Seniority Profile · California

Senior Chemists salary in California

Roles that require seasoned judgement and the ability to lead projects without supervision. Typically five to ten years of experience and a track record of complete ownership.

By Adrian SerafinFounderUpdated May 4, 2026

BLS percentile range

— – —

MEDIAN to P75 of the California OES distribution for Chemists.

DOL OFLC offered median

$128,939

Across 63 certified filings at this wage level.

Real disclosed salaries

Senior Chemists in California: actual employer-disclosed pay

Public records from 63 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $128,939. 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	63	$128,939

Top employers filing for this role

Companies with the most certified filings for Senior Chemists in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.

Employer	Most-filed title	Filings	Median
Amgen Inc.	Process Development Sr Scientist	5	$132,820
Arcus Biosciences, Inc.	Scientist	4	$134,470
Eli Lilly and Company	Automation Scientist	3	$93,150
NIVAGEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.	SENIOR CHEMIST	2	$97,250
Nivagen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.	Senior Chemist	2	$109,739
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.	Scientist III, Chemistry	2	$116,500
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company	Scientist - Medicinal Chemistry	2	$144,164
R2M Pharma, Inc.	Senior Scientist	2	$128,939
Illumina, Inc.	Staff Scientist	2	$112,251
e.l.f. Cosmetics, Inc.	R&D Manager	1	$125,000

Recent sample filings

A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.

Sr Engineer at Amgen Inc.
$128,304
Thousand OaksWage Level IIIDecided Sep 23, 2025I-200-25259-313353
SENIOR CHEMIST at NIVAGEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
$94,500
SacramentoWage Level IIIDecided Sep 5, 2025I-200-25240-274200
R&D Manager at e.l.f. Cosmetics, Inc.
$125,000
Beverly HillsWage Level IIIDecided Sep 4, 2025I-200-25239-270034
Senior Scientist at Axar Laboratories, Inc.
$90,501
CoronaWage Level IIIDecided Aug 22, 2025I-200-25227-245628
Principal Formulation Scientist at Global Compliance Partners LLC
$145,000
CupertinoWage Level IIIDecided Aug 7, 2025I-200-25212-214374
Staff Scientist at ULTIMA GENOMICS, INC.
$124,842
FremontWage Level IIIDecided Jul 30, 2025I-200-25204-195019
Principal Biologist at Eli Lilly and Company
$115,153
San DiegoWage Level IIIDecided Jul 28, 2025I-200-25202-188214
Science Advisor at Goodwin Procter LLP
$175,000
Redwood CityWage Level IIIDecided Jul 24, 2025I-200-25198-183002

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.