McDonald's
H-1B salaries and sponsorship, from 117 certified filings (FY2025–FY2026)
- Restaurants and Other Eating Places
- Main U.S. filing address: Chicago, IL
At a glance
- McDonald's hires at the expert level. 73% of its filings are Level IV, 4.0 times the share across all H-1B employers (18%).
- Mostly above the prevailing wage. 95% of filings are above the prevailing wage. Median offer $160,860, median prevailing wage $142,210.
Is your McDonald's offer competitive?
Enter the base salary in your offer. We compare it with McDonald's's certified filings for the same job.
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Percentiles from McDonald's's certified H-1B filings, base salary only. Jobs with at least 10 filings.
What McDonald's hires for
Bar: share of McDonald's's filings. Figure: median base salary. Top 10 jobs account for 98% of filings (12 occupations in total).
Show all 2 jobs
| Job | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $164,715 | 68 |
| Data Scientist | $160,000 | 28 |
Jobs with at least 10 filings at McDonald's.
Pay by level
Entry-level · 4% of filings
Mid-level · 19% of filings
Senior · 4% of filings
Expert · 73% of filings
Show the table
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | too few | 4 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $143,915 | 22 |
| Senior · Level III | too few | 5 |
| Expert · Level IV | $165,625 | 82 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Where McDonald's files
Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.
Show all 1 metro areas
| Metro area | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | $160,000 | 101 |
Salary details
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $128,824 |
| 25th | $146,490 |
| 50th (median) | $160,860 |
| 75th | $178,448 |
| 90th | $194,426 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $168,000 | $133,158 | $195,000 | 11 |
| FY2021 | $120,289 | $104,156 | $128,793 | 58 |
| FY2022 | $135,000 | $114,899 | $158,100 | 25 |
| FY2023 | $150,000 | $124,750 | $165,000 | 36 |
| FY2024 | $127,250 | $102,690 | $146,605 | 76 |
| FY2025 | $162,000 | $147,420 | $177,290 | 59 |
| FY2026 | $160,430 | $146,490 | $179,980 | 58 |
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.
About McDonald's
McDonald's's filings list its industry as Restaurants and Other Eating Places (Accommodation and Food Services sector, NAICS 7225). Its main U.S. filing address is in Chicago, IL 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, Data Scientist and Information Security Analyst and the main metro areas are Chicago, IL, Dallas, TX and Austin, TX. The most common wage level in those years is Level IV (expert).
Questions
Does McDonald's sponsor H-1B visas?
Yes. McDonald's filed 117 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 McDonald's pay H-1B workers?
The median base salary on McDonald's's H-1B filings is $160,860; half of filings fall between $146,490 and $178,448. Bonus and stock are not included.