Senior Physicists salary in California
Roles that require seasoned judgement and the ability to lead projects without supervision. Typically five to ten years of experience and a track record of complete ownership.
Senior Physicists in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 19 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $162,000. 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 III — experienced | 19 | $162,000 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Senior Physicists in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | Physicist Research Scientist/Engineer | 7 | $156,000 |
| Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC | Research Scientist (Physicist) | 5 | $187,824 |
| Leland Stanford Jr. Univ/SLAC National Accelerator Lab | Radiation Physicist | 4 | $127,000 |
| Applied Materials, Inc. | Physicist/Scientist | 2 | $183,622 |
| Flexcompute Inc. | Senior Research Scientist | 1 | $200,000 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Radiation Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory$143,976BerkeleyWage Level IIIDecided Sep 16, 2025I-200-25252-297887
- Research Scientist (Physicist) at Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC$187,824LivermoreWage Level IIIDecided Jul 2, 2025I-200-25176-128482
- Physicist/Scientist at Applied Materials, Inc.$183,622Santa ClaraWage Level IIIDecided Apr 17, 2025I-200-25100-853432
- Senior Research Scientist at Flexcompute Inc.$200,000Menlo ParkWage Level IIIDecided Dec 19, 2024I-200-24347-537951
- Research Scientist (Physicist) at Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC$197,276LivermoreWage Level IIIDecided Dec 5, 2024I-200-24332-505810
- Research Staff Member (Physicist) at Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC$195,945LivermoreWage Level IIIDecided Nov 27, 2024I-200-24325-488566
- Staff Scientist at Leland Stanford Jr. Univ/SLAC National Accelerator Lab$148,000Menlo ParkWage Level IIIDecided Nov 18, 2024I-200-24314-465203
- Staff Engineer 3 at Leland Stanford Jr. Univ/SLAC National Accelerator Lab$113,610Menlo ParkWage Level IIIDecided Oct 28, 2024I-200-24295-420760
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.