​New analysis identifies US employers offering H-1B workers salaries more than 50% above the national median.
A small group of US employers is paying H-1B visa holders far above the national median salary, according to a new analysis of federal labour data, highlighting strong demand for highly skilled professionals in sectors such as healthcare, technology and finance.The analysis by H1BScope, based on US Department of Labor Labour Condition Application data, found that seven employers reported median H-1B salaries of at least $198,000, more than 50% higher than the national H-1B median salary of $130,707. The national median for H-1B workers is also more than double the overall US median salary of $59,228, Newsweek reported.H1BScope limited its analysis to employers with at least 500 certified H-1B filings to minimise the impact of smaller employers and outliers.
Which companies topped the list?
University of Pittsburgh Physicians ranked first with a median H-1B salary of $255,725, followed by:
- Roblox – $245,690
- Citadel Securities Americas Services – $235,000
- Netflix – $226,158
- Credit Karma
- Two Sigma Investments
- TT Commerce & Global Services
According to the analysis, the reported median salaries at these companies exceeded the 2026 national 90th-percentile H-1B salary of $212,000 in several cases.Technology firms featured heavily throughout the rankings, with companies including Meta, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, Salesforce, Uber, Airbnb and DoorDash also reporting median H-1B salaries well above the national benchmark. Financial institutions such as Citadel Securities, BofA Securities, Barclays Capital and Morgan Stanley also ranked among the higher-paying employers.
What is the H-1B visa?
The H-1B visa allows US employers to hire foreign professionals in specialty occupations that generally require at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent expertise. The programme is widely used in technology, engineering, healthcare and financial services.
What do the figures mean?
Supporters of the H-1B programme argue the salaries demonstrate that employers are competing for specialised talent rather than seeking low-cost labour.”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 by the Economic Innovation Group reached a similar conclusion. After analysing Labour Condition Application filings, research assistant Jiaxin He found that nearly 89% of positions paid above the median wage for the same occupation and state, while more than one-fifth exceeded 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.
Why does the debate continue?
Critics argue that salary figures from a limited number of companies do not represent the wider H-1B programme.”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 added that wage comparisons should be made against similarly qualified US workers in the same occupation and location rather than national salary averages.Immigration attorney Jonathan Micale, a former executive at US Citizenship and Immigration Services, told the outlet that wage-based selection policies could gradually influence salary patterns within the programme.”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.Meanwhile, former US State Department visa officer Duden Freeman told Newsweek that the data challenges claims that top employers use the H-1B programme to secure inexpensive labour.”These employers are not looking for inexpensive foreign labor,” Freeman said. “They are paying a substantial premium to compete for scarce and highly specialized talent.” Go to Source
