Mid-level Physicists salary in California
Roles that require qualified independent work on routine tasks. Typically two to five years of relevant experience.
Mid-level Physicists in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 52 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $151,076. 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 | 52 | $151,076 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Mid-level Physicists in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leland Stanford Jr. Univ/SLAC National Accelerator Lab | Associate Scientist | 17 | $118,000 |
| Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC | Research Scientist | 8 | $191,584 |
| KLA Corporation | Algorithm Engineer | 6 | $169,123 |
| AMAZON DEVELOPMENT CENTER U.S., INC. | RESEARCH SCIENTIST II | 2 | $170,900 |
| Bay Area Environmental Research Institute | Research Scientist | 2 | $121,881 |
| PsiQuantum Corp. | Quantum Systems Validation Engineer | 2 | $165,792 |
| The Trustees of Princeton University | Staff Research Physicist | 1 | $126,099 |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center | Medical Physicist | 1 | $200,158 |
| The Leland Stanford, Jr University | Instructor | 1 | $99,000 |
| Amazon.com Services LLC | Research Scientist II | 1 | $155,000 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Research Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC$205,938LivermoreWage Level IIDecided Sep 30, 2025I-200-25266-328114
- Staff Research Physicist at The Trustees of Princeton University$126,099San DiegoWage Level IIDecided Sep 26, 2025I-200-25262-322012
- Algorithm Engineer at KLA Corporation$192,589MilpitasWage Level IIDecided Sep 5, 2025I-200-25240-272433
- Associate Staff Scientist at Leland Stanford Jr. Univ/SLAC National Accelerator Lab$118,000Menlo ParkWage Level IIDecided Aug 29, 2025I-200-25234-262728
- RESEARCH SCIENTIST II at AMAZON DEVELOPMENT CENTER U.S., INC.$170,900PASADENAWage Level IIDecided Aug 25, 2025I-201-25230-247481
- Research Scientist at Bay Area Environmental Research Institute$111,182Moffett FieldWage Level IIDecided Jul 23, 2025I-200-25197-180397
- RESEARCH SCIENTIST II at AMAZON DEVELOPMENT CENTER U.S., INC.$170,900PASADENAWage Level IIDecided Jul 21, 2025I-201-25195-171433
- Medical Physicist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center$200,158Los AngelesWage Level IIDecided Jun 26, 2025I-200-25169-107181
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.