H-1B Salaries in 2026: Who Earns What
H-1B visa holders are among the highest-paid workers in the United States, and 2026 salary data confirms that trend is accelerating. Driven by competition for specialized talent in artificial intelligence, software engineering, and quantitative finance, the gap between top-paying H-1B roles and the broader U.S. labor market continues to widen.
Using data from hundreds of thousands of Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) filed with the Department of Labor, we have compiled the definitive ranking of the highest paying H-1B occupations in 2026. Whether you are a worker evaluating your market value, an employer benchmarking compensation, or an immigration attorney advising on prevailing wage strategy, this data tells the full story.
All salary figures in this article are based on actual H-1B filing data available on H1B Data Hub.
Top 20 Highest Paying H-1B Occupations
The following table ranks occupations by median offered salary across all H-1B filings in the most recent data:
| Rank | Occupation | Median Salary | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | |:----:|-----------|:-------------:|:---------------:|:---------------:| | 1 | Chief Executives | $285,000 | $350,000 | $450,000+ | | 2 | Psychiatrists | $275,000 | $310,000 | $365,000 | | 3 | Surgeons (All Other) | $270,000 | $340,000 | $420,000 | | 4 | Anesthesiologists | $265,000 | $320,000 | $390,000 | | 5 | Machine Learning Engineers | $225,000 | $275,000 | $350,000 | | 6 | AI Research Scientists | $220,000 | $280,000 | $375,000 | | 7 | Quantitative Analysts | $215,000 | $275,000 | $400,000+ | | 8 | Software Engineering Managers | $210,000 | $260,000 | $325,000 | | 9 | Physicians (Internal Medicine) | $205,000 | $260,000 | $310,000 | | 10 | Investment Banking Associates | $200,000 | $250,000 | $325,000 | | 11 | Data Engineers (Senior) | $195,000 | $235,000 | $280,000 | | 12 | Cloud/DevOps Architects | $190,000 | $230,000 | $275,000 | | 13 | Software Engineers (Senior) | $185,000 | $230,000 | $290,000 | | 14 | Product Managers (Tech) | $182,000 | $225,000 | $275,000 | | 15 | Data Scientists (Senior) | $178,000 | $220,000 | $270,000 | | 16 | Pharmacists | $175,000 | $195,000 | $220,000 | | 17 | Security Engineers | $172,000 | $215,000 | $260,000 | | 18 | Financial Risk Managers | $170,000 | $210,000 | $265,000 | | 19 | Full-Stack Engineers | $165,000 | $205,000 | $255,000 | | 20 | Actuaries | $162,000 | $200,000 | $245,000 |
Software Engineering: Still the Backbone of H-1B Filings
Software development roles account for the largest share of H-1B petitions by volume. In 2026, salaries across the software engineering spectrum reflect both the maturity of the field and the premium placed on specialized skills.
Software Engineering Salaries by Level
| Role Level | Median Salary | Typical Experience | Common Titles | |-----------|:-------------:|:-----------------:|---------------| | Entry Level (SDE I) | $115,000–$135,000 | 0–2 years | Software Engineer, Junior Developer | | Mid Level (SDE II) | $145,000–$175,000 | 3–5 years | Software Engineer II, Developer | | Senior (SDE III) | $180,000–$230,000 | 5–8 years | Senior Software Engineer, Staff Engineer | | Staff/Principal | $230,000–$300,000 | 8–15 years | Staff Engineer, Principal Engineer | | Distinguished/Fellow | $300,000–$450,000+ | 15+ years | Distinguished Engineer, Fellow |
The salary gap between entry-level and senior roles has widened in 2026. Companies are willing to pay significant premiums for engineers who can lead architecture decisions, mentor teams, and deliver complex projects independently.
Top-Paying Companies for Software Engineers
| Company | Median SWE Salary (H-1B) | Salary Range | |---------|:------------------------:|:------------:| | Netflix | $270,000 | $220,000–$400,000 | | Google | $205,000 | $150,000–$350,000 | | Meta | $200,000 | $145,000–$330,000 | | Apple | $195,000 | $140,000–$310,000 | | Microsoft | $185,000 | $130,000–$280,000 | | Amazon | $175,000 | $125,000–$265,000 | | Stripe | $210,000 | $165,000–$320,000 | | Uber | $195,000 | $150,000–$290,000 |
Explore detailed salary data for any employer at H1B Data Hub's company search.
AI and Machine Learning: The Premium Tier
Artificial intelligence and machine learning roles command the highest salaries in the technology sector, driven by intense competition for a limited talent pool. The explosion of generative AI applications since 2023 has only increased demand.
AI/ML Salary Breakdown
| Role | Median Salary | Top-Tier Salary (90th %) | Key Skills | |------|:------------:|:------------------------:|------------| | ML Engineer | $225,000 | $350,000 | PyTorch, distributed training, MLOps | | AI Research Scientist | $220,000 | $375,000 | Publications, novel architectures, PhD | | NLP Engineer | $210,000 | $310,000 | LLMs, transformers, fine-tuning | | Computer Vision Engineer | $200,000 | $295,000 | CNNs, 3D vision, real-time inference | | ML Infrastructure Engineer | $205,000 | $300,000 | GPU clusters, model serving, optimization | | Applied Scientist | $195,000 | $290,000 | Statistical modeling, experimentation | | Data Scientist (ML-focused) | $185,000 | $270,000 | Feature engineering, model deployment |
The 90th percentile figures are not outliers — they represent compensation at top AI labs including Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta FAIR, and specialized AI startups that compete aggressively for published researchers.
What Drives AI/ML Salary Premiums
Several factors explain why AI/ML roles consistently rank among the highest paid:
Data Science and Analytics
Data science roles span a wide salary range depending on specialization, seniority, and the complexity of the work.
Data Science Salaries by Specialization
| Specialization | Median Salary | Salary Range | |---------------|:------------:|:------------:| | Data Science Manager | $195,000 | $160,000–$260,000 | | Senior Data Scientist | $178,000 | $145,000–$240,000 | | Data Engineer | $165,000 | $130,000–$220,000 | | Analytics Engineer | $155,000 | $125,000–$200,000 | | Data Analyst (Senior) | $130,000 | $105,000–$170,000 | | Business Intelligence Analyst | $120,000 | $95,000–$155,000 | | Data Analyst (Entry) | $95,000 | $75,000–$125,000 |
The gap between a data analyst and a data scientist is significant — roughly $50,000–$80,000 at the median. Workers looking to increase their H-1B wage level (and therefore their lottery odds under the wage-weighted system) should consider upskilling from analytics into engineering or machine learning specializations.
Finance and Quantitative Roles
Wall Street and the broader financial services industry remain among the top H-1B sponsors, particularly for quantitative and technology roles.
Finance H-1B Salaries
| Role | Median Salary | Top Firms | |------|:------------:|-----------| | Quantitative Researcher | $250,000 | Citadel, Two Sigma, DE Shaw, Jane Street | | Quantitative Developer | $225,000 | Jump Trading, HRT, Tower Research | | Quantitative Analyst | $215,000 | Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan | | Investment Banking Associate | $200,000 | Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Evercore | | Risk Manager (Quantitative) | $185,000 | JPMorgan, Citi, Bank of America | | Financial Engineer | $175,000 | BlackRock, PIMCO, AQR | | Compliance Analyst (Tech) | $140,000 | Various large banks |
Quantitative trading firms are notable for offering total compensation packages that can reach $500,000–$1,000,000+ for senior roles when bonuses and profit-sharing are included. However, H-1B filings reflect base salary only, so the LCA figures understate total compensation at these firms.
Healthcare: High Salaries, Different Dynamics
Healthcare occupations consistently appear among the highest-paid H-1B roles, though the dynamics differ from technology. Many healthcare H-1B filings are cap-exempt (filed by hospitals affiliated with universities) and serve to fill genuine shortages in underserved areas.
Healthcare H-1B Salaries
| Specialty | Median Salary | Salary Range | |-----------|:------------:|:------------:| | Anesthesiology | $265,000 | $220,000–$390,000 | | Psychiatry | $275,000 | $230,000–$365,000 | | Surgery (General) | $270,000 | $225,000–$420,000 | | Cardiology | $260,000 | $220,000–$380,000 | | Internal Medicine | $205,000 | $170,000–$310,000 | | Hospitalist | $195,000 | $165,000–$275,000 | | Dentist | $170,000 | $135,000–$230,000 | | Physical Therapist | $92,000 | $78,000–$115,000 | | Pharmacist | $175,000 | $140,000–$220,000 |
Psychiatry has emerged as one of the highest-paid H-1B healthcare specialties, reflecting the severe national shortage of mental health providers. Employers in rural and underserved areas routinely offer salary premiums of 20–40% above urban rates to attract H-1B psychiatrists.
Salary Comparison Across Major Metro Areas
Geography has a major impact on H-1B salaries. The following table compares median salaries for a senior software engineer across the top H-1B metro areas:
| Metro Area | Median Senior SWE Salary | Cost of Living Index | Salary-to-COL Ratio | |-----------|:------------------------:|:-------------------:|:-------------------:| | San Francisco Bay Area | $215,000 | 188 | 1.14 | | Seattle-Tacoma | $200,000 | 162 | 1.23 | | New York City | $195,000 | 187 | 1.04 | | Austin, TX | $175,000 | 110 | 1.59 | | Boston-Cambridge | $185,000 | 152 | 1.22 | | Los Angeles | $180,000 | 166 | 1.08 | | Denver-Boulder | $170,000 | 128 | 1.33 | | Chicago | $165,000 | 107 | 1.54 | | Dallas-Fort Worth | $165,000 | 104 | 1.59 | | Atlanta | $160,000 | 106 | 1.51 |
When adjusted for cost of living, Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth offer the best purchasing power for H-1B software engineers, while New York City and Los Angeles offer the worst. This analysis is particularly relevant under the wage-weighted lottery, where the same salary may map to different wage levels depending on the filing location.
Salary Trends: 2024 to 2026
H-1B salaries have increased across virtually every category over the past two years:
| Occupation Category | Median Salary 2024 | Median Salary 2026 | Change | |--------------------|:------------------:|:------------------:|:------:| | Software Engineers (All) | $145,000 | $165,000 | +13.8% | | AI/ML Engineers | $190,000 | $225,000 | +18.4% | | Data Scientists | $140,000 | $160,000 | +14.3% | | Financial Analysts | $120,000 | $135,000 | +12.5% | | Healthcare (Physicians) | $210,000 | $235,000 | +11.9% | | Management Consultants | $135,000 | $150,000 | +11.1% |
AI/ML roles have seen the fastest salary growth at 18.4%, reflecting the ongoing talent war in generative AI. Software engineering salaries grew at a healthy 13.8%, outpacing general U.S. wage growth of approximately 4–5% over the same period.
What Drives H-1B Salary Differences
Several factors explain the wide variation in H-1B salaries:
1. Occupation and Specialization
The single biggest determinant of salary is the role itself. A machine learning engineer at a mid-tier company will typically earn more than a senior business analyst at a top firm. Specialization within a field also matters: a security engineer focused on cloud infrastructure earns 15–25% more than a generalist security analyst.
2. Employer Size and Revenue
Large, high-revenue companies consistently pay more. This is partly a function of their ability to pay and partly because they compete for the same global talent pool. Use H1B Data Hub to compare salaries across employers of different sizes.
3. Geographic Location
As shown in the metro comparison above, salaries in San Francisco can be 30–40% higher than in mid-tier metros for the same role. However, after adjusting for cost of living, the advantage often disappears or reverses.
4. Experience and Seniority
Within any occupation, the gap between entry-level and senior compensation is substantial. For software engineers, the jump from entry to senior can represent $50,000–$100,000 in additional annual salary. For physicians, the gap between a resident (who may be on J-1 rather than H-1B) and an attending is even larger.
5. The Wage-Weighted Lottery Effect
The introduction of wage-weighted H-1B selection has created a feedback loop: employers now have a financial incentive to offer higher salaries to improve their chances in the lottery. This upward pressure on wages is most visible in borderline cases where a modest salary increase pushes a position from Level II to Level III, tripling the registration's virtual entries.
How to Research Your Market Value
Whether you are negotiating a job offer, evaluating an employer's H-1B filing, or planning your immigration strategy, real salary data is essential. Here are the best approaches:
Armed with this data, you can make informed decisions about salary negotiations, job offers, and long-term career planning.
Key Takeaways
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Salary figures are based on analysis of H-1B Labor Condition Application (LCA) data and represent offered wages, which may differ from total compensation including bonuses, equity, and benefits. Individual salaries vary based on experience, skills, employer, and location. Visit H1B Data Hub to explore real H-1B filing data and research salaries for specific employers, job titles, and locations.