Thorlabs — 69 certified H-1B filings (FY2016–FY2026)
- 7
- Filings · FY2025
- $115k
- Median base · FY2025
- Application Engineer
- Top role · 6 all-time
- NJ
- Top state · 40 all-time
Thorlabs filed 7 certified H-1B LCAs in FY2025 (up 17% from the year before), with a median base salary of $115k and the middle 50% of offers between $111k and $133k. That is 17% below the market median for the same job titles. Across all years it has 69 certified filings since FY2016, most often for Application Engineer in New Jersey.
How much does Thorlabs 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. $115k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
How has Thorlabs's H-1B hiring changed by year?
11 certified filings in FY2016 → 5 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 5 | −29% | $83k |
| FY2025 | 7 | +17% | $115k |
| FY2024 | 6 | +500% | $89k |
| FY2023 | 1 | −83% | $119k |
| FY2022 | 6 | +100% | $86k |
| FY2021 | 3 | 0% | $103k |
| FY2020 | 3 | −80% | $78k |
| FY2019 | 15 | +114% | $65k |
| FY2018 | 7 | +40% | $82k |
| FY2017 | 5 | −55% | $76k |
| FY2016 | 11 | — | $69k |
Which wage levels does Thorlabs file?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 10% of Thorlabs'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 58 filings with a wage level · all years
- Level I44.8%26
- Level II44.8%26
- Level III10.3%6
What jobs does Thorlabs sponsor for H-1B?
The most-filed job titles across all years (DOL titles, employer pay-grade codes stripped), with base-salary percentiles.
| Job title | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Application Engineer | 6 | $62k |
| Mechanical Engineer | 5 | $67k |
| Lean Manufacturing Engineer | 4 | $71k |
| Fiber Laser Engineer | 4 | $90k |
| Thin Film Coating Engineer | 4 | $65k |
| Firmware Engineer | 3 | $76k |
| Mechanical Engineer I | 3 | $83k |
| Design Engineer | 2 | $62k |
| Biomedical Engineer | 2 | $78k |
| Electrical Engineer | 2 | $76k |
Where does Thorlabs hire H-1B workers?
Worksite states on the certified filings, all years. Deeper pink = more filings; hover a state for its figures.
| State | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| NJ | 40 | $76k |
| VA | 13 | $78k |
| MD | 11 | $100k |
| CA | 1 | $129k |
| MA | 1 | $115k |
| MI | 1 | $105k |
| NH | 1 | $135k |
| SC | 1 | $100k |
What has Thorlabs filed recently?
The 50 most recent of 69 certified LCAs: job title, worksite, prevailing-wage level and the offered base salary.
Common questions about Thorlabs's H-1B filings
- How much does Thorlabs pay H-1B workers?
- Thorlabs's median certified H-1B base salary is $115k (FY2025), from 7 filings. See the full salary distribution and percentiles above.
- How many H-1B workers does Thorlabs sponsor?
- Thorlabs has 69 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications on record (FY2016–FY2026).
- What jobs does Thorlabs sponsor for H-1B?
- Thorlabs's most-sponsored H-1B roles include Application Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Lean Manufacturing Engineer, Fiber Laser Engineer.
- Where does Thorlabs hire H-1B workers?
- Thorlabs's top H-1B worksite states are NJ, VA, MD, CA.
- 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 →