Associate Specialist H-1B salaries — 520 certified filings (FY2016–FY2026)
- 52
- Filings · FY2025
- $81k
- Median base · FY2025
- $77k–$85k
- Middle 50% · FY2025
- University of California San Francisco
- Top sponsor · 351 all-time
Associate Specialist: 520 certified H-1B LCAs since FY2016. In FY2025 the median base salary was $81k across 52 filings, with the middle 50% of offers between $77k and $85k. The biggest sponsors are University of California San Francisco, University of California Irvine, University of California at Santa Barbara; most filings are in San Francisco, CA.
How much does a Associate Specialist make on an H-1B?
Certified base salary by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $81k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
How has Associate Specialist sponsorship changed?
49 certified filings in FY2016 → 45 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 45 | −13% | $84k |
| FY2025 | 52 | +30% | $81k |
| FY2024 | 40 | 0% | $77k |
| FY2023 | 40 | −5% | $73k |
| FY2022 | 42 | −14% | $71k |
| FY2021 | 49 | −23% | $66k |
| FY2020 | 64 | +31% | $65k |
| FY2019 | 49 | +2% | $65k |
| FY2018 | 48 | +14% | $63k |
| FY2017 | 42 | −14% | $58k |
| FY2016 | 49 | — | $57k |
Which companies sponsor H-1B Associate Specialists?
The employers with the most certified filings, all years, with their median base salary. Open any employer for its full profile.
| # | Employer | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California San Francisco | 351 | $68k |
| 2 | University of California Irvine | 42 | $71k |
| 3 | University of California at Santa Barbara | 28 | $70k |
| 4 | University of California Berkeley | 20 | $63k |
| 5 | University of California Davis | 19 | $63k |
| 6 | Regents of the University of California at Riverside | 16 | $66k |
| 7 | Synechron | 9 | $115k |
| 8 | University of California Santa Cruz | 8 | $71k |
| 9 | University of California Merced | 6 | $62k |
| 10 | Sotheby’s | 4 | $62k |
Where are H-1B Associate Specialist jobs located?
Worksite cities with the most certified filings for this title, all years.
| # | City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | 351 | $68k |
| 2 | Irvine, CA | 38 | $71k |
| 3 | Santa Barbara, CA | 29 | $70k |
| 4 | Riverside, CA | 22 | $66k |
| 5 | Berkeley, CA | 20 | $63k |
| 6 | Davis, CA | 17 | $63k |
| 7 | New York, NY | 6 | $64k |
| 8 | Orange, CA | 4 | $68k |
| 9 | Santa Cruz, CA | 3 | $60k |
| 10 | Atwater, CA | 3 | $60k |
Common questions about Associate Specialist H-1B salaries
- What is the median H-1B salary for a Associate Specialist?
- The median certified H-1B base salary for Associate Specialist is $81k (FY2025), from 52 filings. Across all years the middle 50% earn between $62k and $77k.
- Which companies sponsor the most H-1B Associate Specialists?
- The top H-1B sponsors for Associate Specialist are University of California San Francisco, University of California Irvine, University of California at Santa Barbara.
- Where are most H-1B Associate Specialist jobs located?
- The top worksite locations for H-1B Associate Specialist roles are San Francisco, CA, Irvine, CA, Santa Barbara, CA.
- Does a certified LCA mean Associate Specialist H-1B visas were 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 does the fiscal year mean here?
- Years are U.S. government fiscal years, October to September: FY2025 runs from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025. This matches how the Department of Labor publishes the disclosure files. The most recent year may be partial until its final quarter is released.
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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 →