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Industry Profile · California

Physicists salary in Technology and software, California

Software publishers, computer systems design, data processing, web search portals, and other IT services.

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

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

Public records from 8 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $165,792. 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 — entry1$145,000
Level II — qualified4$156,083
Level III — experienced1$200,000
Level IV — fully competent2$244,334

Top employers filing for this role

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

EmployerMost-filed titleFilingsMedian
PsiQuantum Corp.Quantum Architect, Fault Tolerance3$156,083
Q-CTRL, IncLead Scientist2$160,000
Meta Platforms, IncLead Optical Engineer1$288,667
Flexcompute Inc.Senior Research Scientist1$200,000
DiDi Research America, LLCAutonomy System Engineer II1$156,083

Recent sample filings

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

  • Quantum Architect, Fault Tolerance at PsiQuantum Corp.
    $145,000
    Palo AltoWage Level IDecided Jun 5, 2025I-200-25149-031950
  • Lead Optical Engineer at Meta Platforms, Inc
    $288,667
    SunnyvaleWage Level IVDecided May 12, 2025I-200-25125-935668
  • Lead Scientist at Q-CTRL, Inc
    $200,000
    Santa MonicaWage Level IVDecided Mar 4, 2025I-200-25056-721509
  • Senior Research Scientist at Flexcompute Inc.
    $200,000
    Menlo ParkWage Level IIIDecided Dec 19, 2024I-200-24347-537951
  • Autonomy System Engineer II at DiDi Research America, LLC
    $156,083
    Mountain ViewWage Level IIDecided Oct 4, 2024I-200-24271-369729
  • Quantum Systems Validation Engineer at PsiQuantum Corp.
    $156,083
    Palo AltoWage Level IIDecided Jun 5, 2025I-200-25149-031844
  • R&D Engineer, Superconductive Experimentalist at PsiQuantum Corp.
    $175,500
    Palo AltoWage Level IIDecided Jun 5, 2025I-200-25149-031980
  • Senior Scientist at Q-CTRL, Inc
    $120,000
    SANTA MONICAWage Level IIDecided Mar 3, 2025I-200-25055-719613

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.