A select group of US employers is offering exceptionally high salaries to H-1B visa workers, with some companies reporting median pay of more than $250,000, according to an analysis of federal labour data. The findings underline the intense competition for specialised professionals in areas including technology, healthcare and financial services. The analysis, conducted by H1BScope using Labour Condition Application (LCA) filings submitted to the US Department of Labour, identified seven employers where the median salary for H-1B workers was at least $198,000.
That figure is more than 50 per cent above the national median H-1B salary of $130,707. It is also substantially higher than the overall median salary for US workers, which stands at $59,228, according to Newsweek.
H1BScope restricted its review to employers that had submitted at least 500 certified H-1B filings. The approach was intended to reduce the influence of unusually high salaries or small sample sizes.
University of Pittsburgh Physicians emerged as the highest-paying employer in the analysis, recording a median H-1B salary of $255,725.
It was followed by:
- Roblox – $245,690
- Citadel Securities Americas Services – $235,000
- Netflix – $226,158
- Credit Karma
- Two Sigma Investments
- TT Commerce & Global Services
Several employers on the list reported median H-1B salaries above the national 90th-percentile H-1B salary of $212,000 for 2026.
The broader list also featured several major technology companies. Meta, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, Salesforce, Uber, Airbnb and DoorDash were among the employers reporting H-1B median salaries significantly above the national benchmark.
The financial sector was another prominent category, with firms including Citadel Securities, BofA Securities, Barclays Capital and Morgan Stanley appearing among higher-paying employers.
Why Are H-1B Workers Earning Such High Salaries?
The H-1B programme enables American companies to employ foreign professionals in specialty occupations. These jobs generally require a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent level of specialised expertise.
The programme is particularly important for industries that depend on highly skilled workers, including software and technology, engineering, healthcare and financial services.
Steven Sholk, counsel at FBT Gibbons, said the salary figures reflect the competition for specialised talent.
“As a matter of fundamental economics, the salaries for highly skilled workers are determined by the market forces of supply and demand,” Steven Sholk, counsel at FBT Gibbons, told Newsweek. “Since the demand for highly skilled workers is strong, the salaries paid by the highest-paying H-1B employers are often higher than the national median.”
Research from the Economic Innovation Group also points towards strong employer demand. Research assistant Jiaxin He examined LCA filings and found that nearly 89% of positions offered wages above the median level for the same occupation and state. More than 20% paid above the 90th percentile.
“LCAs reflect how much firms are willing to pay for an H-1B position, making them a robust indicator of demand for foreign talent,” He said.
High Salaries Do Not Settle The H-1B Debate
Despite the figures, the latest analysis is unlikely to end the long-running debate surrounding the H-1B visa programme.
Critics caution that data from a relatively small group of high-paying employers cannot necessarily be applied to the entire H-1B workforce. Kevin Lynn, executive director of the Institute for Sound Public Policy and founder of US Tech Workers, said the figures need to be viewed in context.
“These figures show that a handful of wealthy employers are hiring for expensive, often senior or doctorate-level positions,” Kevin Lynn, executive director of the Institute for Sound Public Policy and founder of US Tech Workers, told Newsweek. “They do not, by themselves, establish a shortage of qualified American workers.”
Lynn also argued that comparisons should focus on US employees with similar qualifications working in the same occupation and geographic area, rather than relying solely on national salary figures.
Wage-Based H-1B Selection Could Change Salary Trends
Immigration attorney Jonathan Micale, a former executive at US Citizenship and Immigration Services, said policies that give greater weight to wages could eventually affect compensation patterns within the H-1B system.
“The H-1B wage level rule was designed to increase wages because the underlying premise of that rule is that higher paid employees are better qualified,” Micale said, while noting that salary levels vary significantly by occupation and region.
Former US State Department visa officer Duden Freeman similarly argued that the data runs counter to the idea that leading employers primarily turn to the H-1B programme to find cheaper workers.
“These employers are not looking for inexpensive foreign labour,” Freeman said. “They are paying a substantial premium to compete for scarce and highly specialised talent.”
The figures therefore offer a more nuanced picture of H-1B employment. While the highest salaries are concentrated among a limited number of major employers and specialised positions, the data suggests that some companies are willing to pay substantial premiums when competing for workers with skills that are difficult to source in the domestic market.