Senior Scientist salary in California
A real-employer view of Senior 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.
Senior Scientist in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 19 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $134,381. 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 II — qualified | 5 | $112,570 |
| Level III — experienced | 8 | $136,389 |
| Level IV — fully competent | 2 | $151,335 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Senior Scientist in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEPHEID | Senior Scientist I | 2 | $120,737 |
| BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. | Scientist 1, Gene Therapy Research | 2 | $131,560 |
| Gilead Sciences, Inc. | Associate Scientist, Process Development | 2 | $123,476 |
| Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | Senior Scientist, Imaging AI | 1 | $159,305 |
| Anwita Biosciences Inc | Sr. Scientist | 1 | $138,778 |
| Illumina, Inc. | Senior Scientist | 1 | $138,778 |
| Nautilus Subsidiary, Inc | Scientist I | 1 | $145,000 |
| Dexcom, Inc | Sr Scientist | 1 | $132,175 |
| JOINN Biologics US Inc | Principal Scientist | 1 | $144,245 |
| Insmed, Inc. | Senior Scientist, Upstream Manufacture | 1 | $145,670 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Senior Scientist, Imaging AI at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company$159,305Redwood CityDecided Nov 5, 2025I-200-25269-336813
- Sr. Scientist at Anwita Biosciences Inc$138,778San CarlosWage Level IIIDecided Sep 19, 2025I-200-25255-306481
- Senior Scientist at Illumina, Inc.$138,778Foster CityWage Level IIIDecided Sep 12, 2025I-200-25248-291169
- Senior Scientist I at CEPHEID$141,473SunnyvaleDecided Aug 12, 2025I-200-25217-222088
- Scientist I at Nautilus Subsidiary, Inc$145,000San CarlosWage Level IIIDecided Jul 9, 2025I-200-25182-144739
- Scientist 1, Gene Therapy Research at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.$131,560San RafaelWage Level IIIDecided Jun 27, 2025I-200-25171-117774
- Sr Scientist at Dexcom, Inc$132,175San DiegoWage Level IIIDecided Jun 11, 2025I-200-25155-051317
- Principal Scientist at JOINN Biologics US Inc$144,245RichmondWage Level IIIDecided Jun 10, 2025I-200-25154-047235
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.