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 26 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $109,163. 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 | 10 | $97,500 |
| Level II — qualified | 11 | $110,000 |
| Level III — experienced | 3 | $140,462 |
| Level IV — fully competent | 1 | $175,000 |
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. Click a company for its full H-1B salary breakdown.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center | Research Scientist | 10 | $110,760 |
| Northern California Institute for Research and Education | Assistant Research Scientist | 2 | $95,056 |
| The J. David Gladstone Institutes | Staff Research Scientist I | 2 | $97,500 |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | Research Scientist | 2 | $104,278 |
| AbbVie Inc. | Principal Research Scientist I, tLNP Formulation | 1 | $175,000 |
| ABBVIE INC. | PRINCIPAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST I | 1 | $161,000 |
| Alegre USA, LLC | Research Scientist II | 1 | $139,367 |
| Buck Institute for Research on Aging | Senior Research Scientist | 1 | $114,130 |
| Children's Hospital Los Angeles | Research Scientist | 1 | $93,434 |
| Gilead Sciences, Inc. | Senior Research Scientist I, Biology | 1 | $140,462 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Research Scientist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center$113,193West HollywoodWage Level IDecided Mar 26, 2026I-200-26079-717261
- Principal Research Scientist I, tLNP Formulation at AbbVie Inc.$175,000IrvineWage Level IVDecided Mar 17, 2026I-200-26069-691449
- Research Scientist at Children's Hospital Los Angeles$93,434Los AngelesWage Level IDecided Feb 17, 2026I-200-26040-629150
- Senior Research Scientist at Buck Institute for Research on Aging$114,130NovatoWage Level IIIDecided Feb 6, 2026I-201-26030-606545
- Research Scientist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center$108,326Los AngelesWage Level IIDecided Feb 4, 2026I-200-26028-599324
- Research Scientist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center$93,434West HollywoodWage Level IDecided Dec 16, 2025I-200-25343-469470
- PRINCIPAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST I at ABBVIE INC.$161,000IRVINEWage Level IIIDecided Sep 30, 2025I-200-25266-329028
- Research Scientist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center$93,434Los AngelesWage Level IDecided Jul 22, 2025I-200-25196-177073
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.