Entry-level Engineering Professor salary in Los Angeles, CA

Based on 23 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Irvine, Pomona, Orange, Northridge, Fullerton.

Also listed as: Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Assistant Professor of Engineering

Median salary$132,500
Middle 50%$114.1k–$139.4k
vs. all levels here+15%comparison median $115,531
Filings23FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $77,630 and $181,200.
PercentileSalary
10th$79,804
25th$114,127
50th (median)$132,500
75th$139,350
90th$148,900

Salary by year

Median salary

$80k $110k $140k FY2020: median $91,045 (10 filings) FY2021: median $115,735 (14 filings) FY2022: median $112,000 (13 filings) FY2024: median $125,200 (16 filings) FY2025: median $132,500 (15 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 10 filings FY20 FY2021: 14 filings FY21 FY2022: 13 filings FY22 FY2023: 9 filings FY23 FY2024: 16 filings FY24 FY2025: 15 filings FY25 FY2026: 8 filings FY26 16
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$91,045$79,590$108,73410
FY2021$115,735$109,000$120,00014
FY2022$112,000$72,730$116,00013
FY2023–––9
FY2024$125,200$109,640$130,50016
FY2025$132,500$109,671$137,50015
FY2026–––8

Cost of living

Los Angeles's median entry-level Engineering Professor salary of $132,500 is worth about $116,700 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Los Angeles = 113.6).

Compared with all workers here

All Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary in the Los Angeles, CA area earned a median of $137,760 in May 2025 (1,130 employed). The H-1B median here is $132,500, 4% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Employers filing at this level

EmployerMedianFilings
The University of Southern Californiatoo few8
University Of California, Irvinetoo few6
University of California, Los Angelestoo few5

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $132,500 23
Mid-level · Level II too few 4
Senior · Level III – 0
Expert · Level IV – 0

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$77,630$132,50023

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.