Research Associate salary in California
A real-employer view of Research Associate 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 Associate in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 4 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $162,500. 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 | 3 | $165,000 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Research Associate in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornerstone Research, Inc. | Research Associate | 3 | $165,000 |
| Harvard University | Research Associate | 1 | $104,104 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Research Associate at Harvard University$104,104Palo AltoDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-502168
- Research Associate at Cornerstone Research, Inc.$160,000Menlo ParkWage Level IIDecided Aug 28, 2025I-200-25233-258940
- Research Associate at Cornerstone Research, Inc.$165,000San FranciscoWage Level IIDecided Aug 26, 2025I-200-25231-252808
- Research Associate at Cornerstone Research, Inc.$165,000San FranciscoWage Level IIDecided Aug 12, 2025I-200-25217-222410
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 Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.