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Industry Profile · California

Physicists salary in Manufacturing, California

Discrete and process manufacturing across consumer, industrial, and pharmaceutical goods.

Adrian Serafin, founder and editor of RateOrchardBy Adrian SerafinFounderUpdated May 4, 2026
Real disclosed salaries

Physicists (Manufacturing) in California: actual employer-disclosed pay

Public records from 25 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $156,083. 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.

LevelFilingsMedian offer
Level I — entry8$119,538
Level II — qualified9$162,323
Level III — experienced2$183,622
Level IV — fully competent1$260,000

Top employers filing for this role

Companies with the most certified filings for Physicists (Manufacturing) in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.

EmployerMost-filed titleFilingsMedian
KLA CorporationAlgorithm Engineer6$169,123
Applied Materials, Inc.Physicist/Scientist4$179,566
Western Digital Technologies, Inc.Staff Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering4$124,052
Applied Materials, IncProcess Engineer3$156,083
Diraq IncorporatedHead of Theory1$300,000
Cepton Technologies, Inc.Senior Research Scientist1$260,000
RefleXion Medical, Inc.Systems Physicist1$119,538
BRUKER NANO, INC.APPLICATIONS ENGINEER1$100,000
Nusano, Inc.Ion Source Researcher1$100,000
Varian Medical Systems, Inc.Systems Engineer Physicist1$148,129

Recent sample filings

A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.

  • Physicist/Scientist at Applied Materials, Inc.
    $175,510
    Santa ClaraDecided Nov 21, 2025I-200-25318-408851
  • Head of Theory at Diraq Incorporated
    $300,000
    Palo AltoDecided Nov 20, 2025I-203-25317-403531
  • Algorithm Engineer at KLA Corporation
    $192,589
    MilpitasWage Level IIDecided Sep 5, 2025I-200-25240-272433
  • Staff Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering at Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    $128,565
    San JoseWage Level IDecided Jul 7, 2025I-200-25178-137005
  • Staff Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering at Western Digital Technologies, Inc.
    $128,565
    San JoseWage Level IDecided Jul 7, 2025I-200-25178-137369
  • Senior Research Scientist at Cepton Technologies, Inc.
    $260,000
    San JoseWage Level IVDecided Jun 6, 2025I-200-25150-033245
  • Systems Physicist at RefleXion Medical, Inc.
    $119,538
    HaywardWage Level IDecided May 30, 2025I-200-25142-010044
  • APPLICATIONS ENGINEER at BRUKER NANO, INC.
    $100,000
    SANTA BARBARAWage Level IDecided May 28, 2025I-200-25140-997072

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.