Research Scientist salary in California
A real-employer view of Research Scientist pay, clustered from DOL OFLC certified filings. Variants like Senior, Lead, and II/III titles fold into this cluster — the wage range below reflects all of them.
Research Scientist in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 3 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $130,000. Every figure below is an actual offered salary an employer attested to under federal law.
By DOL wage level
DOL classifies every offer into one of four wage levels based on the role's experience and skill requirements.
| Level | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|
| Level III — experienced | 1 | $120,000 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Research Scientist in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Area Environmental Research Institute | Research Scientist | 2 | $125,000 |
| UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO | Assistant Research Scientist | 1 | $130,500 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Research Scientist at Bay Area Environmental Research Institute$130,000Moffett FieldDecided Dec 4, 2025I-200-25330-441263
- Assistant Research Scientist at UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO$130,500La JollaDecided Jul 18, 2025I-200-25192-169949
- Research Scientist at Bay Area Environmental Research Institute$120,000Moffett FieldWage Level IIIDecided Apr 23, 2025I-200-25107-873549
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Disclosed wages reflect what employers attested to pay; actual paid wages may differ. Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.