Research Associate salary in California
A real-employer view of Research Associate 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 Associate in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 15 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $78,853. 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 | $78,853 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Research Associate 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 | Research Associate | 11 | $79,914 |
| Chapman University | Research Associate | 2 | $78,084 |
| Bay Area Environmental Research Institute | Research Associate | 1 | $91,520 |
| Space Science Institute | Research Associate | 1 | $78,058 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Research Associate at Bay Area Environmental Research Institute$91,520Moffett FieldDecided Dec 29, 2025I-200-25353-499525
- Research Associate at Leland Stanford Jr. Univ/SLAC National Accelerator Lab$80,000Menlo ParkDecided Dec 17, 2025I-200-25344-473173
- Research Associate at Chapman University$78,125OrangeDecided Nov 14, 2025I-200-25310-382742
- Research Associate at Space Science Institute$78,058Los AngelesWage Level IDecided Jul 7, 2025I-200-25178-136335
- Research Associate at Leland Stanford Jr. Univ/SLAC National Accelerator Lab$78,853Menlo ParkWage Level IDecided May 27, 2025I-200-25139-992059
- Research Associate at Leland Stanford Jr. Univ/SLAC National Accelerator Lab$78,853Menlo ParkWage Level IDecided Apr 9, 2025I-200-25092-824582
- Research Associate at Chapman University$78,042OrangeWage Level IDecided Feb 18, 2025I-200-25042-681779
- Research Associate at Leland Stanford Jr. Univ/SLAC National Accelerator Lab$78,853Menlo ParkWage Level IDecided Jan 31, 2025I-200-25025-642626
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.