Physicist salary

At a glance

• Mostly Level I (entry-level). 58% of Physicist filings are Level I, compared with 19% across all H-1B filings.
• Top filer: Brookhaven National Laboratory. 179 filings (10% of the total), median $125,840.
• Pay depends on the city. Among the 3 metro areas with the most filings, the median ranges from $79,310 in Chicago, IL to $127,000 in San Francisco, CA.
• Median up 27% since FY2020. From $77,100 in FY2020 to $97,760 in FY2026 (Q1–Q3). Nominal, not adjusted for inflation.

Physicist H-1B salary overview

Employers filed 1,707 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Physicist jobs in FY2025–FY2026 (occupation code 19-2012, Physicists). The median base salary is $90,000, 27% below the median for all H-1B filings ($122,699), and half of the filings fall between $73,000 and $135,200. The most common wage level is Level I (entry-level), at 58% of filings. New York, NY has the most filings (288), and Brookhaven National Laboratory is the employer that files the most (179).

Top employers for Physicist

Brookhaven National Laboratory179 filings · 10%$125,840 Fermi Forward Discovery Group79 filings · 5%$85,300 Leland Stanford Jr. Univ/SLAC National Accelerator Lab60 filings · 4%$114,805 Ut-Battelle, Llc (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)52 filings · 3%$127,237 Lawrence Livermore National Security35 filings · 2%$187,379 precess medical derivatives30 filings · 2%$97,760 The Trustees Of Princeton University30 filings · 2%$76,500 Triad National Security30 filings · 2%$150,890 University of Maryland College Park30 filings · 2%$78,592 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory28 filings · 2%$143,418

Employers with the most Physicist filings. Bar: share of all Physicist filings. Figure: median base salary.

Pay by level

Physicist pay by city

Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.

What a Physicist does

Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories.

Typical tasks

• Analyze data from research conducted to detect and measure physical phenomena.
• Report experimental results by writing papers for scientific journals or by presenting information at scientific conferences.
• Perform complex calculations as part of the analysis and evaluation of data, using computers.
• Describe and express observations and conclusions in mathematical terms.
• Collaborate with other scientists in the design, development, and testing of experimental, industrial, or medical equipment, instrumentation, and procedures.
• Observe the structure and properties of matter, and the transformation and propagation of energy, using equipment such as masers, lasers, and telescopes, to explore and identify the basic principles governing these phenomena.

Preparation

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

O*NET occupation: Physicists (19-2012.00). This section includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

H-1B pay vs. all U.S. workers

Across all U.S. workers in this occupation (Physicists), the median annual wage was $172,250 in May 2025, with 20,430 people employed. The median H-1B base salary in FY2025–FY2026 is $90,000, 48% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). BLS wages cover all wage and salary workers and include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are the base salary offered on certified LCAs. The two sources cover different periods. BLS reports wages of $239,200 or more as a single top value.

Salary details

Salary range