70,685
2025Museum Curator (Art)$84,601
2025Conservator$90,239
2025Museum Curator (Art)$82,764
2025Research Biologist$139,395
2025Assistant Under Secretary for Research Programs & Partnershi$220,000
2024Geologist (Post-Doctoral Research Fellow)$82,764
2024Research Ecologist$121,485
2024Museum Specialist$99,200
2024Advancement Associate$55,000
2024Postdoctoral Research Fellow$82,764
2024Associate Director for Digital Strategy and Engagement$195,000
2024Investment Analyst$100,035
2024Investment Analyst$100,035
2024Post-Doctoral Research Fellow$82,017
2023Supervisory Information Technology Specialist$153,000
2023Museum Curator$112,015
2023Research Entomologist$64,012
2023Information Technology Specialist (Gallery Technology)$63,609
2022Museum Curator$79,945
2022Director, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory$216,000
2022Senior Digital Engineer$124,315
2022Biologist$77,477
2022East Asian Paintings Conservator$74,950
2022Research Associate, Smithsonian Global Health Program$110,603
2022Research Associate, Smithsonian Global Health Program$110,603
2021Program Coordinator$66,142
2021Ecologist$64,649
2021Conservator$72,030
2021Chief Experience Officer$157,787
2020Curator$72,030
2020Physical Scientist (Proteomics)$92,091
2020Assistant Curator$76,832
2020Investment Analyst (Sr.)$110,979
2020Investment Analyst (Sr.)$110,979
2020Ecologist$72,030
2020Chief Scientist & Associate Director for Science$190,000
2020Ecologist$61,956
2020Research Entomologist$57,510
2020Entomologist (Postdoctoral Research Fellow)$57,510
2020Entomologist (Postdoctoral Research Fellow)$57,510
2020Museum Curator (Japanese Art)$69,581
2019Information Technology Specialist (Gallery Technology)$59,173
2019Wildlife Biologist$76,541

See all 91 filings →

Common questions about Smithsonian Institution's H-1B filings

How much does Smithsonian Institution pay H-1B workers?
Smithsonian Institution's median certified H-1B base salary is $83k (FY2025), from 11 filings. See the full salary distribution and percentiles above.
How many H-1B workers does Smithsonian Institution sponsor?
Smithsonian Institution has 91 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications on record (FY2016–FY2026).
What jobs does Smithsonian Institution sponsor for H-1B?
Smithsonian Institution's most-sponsored H-1B roles include Conservator, Ecologist, Museum Specialist, Investment Analyst.
Where does Smithsonian Institution hire H-1B workers?
Smithsonian Institution's top H-1B worksite states are DC, MD, VA, 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

Browse all sponsors →

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 →