Remote Sensing Scientist salary

From 151 certified H-1B filings (FY2025–FY2026). Base salary only.

  • Occupation code 19-2099: Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists
Median base salary$85,856−30% vs. all H-1B filings
Middle 50%$65.2k–$108.9k
80% of filings$60k–$143k10th to 90th percentile
Level I (entry-level) share37%all filings: 19%

At a glance

  • Mostly Level I (entry-level). 37% of Remote Sensing Scientist filings are Level I, compared with 19% across all H-1B filings.
  • Top filer: University of Maryland College Park. 12 filings (8% of the total), median $107,120.
  • Median up 24% since FY2020. From $72,402 in FY2020 to $90,064 in FY2026 (Q1–Q3). Nominal, not adjusted for inflation.

Remote Sensing Scientist H-1B salary overview

Employers filed 151 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Remote Sensing Scientist jobs in FY2025–FY2026 (occupation code 19-2099, Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists). The median base salary is $85,856, 30% below the median for all H-1B filings ($122,699), and half of the filings fall between $65,240 and $108,853. The most common wage level is Level I (entry-level), at 37% of filings. San Francisco, CA has the most filings (12), and University of Maryland College Park is the employer that files the most (12).

Is your Remote Sensing Scientist offer competitive?

Enter the base salary in your offer. We compare it with certified H-1B filings for Remote Sensing Scientist jobs, nationally or in one metro area.

10th $60k25th $65.2kmedian $85.9k75th $108.9k90th $143k

Enter a salary to see where it falls.

Percentiles from certified H-1B filings, base salary only. Metro areas with at least 10 filings.

Top employers for Remote Sensing Scientist

Employers with the most Remote Sensing Scientist filings. Bar: share of all Remote Sensing Scientist filings. Figure: median base salary.

Pay by level

$62.4kLevel I
Entry-level · 37% of filings
$88.3kLevel II
Mid-level · 22% of filings
$107.5kLevel III
Senior · 30% of filings
$133.8kLevel IV
Expert · 10% of filings
Show the table

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Level I · Entry $62,442 50
Level II · Qualified $88,328 30
Level III · Experienced $107,474 41
Level IV · Fully competent $133,750 14

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Remote Sensing Scientist pay by city

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

Show all 2 metro areas
Metro areaMedianFilings
San Francisco, CA$130,00012
Washington, DC$107,12012

Metro areas with at least 10 filings for this occupation.

What a Remote Sensing Scientist does

All physical scientists not listed separately.

O*NET occupation: Physical Scientists, All Other (19-2099.00). 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 (Physical Scientists, All Other), the median annual wage was $122,570 in May 2025, with 22,300 people employed. The median H-1B base salary in FY2025–FY2026 is $85,856, 30% lower.

H-1B filingsAll U.S. workers (BLS, May 2025)
10th percentile$60,000$67,000
25th percentile$65,240$86,620
Median$85,856$122,570
75th percentile$108,853$161,890
90th percentile$142,958$195,190

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

Median salary$85,856
Middle 50%$65.2k–$108.9k
vs. all occupations−30%comparison median $122,699
Filings151FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $50,000 and $207,000.
PercentileSalary
10th$60,000
25th$65,240
50th (median)$85,856
75th$108,853
90th$142,958

Salary by year

Median salary

$60k $80k $100k FY2020: median $72,402 (87 filings) FY2021: median $73,295 (86 filings) FY2022: median $72,744 (105 filings) FY2023: median $70,120 (92 filings) FY2024: median $73,098 (94 filings) FY2025: median $82,340 (96 filings) FY2026: median $90,064 (55 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 87 filings FY20 FY2021: 86 filings FY21 FY2022: 105 filings FY22 FY2023: 92 filings FY23 FY2024: 94 filings FY24 FY2025: 96 filings FY25 FY2026: 55 filings FY26 105
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$72,402$59,340$96,11787
FY2021$73,295$58,100$89,29986
FY2022$72,744$62,000$86,237105
FY2023$70,120$56,712$86,00892
FY2024$73,098$58,004$105,68794
FY2025$82,340$65,620$108,10696
FY2026$90,064$65,274$109,35355

Questions

How much does an H-1B Remote Sensing Scientist make?

The median base salary in certified H-1B filings for Remote Sensing Scientist jobs is $85,856 (151 filings, FY2025–FY2026). Half of the filings are between $65,240 and $108,853.

What does an entry-level Remote Sensing Scientist earn on an H-1B?

Level I (entry-level) filings have a median of $62,442. Level I accounts for 37% of Remote Sensing Scientist filings.

Do H-1B Remote Sensing Scientists earn more than other U.S. workers in the same job?

The H-1B median base salary ($85,856) is 30% lower than the median wage of all U.S. workers in this occupation ($122,570, BLS May 2025). The sources measure pay differently, so treat this as a rough comparison.