Southwest Airlines
H-1B salaries and sponsorship, from 161 certified filings (FY2025–FY2026)
- Scheduled Air Transportation
- Main U.S. filing address: Dallas, TX
At a glance
- Southwest Airlines hires at the expert level. 87% of its filings are Level IV, 4.8 times the share across all H-1B employers (18%).
- Most filed: Software Engineer. 66% of its filings. After that come Systems Engineer / Architect and Data Scientist.
- Pays at a high floor. 92% of filings are at exactly the prevailing wage, which at Southwest Airlines's jobs and locations has a median of $149,781.
- 1st among the largest filers in its industry. Southwest Airlines's median ($149,781) is above Delta Air Lines.
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Percentiles from Southwest Airlines's certified H-1B filings, base salary only. Jobs with at least 10 filings.
What Southwest Airlines hires for
Bar: share of Southwest Airlines's filings. Figure: median base salary. Top 10 jobs account for 96% of filings (17 occupations in total).
Show all 3 jobs
| Job | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $149,781 | 106 |
| Systems Engineer / Architect | $136,136 | 17 |
| Data Scientist | $140,109 | 12 |
Jobs with at least 10 filings at Southwest Airlines.
Pay by level
Entry-level · 0% of filings
Mid-level · 6% of filings
Senior · 8% of filings
Expert · 87% of filings
Show the table
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | – | 0 |
| Mid-level · Level II | too few | 8 |
| Senior · Level III | $134,971 | 11 |
| Expert · Level IV | $149,781 | 125 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Southwest Airlines vs. industry peers
Southwest Airlines$149,781
Delta Air Lines$145,000
JetBlue Airways$141,172
American Airlines$105,997
Median base salary, all jobs, FY2025–FY2026. Largest H-1B filers with the same industry code (NAICS 4811).
Where Southwest Airlines files
Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.
Show all 1 metro areas
Southwest Airlines files many roles at exactly $149,781. 52 of 161 filings (32%).
| Metro area | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | $149,781 | 161 |
Salary details
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $125,145 |
| 25th | $136,136 |
| 50th (median) | $149,781 |
| 75th | $149,781 |
| 90th | $156,998 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $113,360 | $106,432 | $127,712 | 25 |
| FY2021 | $127,150 | $114,234 | $127,733 | 31 |
| FY2022 | $128,315 | $115,100 | $128,315 | 149 |
| FY2023 | $134,992 | $116,938 | $134,992 | 81 |
| FY2024 | $136,136 | $120,328 | $140,841 | 102 |
| FY2025 | $149,781 | $136,136 | $149,781 | 122 |
| FY2026 | $153,315 | $134,971 | $156,998 | 39 |
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 Southwest Airlines
| Job title | Median | Middle 50% | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Software Engineer | $149,781 | $149.8k–$156.7k | 38 |
| Senior System Engineer | $149,781 | $149.8k–$157k | 28 |
| Senior Technology Analyst | $136,136 | $125.6k–$141.2k | 11 |
| Software Engineer | $129,366 | $111.5k–$133.9k | 10 |
| Tech Lead Software Engineer | $149,781 | $149.8k–$155.2k | 10 |
Job titles as written on the filings, with at least 10 filings. Middle 50%: 25th–75th percentile.
About Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines's filings list its industry as Scheduled Air Transportation (Transportation and Warehousing sector, NAICS 4811). Its main U.S. filing address is in Dallas, TX 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 Data Scientist and the main metro areas are Dallas, TX. The most common wage level in those years is Level IV (expert).
Questions
Does Southwest Airlines sponsor H-1B visas?
Yes. Southwest Airlines filed 161 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 Southwest Airlines pay H-1B workers?
The median base salary on Southwest Airlines's H-1B filings is $149,781; half of filings fall between $136,136 and $149,781. Bonus and stock are not included.