Research Scientist salary in California
A real-employer view of Research 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.
Research Scientist in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 20 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $105,227. 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 | 7 | $100,000 |
| Level II — qualified | 9 | $110,000 |
| Level III — experienced | 2 | $150,731 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Research Scientist in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center | Research Scientist | 7 | $105,019 |
| Northern California Institute for Research and Education | Assistant Research Scientist | 2 | $95,056 |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | Research Scientist | 2 | $104,278 |
| The J. David Gladstone Institutes | Staff Research Scientist I | 2 | $97,500 |
| ABBVIE INC. | PRINCIPAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST I | 1 | $161,000 |
| Vitamed Research, LLC | Senior Research Scientist | 1 | $100,000 |
| Alegre USA, LLC | Research Scientist II | 1 | $139,367 |
| Integrated Biosciences, Inc. | Research Scientist | 1 | $110,000 |
| Gilead Sciences, Inc. | Senior Research Scientist I, Biology | 1 | $140,462 |
| International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) | Research Scientist II, Antibody Optimization | 1 | $110,000 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Research Scientist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center$93,434West HollywoodDecided Dec 16, 2025I-200-25343-469470
- PRINCIPAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST I at ABBVIE INC.$161,000IRVINEWage Level IIIDecided Sep 30, 2025I-200-25266-329028
- Senior Research Scientist at Vitamed Research, LLC$100,000Palm DesertWage Level IDecided Jun 27, 2025I-200-25171-115913
- Assistant Research Scientist at Northern California Institute for Research and Education$95,056San FranciscoWage Level IIDecided Apr 25, 2025I-200-25108-881281
- Research Scientist II at Alegre USA, LLC$139,367South San FranciscoWage Level IIDecided Apr 21, 2025I-200-25104-861390
- Research Scientist at Integrated Biosciences, Inc.$110,000Redwood CityWage Level IDecided Apr 8, 2025I-200-25091-819842
- Assistant Research Scientist at Northern California Institute for Research and Education$95,056San FranciscoWage Level IIDecided Apr 3, 2025I-200-25086-807799
- Senior Research Scientist I, Biology at Gilead Sciences, Inc.$140,462Foster CityWage Level IIIDecided Mar 13, 2025I-200-25065-753071
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.