Research Scientist/Engineer salary in California
A real-employer view of Research Scientist/Engineer 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/Engineer in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 68 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $195,000. 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 | 1 | $127,712 |
| Level II — qualified | 30 | $195,000 |
| Level III — experienced | 9 | $201,094 |
| Level IV — fully competent | 4 | $260,000 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Research Scientist/Engineer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe Inc. | Research Scientist/Engineer | 67 | $195,000 |
| ServiceNow, Inc. | Staff Research Scientist/Engineer | 1 | $234,225 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Research Scientist/Engineer at Adobe Inc.$211,000San JoseWage Level IIDecided Mar 20, 2026I-200-26072-701671
- Staff Research Scientist/Engineer at ServiceNow, Inc.$234,225Santa ClaraDecided Dec 10, 2025I-200-25337-452584
- Research Scientist/Engineer at Adobe Inc.$174,900San FranciscoWage Level IIDecided Mar 20, 2026I-200-26072-701243
- Research Scientist/Engineer at Adobe Inc.$201,630San JoseWage Level IIDecided Mar 16, 2026I-200-26068-690353
- Research Scientist/Engineer at Adobe Inc.$164,403San JoseWage Level IIDecided Mar 16, 2026I-200-26068-690401
- Research Scientist/Engineer at Adobe Inc.$201,630San JoseWage Level IIDecided Mar 13, 2026I-200-26065-685073
- Research Scientist/Engineer at Adobe Inc.$127,712San FranciscoWage Level IDecided Mar 12, 2026I-200-26064-682048
- Research Scientist/Engineer at Adobe Inc.$216,883San JoseWage Level IIDecided Mar 11, 2026I-200-26063-680541
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.