H-1B Salaries in California
116,212 filings across 301 cities
According to TheRealSalaries.com analysis of official US Department of Labor filings (October 2024 - December 2025), the average H-1B salary in California is $131,606 — 8% above the national median of $121,514.
Section 1
$131,606
Average
116,212
Filings
301
Cities
$65,803–$263,212
Range
Top Cities in California
| City | Avg. Salary | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $181,115 | 12,744 |
| San Jose | $175,794 | 11,766 |
| Sunnyvale | $176,904 | 11,761 |
| Santa Clara | $177,249 | 8,559 |
| Mountain View | $190,980 | 7,071 |
| San Diego | $139,358 | 5,692 |
| Los Angeles | $125,770 | 4,358 |
| Cupertino | $181,844 | 4,329 |
| Menlo Park | $201,213 | 4,171 |
| Palo Alto | $185,251 | 3,798 |
| Irvine | $130,519 | 3,143 |
| Fremont | $151,457 | 2,942 |
| Pleasanton | $151,558 | 1,415 |
| Milpitas | $156,779 | 1,273 |
| Foster City | $161,101 | 1,240 |
Section 2
Top Employers in California
| Company | Avg. Salary | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Google LLC | $192,938 | 6,437 |
| Apple Inc. | $181,975 | 6,375 |
| Meta Platforms, Inc | $210,970 | 4,477 |
| Amazon.com Services LLC | $178,572 | 3,338 |
| Tesla, Inc. | $164,253 | 1,992 |
| Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. | $144,907 | 1,914 |
| NVIDIA Corporation | $193,012 | 1,571 |
| Ernst & Young U.S. LLP | $156,782 | 1,566 |
| WAL-MART ASSOCIATES, INC. | $149,132 | 1,565 |
| Microsoft Corporation | $195,333 | 1,277 |
Top Roles in California
| Job Title | Avg. Salary | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $152,110 | 10,979 |
| Senior Software Engineer | $171,636 | 2,114 |
| Staff Software Engineer | $201,713 | 1,029 |
| Software Development Engineer Ii | $172,167 | 903 |
| Data Scientist | $154,039 | 881 |
| Software Developer | $133,780 | 838 |
| Software Engineering | $188,489 | 730 |
| Research Scientist | $188,902 | 663 |
| Product Manager | $173,155 | 643 |
| Software Development Engineer | $165,529 | 611 |
Other States
Section 3
See also: prevailing wage in California — H-1B wage levels and the DOL wage floor vs actual salaries.