Big Tech H-1B pay compared (Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft)
Published November 10, 2026 · Data through FY2026 Q3
Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft are among the largest H-1B employers in the United States, and their Labor Condition Application (LCA) filings give a public view of the base salaries they offer. This guide compares the five side by side: overall, for software engineers, by wage level, and across each company's most common occupations.
The short version
- Meta has the highest medians, both overall ($208,000) and for software engineers ($211,778).
- Amazon files the most by far, 42,644 certified filings, and has the lowest median of the five ($155,000).
- Google, Apple and Microsoft sit in between, with overall medians from $172,759 to $186,000.
- Wage-level mix explains part of the gap. The companies classify their roles very differently, which affects how their medians compare.
Overall base salary by company
| Company | Filings | 25th pct. | Median | 75th pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta | 11,568 | $182,000 | $208,000 | $228,522 |
| 16,005 | $164,000 | $186,000 | $205,020 | |
| Apple | 11,810 | $152,027 | $174,304 | $199,107 |
| Microsoft | 14,273 | $154,100 | $172,759 | $193,050 |
| Amazon | 42,644 | $131,100 | $155,000 | $180,000 |
The gap between the highest and lowest medians, Meta and Amazon, is $53,000. Apple and Microsoft are only $1,545 apart at the median. Together, the five companies account for 96,300 filings, about 10% of all certified filings in the window. Amazon alone filed about 2.7 times as many as Google, the next largest of the five.
All five medians are above the overall median for all certified filings, $122,699.
Software engineers
Software Engineer is the largest occupation at every one of the five companies, which makes it the fairest single comparison.
| Company | SE filings | Share of company's filings | 25th pct. | Median | 75th pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta | 6,268 | 54% | $184,000 | $211,778 | $228,842 |
| 10,913 | 68% | $167,000 | $186,000 | $205,000 | |
| Apple | 5,171 | 44% | $157,581 | $181,100 | $205,482 |
| Microsoft | 8,932 | 63% | $156,000 | $173,570 | $194,286 |
| Amazon | 21,188 | 50% | $133,900 | $159,600 | $181,000 |
The order is the same as overall. Meta's software engineer median is $52,178 above Amazon's and $25,778 above Google's. Google's software engineer median is identical to its overall median, $186,000, which fits with software engineers making up about two-thirds of its filings.
Wage levels: how each company classifies its jobs
Each LCA carries a prevailing wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). The employer picks the level based on the job's requirements. The five companies use the levels very differently:
| Company | Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | 23% | 48% | 22% | 7% |
| Apple | 3% | 20% | 23% | 54% |
| 1% | 61% | 25% | 13% | |
| Meta | 13% | 27% | 20% | 41% |
| Microsoft | 7% | 39% | 41% | 13% |
Some patterns:
- Apple files more than half its LCAs at Level IV (54%), the highest share of the five.
- Google almost never uses Level I (1%) and places most filings at Level II (61%).
- Amazon has the most entry-level filings, with 23% at Level I and only 7% at Level IV.
- Microsoft is concentrated in the middle, with 80% of filings at Level II or III.
- Meta leans senior, with 41% at Level IV.
The level is a statement about the job's requirements against government wage benchmarks, not a company's internal job ladder. A Level II filing at one company is not the same as an internal "level 2" anywhere. Still, Amazon's larger share of Level I filings is one reason its overall median is lower.
Top occupations at each company
Beyond software engineering, each company's filing mix differs. Here are the five most common occupations at each, with median base salary:
| Company | Occupation | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Software Engineer | 21,188 | $159,600 |
| Amazon | Data Scientist | 4,068 | $140,000 |
| Amazon | IT Manager | 2,608 | $200,830 |
| Amazon | Research Scientist (Computer Science) | 2,167 | $180,000 |
| Amazon | Systems Engineer / Architect | 1,871 | $169,000 |
| Apple | Software Engineer | 5,171 | $181,100 |
| Apple | Electronics Engineer | 1,802 | $166,941 |
| Apple | Electrical Engineer | 727 | $159,890 |
| Apple | IT Manager | 545 | $216,590 |
| Apple | Systems Engineer / Architect | 484 | $172,100 |
| Software Engineer | 10,913 | $186,000 | |
| Data Scientist | 999 | $186,000 | |
| Research Scientist (Computer Science) | 567 | $204,000 | |
| Systems Engineer / Architect | 515 | $192,000 | |
| Computer Hardware Engineer | 514 | $187,000 | |
| Meta | Software Engineer | 6,268 | $211,778 |
| Meta | Research Scientist (Computer Science) | 1,201 | $193,101 |
| Meta | Data Scientist | 1,034 | $191,131 |
| Meta | Systems Engineer / Architect | 538 | $210,630 |
| Meta | IT Manager | 402 | $270,000 |
| Microsoft | Software Engineer | 8,932 | $173,570 |
| Microsoft | Systems Engineer / Architect | 1,689 | $168,000 |
| Microsoft | Data Scientist | 1,532 | $172,564 |
| Microsoft | Electrical Engineer | 356 | $180,789 |
| Microsoft | Market Research Analyst | 291 | $165,800 |
A few comparisons across companies:
- Data Scientist medians range from $140,000 at Amazon to $191,131 at Meta, a gap of $51,131.
- Systems Engineer / Architect medians range from $168,000 at Microsoft to $210,630 at Meta.
- IT Manager is the highest-paid common occupation where it appears, with Meta's median of $270,000 the highest figure in this comparison.
- Apple's hardware focus shows in its filings: Electronics Engineer and Electrical Engineer are its second and third most common occupations.
What this comparison leaves out
These figures are base salary only. For large technology companies, bonuses and stock grants are often a substantial part of total pay, and none of that appears on an LCA, so base salary comparisons can understate the differences in total compensation. A certified LCA is also not a visa approval, and one filing can cover more than one worker. Medians also depend on where each company hires and at what level, so compare like with like: same occupation, same level, same city when possible. This is general information, not legal or immigration advice.
How we calculated this
Figures cover certified H-1B LCA filings in FY2025–FY2026, where FY2026 includes only Q1–Q3: 931,595 filings, with an overall median of $122,699. We annualized the offered base salary, and computed percentiles across filings. Wage-level shares are rounded, so rows may not sum to exactly 100. See the methodology.