Postdoctoral Scientist H-1B salaries — 358 certified filings (FY2016–FY2026)
- 92
- Filings · FY2025
- $77k
- Median base · FY2025
- $71k–$81k
- Middle 50% · FY2025
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Top sponsor · 132 all-time
Postdoctoral Scientist: 358 certified H-1B LCAs since FY2016. In FY2025 the median base salary was $77k across 92 filings, with the middle 50% of offers between $71k and $81k. The biggest sponsors are Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Biogen; most filings are in Los Angeles, CA.
How much does a Postdoctoral Scientist 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. $77k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
How has Postdoctoral Scientist sponsorship changed?
18 certified filings in FY2016 → 84 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 84 | −9% | $79k |
| FY2025 | 92 | +136% | $77k |
| FY2024 | 39 | +105% | $62k |
| FY2023 | 19 | −21% | $62k |
| FY2022 | 24 | +26% | $50k |
| FY2021 | 19 | −17% | $63k |
| FY2020 | 23 | +109% | $53k |
| FY2019 | 11 | −8% | $51k |
| FY2018 | 12 | −29% | $50k |
| FY2017 | 17 | −6% | $54k |
| FY2016 | 18 | — | $45k |
Which companies sponsor H-1B Postdoctoral Scientists?
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 | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center | 132 | $62k |
| 2 | Howard Hughes Medical Institute | 121 | $80k |
| 3 | Biogen | 17 | $65k |
| 4 | Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation | 13 | $56k |
| 5 | The George Washington University | 13 | $55k |
| 6 | Texas Biomedical Research Institute | 8 | $50k |
| 7 | Infectious Disease Research Institute | 5 | $44k |
| 8 | Montclair State University | 4 | $57k |
| 9 | Northern Arizona University | 4 | $60k |
| 10 | Seattle Biomedical Research Institute | 3 | $43k |
Where are H-1B Postdoctoral Scientist jobs located?
Worksite cities with the most certified filings for this title, all years.
| # | City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles, CA | 117 | $62k |
| 2 | Cambridge, MA | 25 | $68k |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | 22 | $78k |
| 4 | Ashburn, VA | 17 | $81k |
| 5 | Boston, MA | 15 | $78k |
| 6 | New York, NY | 13 | $80k |
| 7 | Oklahoma City, OK | 13 | $56k |
| 8 | Washington, DC | 13 | $55k |
| 9 | West Hollywood, CA | 13 | $62k |
| 10 | Stanford, CA | 10 | $85k |
Common questions about Postdoctoral Scientist H-1B salaries
- What is the median H-1B salary for a Postdoctoral Scientist?
- The median certified H-1B base salary for Postdoctoral Scientist is $77k (FY2025), from 92 filings. Across all years the middle 50% earn between $56k and $79k.
- Which companies sponsor the most H-1B Postdoctoral Scientists?
- The top H-1B sponsors for Postdoctoral Scientist are Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Biogen.
- Where are most H-1B Postdoctoral Scientist jobs located?
- The top worksite locations for H-1B Postdoctoral Scientist roles are Los Angeles, CA, Cambridge, MA, Seattle, WA.
- Does a certified LCA mean Postdoctoral Scientist 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 →