Home › Top Paying by Role Highest Paying H1B Jobs by Role (2026) The highest-paying H1B role averages $413,787 per year. These 50 job titles (with 10+ applications) command the top wages among H1B visa holders, based on DOL labor certification filings.
# Role Avg Wage Median Wage Prevailing Wage Applications Approval Rate 1 Partner $413,787 $420,000 $223,737 15 100.0% 2 Principal $340,481 $300,000 $192,480 19 94.7% 3 Physician $308,332 $292,500 $154,142 19 100.0% 4 Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine $299,114 $282,880 $106,907 26 88.5% 5 Senior Engineering Manager $282,173 $311,000 $233,520 12 100.0% 6 Assistant Professor - Clinical $278,607 $249,268 $85,182 38 100.0% 7 Physician (Hospitalist) $271,817 $280,800 $196,242 20 100.0% 8 Attending Physician $260,105 $260,000 $210,377 17 94.1% 9 Software Engineering Lmts $239,684 $240,719 $177,768 13 100.0% 10 Clinical Assistant Professor $227,350 $190,029 $94,647 57 100.0% 11 Project Leader $225,400 $225,400 $160,638 13 100.0% 12 Law Clerk $225,000 $225,000 $152,805 19 100.0% 13 Professor $220,024 $190,000 $97,526 24 87.5% 14 Assistant Professor of Clinical $217,847 $235,000 $112,341 13 100.0% 15 Software Senior Principal Engineer $217,775 $204,193 $172,000 13 100.0% 16 Quantitative Researcher $216,102 $225,000 $113,251 40 100.0% 17 Trader $215,494 $220,000 $113,681 21 100.0% 18 Staff Machine Learning Engineer $214,500 $208,000 $196,465 11 100.0% 19 Principal Software Development Engineer $213,505 $214,300 $199,974 11 100.0% 20 Senior Manager, Engineering $212,073 $229,190 $189,673 10 90.0% 21 Manager III, Software Development $210,947 $222,000 $185,065 12 100.0% 22 Senior Machine Learning Engineer $209,417 $185,000 $162,810 39 100.0% 23 Engineering Manager $207,383 $207,870 $191,763 70 97.1% 24 Software Development Engineer III $206,958 $212,100 $162,157 24 100.0% 25 Smts Software Development Eng. $205,771 $208,000 $195,313 10 100.0% 26 Member of Technical Staff $205,398 $177,838 $176,512 43 100.0% 27 Software Engineering Smts $201,107 $201,271 $156,221 11 100.0% 28 Hospitalist $201,040 $216,320 $128,469 40 92.5% 29 Quantitative Analyst $200,964 $200,000 $119,393 20 95.0% 30 Staff Data Scientist $199,935 $204,477 $160,389 13 92.3% 31 Director $198,610 $196,000 $162,117 50 100.0% 32 Senior Member of Technical Staff $198,556 $209,558 $195,104 10 100.0% 33 Senior Staff Software Engineer $197,641 $192,834 $186,883 28 96.4% 34 Senior Staff Engineer $194,258 $187,074 $175,603 10 100.0% 35 Senior Manager $193,578 $203,000 $146,394 58 100.0% 36 Associate $193,234 $185,000 $138,934 227 100.0% 37 Sr Staff Software Engineer $193,021 $208,993 $188,749 12 100.0% 38 Vice President $190,212 $180,000 $152,773 108 99.1% 39 Manager, Engineering $189,939 $197,025 $176,955 25 100.0% 40 Director Software Engineering $189,528 $191,318 $169,352 25 96.0% 41 Software Engineering Manager $188,695 $182,300 $171,515 18 100.0% 42 Mts 1, Software Engineer $187,025 $195,000 $178,082 16 100.0% 43 Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer) $186,500 $200,000 $161,590 14 100.0% 44 Vice President, Software Engineering $186,310 $190,000 $147,029 29 100.0% 45 Lead Analytics Consultant $183,457 $184,200 $105,355 14 100.0% 46 Staff Software Development Engineer $183,431 $174,622 $170,657 21 100.0% 47 Senior Manager, Software Engineering $182,768 $175,000 $166,605 36 97.2% 48 Principal Engineer $182,613 $172,744 $158,821 40 97.5% 49 Senior Product Manager $181,808 $185,000 $160,900 55 98.2% 50 Staff Software Engineer $181,250 $172,100 $161,249 178 99.4%
Frequently Asked Questions What are the highest paying H1B jobs? Senior engineering, management, and specialized technical roles typically command the highest H1B wages. Titles like Principal Engineer, Engineering Manager, and Director-level positions consistently appear at the top of wage rankings.
How are prevailing wages determined for each role? The Department of Labor determines prevailing wages using the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. Each role is classified by SOC code, and the prevailing wage depends on the occupation, skill level (I-IV), and geographic location.
Why do wages vary so much within the same role? Location is the biggest factor — the same role pays significantly more in San Francisco or New York compared to smaller cities. Seniority level, company size, and industry also drive wage variation within the same job title.