Cisco Systems
H-1B salaries and sponsorship, from 2,419 certified filings (FY2025–FY2026)
- Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing
- Headquarters: San Jose
- Founded 1984
- 86,200 employees (2025)
- Nasdaq: CSCO
At a glance
- Cisco Systems hires senior. 60% of its filings are Level III, 2.9 times the share across all H-1B employers (21%).
- Most filed: Software Engineer. 38% of its filings. After that come Systems Engineer / Architect and Network Administrator.
- Pays at a high floor. 50% of filings are at exactly the prevailing wage, which at Cisco Systems's jobs and locations has a median of $135,907.
- 4th among the largest filers in its industry. Cisco Systems's median ($147,508) is below Apple and Cadence Design Systems and above Western Digital Technologies.
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Percentiles from Cisco Systems's certified H-1B filings, base salary only. Jobs with at least 10 filings.
What Cisco Systems hires for
Bar: share of Cisco Systems's filings. Figure: median base salary. Top 10 jobs account for 90% of filings (44 occupations in total).
Show all 18 jobs
| Job | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $157,248 | 916 |
| Systems Engineer / Architect | $139,443 | 337 |
| Network Administrator | $121,700 | 218 |
| Sales Engineer | $139,256 | 152 |
| Electronics Engineer | $162,036 | 130 |
| Data Scientist | $134,600 | 105 |
| Network Architect | $158,500 | 103 |
| QA Engineer | $145,761 | 93 |
| Industrial Engineer | $135,800 | 69 |
| Operations Research Analyst | $121,255 | 62 |
| IT Manager | $256,214 | 36 |
| Management Consultant | $160,753 | 32 |
| Information Security Analyst | $165,999 | 18 |
| Operations Manager | $184,550 | 16 |
| Mechanical Engineer | $157,019 | 16 |
| Marketing Manager | $218,338 | 15 |
| Financial Manager | $151,480 | 14 |
| Logistician | $120,100 | 14 |
Jobs with at least 10 filings at Cisco Systems.
Pay by level
Entry-level · 2% of filings
Mid-level · 23% of filings
Senior · 60% of filings
Expert · 14% of filings
Show the table
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $106,600 | 47 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $122,366 | 469 |
| Senior · Level III | $147,846 | 1,215 |
| Expert · Level IV | $174,900 | 279 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Cisco Systems vs. industry peers
NVIDIA$186,197
Apple$174,304
Cadence Design Systems$152,612
Cisco Systems$147,508
Western Digital Technologies$142,497
Sandisk Technologies$140,712
Hp$127,483
Median base salary, all jobs, FY2025–FY2026. Largest H-1B filers with the same industry code (NAICS 3341).
Where Cisco Systems files
Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.
Show all 25 metro areas
| Metro area | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $171,103 | 773 |
| Raleigh, NC | $130,900 | 259 |
| San Francisco, CA | $164,209 | 204 |
| Dallas, TX | $128,200 | 167 |
| Austin, TX | $133,300 | 119 |
| Seattle, WA | $161,885 | 116 |
| New York, NY | $152,500 | 103 |
| Durham, NC | $138,000 | 73 |
| Atlanta, GA | $130,562 | 57 |
| Chicago, IL | $118,700 | 55 |
| Stockton, CA | $146,700 | 46 |
| Washington, DC | $148,221 | 38 |
| Boston, MA | $135,800 | 36 |
| San Diego, CA | $152,027 | 36 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $132,400 | 35 |
| Baltimore, MD | $138,500 | 21 |
| Denver, CO | $137,925 | 19 |
| Portland, OR | $135,200 | 15 |
| Miami, FL | $134,555 | 14 |
| Fayetteville, AR | $120,100 | 12 |
| Houston, TX | $124,100 | 12 |
| Boulder, CO | $123,251 | 11 |
| Charlotte, NC | $113,162 | 10 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $128,100 | 10 |
| Sacramento, CA | $136,900 | 10 |
Salary details
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $112,000 |
| 25th | $128,200 |
| 50th (median) | $147,508 |
| 75th | $172,712 |
| 90th | $199,534 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $122,408 | $103,813 | $142,100 | 1,169 |
| FY2021 | $139,706 | $125,000 | $159,862 | 1,983 |
| FY2022 | $127,466 | $104,878 | $149,382 | 2,126 |
| FY2023 | $130,354 | $110,180 | $154,200 | 1,272 |
| FY2024 | $133,300 | $115,937 | $155,106 | 1,230 |
| FY2025 | $140,400 | $126,500 | $165,700 | 1,236 |
| FY2026 | $152,500 | $131,000 | $180,710 | 1,183 |
Pay vs. prevailing wage
Filing at exactly the prevailing wage does not mean low pay: at senior levels and in high-cost areas the prevailing wage itself is high.
Job titles at Cisco Systems
| Job title | Median | Middle 50% | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $139,232 | $126.9k–$161.9k | 368 |
| Software Engineering Technical Leader | $192,724 | $163.6k–$213.5k | 141 |
| Engineering Product Manager | $149,600 | $133.3k–$170.5k | 70 |
| Solutions Engineer | $130,000 | $116.8k–$154.9k | 60 |
| Leader Software Engineering | $198,600 | $163.6k–$232.7k | 57 |
| Technical Consulting Engineer | $112,000 | $102.6k–$123.2k | 56 |
| Software QA Engineer | $137,000 | $126.5k–$164.2k | 52 |
| Product Designer | $133,300 | $122k–$140.3k | 45 |
| Asic Engineer | $153,972 | $135.5k–$180.1k | 40 |
| Hardware Engineer | $154,013 | $130.1k–$164.7k | 40 |
| Engineering Technical Leader | $179,333 | $160.3k–$193.6k | 38 |
| Customer Delivery Architect | $166,500 | $144k–$176.1k | 36 |
| Data Engineer | $152,027 | $132.1k–$165k | 35 |
| Consulting Engineer | $114,100 | $104.5k–$123.4k | 31 |
| Strategy Planning Manager | $161,834 | $149.3k–$174k | 30 |
Show 44 more
| Job title | Median | Middle 50% | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $161,400 | $143k–$177.6k | 29 |
| Machine Learning Engineer | $177,600 | $159.2k–$190k | 27 |
| Site Reliability Engineer | $137,000 | $128.7k–$158.8k | 27 |
| Software Development Engineer | $139,840 | $123.2k–$160.6k | 27 |
| Solutions Architect | $153,473 | $135.4k–$171.9k | 24 |
| Customer Experience Customer Success Specialist | $123,635 | $114.3k–$135.3k | 21 |
| Software Consulting Engineer | $135,800 | $128.2k–$160.7k | 21 |
| Asic Engineering Technical Leader | $186,472 | $158.1k–$193.3k | 20 |
| Hardware Engineering Technical Leader | $178,006 | $169.9k–$186.5k | 18 |
| Technical Systems Engineer | $135,408 | $125.5k–$147.5k | 18 |
| Business Analysis Manager | $126,256 | $116.1k–$132.3k | 17 |
| Cloud Engineer | $147,846 | $135.4k–$163.5k | 17 |
| Security Engineer | $137,000 | $130.9k–$152.5k | 17 |
| Customer Delivery Engineering Technical Leader | $137,963 | $127.9k–$150.7k | 16 |
| Customer Escalations Engineer | $122,791 | $114.1k–$133.3k | 16 |
| Data Engineering Technical Leader | $174,300 | $149.1k–$198.2k | 16 |
| Business Operations Manager | $136,843 | $123.2k–$153.7k | 15 |
| Cloud Engineering Technical Leader | $154,000 | $149.1k–$174.7k | 15 |
| Technical Marketing Engineer | $139,256 | $130.8k–$152.6k | 15 |
| AI Researcher | $190,350 | $160.5k–$221.6k | 14 |
| Business Architect | $143,400 | $128.6k–$147.6k | 14 |
| Business Systems Analysis Manager | $144,132 | $117.3k–$145.1k | 13 |
| Business Systems Architect | $129,800 | $125.5k–$145.1k | 13 |
| Data Analysis Manager | $129,800 | $115.1k–$132.3k | 13 |
| Director Software Engineering | $274,497 | $264.7k–$284.8k | 13 |
| Leader Customer Delivery | $148,700 | $126.3k–$153k | 13 |
| Leader Product Management | $184,000 | $167k–$191.4k | 13 |
| Meraki Network Support Engineer | $104,083 | $87.8k–$115.9k | 13 |
| Software Consulting Engineering Technical Leader | $158,500 | $135.8k–$163.6k | 13 |
| Software Engineering Architect | $143,136 | $138.3k–$186.1k | 13 |
| Technical Program Manager | $126,256 | $116.5k–$157.6k | 13 |
| Data Analyst | $93,500 | $84.2k–$101.1k | 12 |
| Engineering Program Manager | $151,780 | $132.9k–$170.5k | 12 |
| Leader Solutions Engineer | $158,496 | $143.5k–$169k | 12 |
| Machine Learning Engineering Technical Leader | $212,300 | $207.7k–$226.7k | 12 |
| Mechanical Engineer | $144,172 | $131.3k–$159k | 12 |
| Network Support Engineer | $108,982 | $81.7k–$111.5k | 12 |
| Project Manager | $111,632 | $92.4k–$128.6k | 12 |
| Engineering Project Manager | $119,933 | $113.9k–$137.6k | 11 |
| Business Intelligence Manager | $142,100 | $127.5k–$144.6k | 10 |
| Software Development Test Engineer | $158,327 | $134.3k–$165k | 10 |
| Software QA Technical Leader | $163,550 | $150.3k–$173.1k | 10 |
| Technical Marketing Engineering Technical Leader | $169,364 | $156.7k–$174.5k | 10 |
| Technical Product Owner | $133,730 | $130.9k–$154.2k | 10 |
Job titles as written on the filings, with at least 10 filings. Middle 50%: 25th–75th percentile.
About Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems's filings list its industry as Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (Manufacturing sector, NAICS 3341). Its main U.S. filing address is in San Jose, CA and its filings in the data run from FY2020 to FY2026 Q3. In the latest two fiscal years, the most filed jobs are Software Engineer, Systems Engineer / Architect and Network Administrator and the main metro areas are San Jose, CA, Raleigh, NC and San Francisco, CA. The most common wage level in those years is Level III (senior).
- Founded
- 1984
- Headquarters
- San Jose
- Employees
- 86,200 (2025)
- Website
- cisco.com
- Stock
- Nasdaq: CSCO
Company facts on this page: Wikidata. Salary data: U.S. Department of Labor.
Questions
Does Cisco Systems sponsor H-1B visas?
Yes. Cisco Systems filed 2,419 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications in FY2025–FY2026, the latest two fiscal years. The most recent filing in the data is from FY2026 Q3. A certified LCA is a step before the H-1B petition; it is not a visa approval.
How much does Cisco Systems pay H-1B workers?
The median base salary on Cisco Systems's H-1B filings is $147,508; half of filings fall between $128,200 and $172,712. Bonus and stock are not included.