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 97 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $135,000. 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 I — entry | 3 | $82,775 |
| Level II — qualified | 24 | $104,336 |
| Level III — experienced | 34 | $128,939 |
| Level IV — fully competent | 33 | $152,984 |
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. Click a company for its full H-1B salary breakdown.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gilead Sciences, Inc. | Senior Scientist, Analytical Ops | 12 | $152,984 |
| Arcus Biosciences, Inc. | Senior Scientist | 6 | $146,492 |
| Amgen Inc. | Senior Scientist | 5 | $157,108 |
| Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | Senior Scientist | 4 | $142,434 |
| Genentech, Inc. | Scientist | 4 | $152,984 |
| Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. | Sr. Scientist, Product Development-Late Stage | 4 | $98,365 |
| Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Inc. | Principal Scientist I | 4 | $127,047 |
| BIODURO LLC | Senior Scientist III, Formulation Development | 2 | $120,000 |
| Cytokinetics, Inc. | Scientist I | 2 | $141,470 |
| Danisco US Inc. | Senior Scientist I | 2 | $97,700 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Scientist II at PACIFIC BIOLABS, INC.$114,500HerculesWage Level IIDecided Mar 30, 2026I-200-26083-723996
- Senior Scientist II at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Inc.$124,842EmeryvilleWage Level IIIDecided Mar 25, 2026I-200-26077-712851
- Sr Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry at Gilead Sciences Inc.$159,360Foster CityWage Level IVDecided Mar 25, 2026I-200-26077-712629
- Sr Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry at Gilead Sciences, Inc.$159,360Foster CityWage Level IVDecided Mar 24, 2026I-200-26076-709265
- Scientist II at Meadowhawk Biolabs, Inc.$101,546HaywardWage Level IIDecided Mar 17, 2026I-200-26069-692962
- Staff Scientist, Assay Development at Glyphic Biotechnologies, Inc.$150,000BerkeleyWage Level IVDecided Mar 11, 2026I-200-26063-680917
- Associate Scientist, Process Development at Gilead Sciences, Inc$103,200Foster CityWage Level IIDecided Mar 10, 2026I-200-26062-676423
- Senior Scientist, R&D (Synthetic Chemistry) at Radian Bio, Inc.$145,000San DiegoWage Level IVDecided Mar 3, 2026I-200-26055-662023
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.