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Occupation · SOC 19-2011

Astronomers: H-1B salaries and wage levels

158certified H-1B LCAs, Jul 2025 to Jun 2026
$83,491median offer
$74k to $97kmiddle half of offers
0%of new-employment offers reach Level IV for their area
Source U.S. Dept. of Labor, OFLC disclosure files Covers decisions Jul 2025 to Jun 2026 Release FY2026 Q3, published Aug 7, 2026 Wage levels OFLC 2026-27

What employers offer

158 certified LCAs, coloured by the level each salary reaches in its own area
$60k to $70k: 23 LCAs$70k to $80k: 40 LCAs$80k to $90k: 37 LCAs$90k to $100k: 20 LCAs$100k to $110k: 16 LCAs$110k to $120k: 7 LCAs$120k to $130k: 6 LCAs$130k to $140k: 6 LCAs$150k to $160k: 1 LCA$190k to $200k: 1 LCA$220k to $230k: 1 LCA $60k to $70k: 23 LCAs$70k to $80k: 40 LCAs$80k to $90k: 37 LCAs$90k to $100k: 20 LCAs$100k to $110k: 16 LCAs$110k to $120k: 7 LCAs$120k to $130k: 6 LCAs$130k to $140k: 6 LCAs$150k to $160k: 1 LCA$190k to $200k: 1 LCA$220k to $230k: 1 LCA
$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k$300k
Level IIIIIIIVunder Level I = 1 LCA = 2 LCAs

Lottery entries

7 new-employment LCAs
Astronomers 29%57%14% 7
All employers 12%28%25%18%16% 149,984
1 entry · Level I2 · Level II3 · Level III4 · Level IVunder Level I, still 1 entry
How this is calculated
New-employment H-1B LCAs only, the filings behind most cap petitions; extensions, transfers and amendments do not go through the lottery, and cap-exempt universities and nonprofit research organizations are left out. Each offered salary (low end of the range) is compared with the OFLC Level I to IV wages for its occupation and worksite area, wage year 2026-27; a filing with several worksites counts at its lowest level, as the rule requires. Numbers on the right are LCAs. Full methodology.

Over time

fiscal years, October to September · hatched: year to date

Certified H-1B LCAs

113 FY2026 to date

Median offer

$83,032 FY2026

Top employers

Jul 2025 to Jun 2026
#EmployerCertified LCAsMedian salary
1 University of Colorado 13 $102,550
2 Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy 12 $95,661
3 University of Maryland College Park 11 $84,750
4 California Institute of Technology 8 $106,946
5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 7 $77,917
6 National Radio Astronomy Observatory 7 $83,491
7 The University of Chicago 6 $84,048
8 University of Michigan 6 $76,744
9 Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii 5 $81,848
10 University of California, Berkeley 5 $104,500
11 Johns Hopkins University 4 $80,016
12 Simons Foundation 4 $91,000
13 Smithsonian Institution 4 $102,616
14 Universities Space Research Association 4 $77,323
15 University of Hawaii 4 $132,000
16 University of Washington 4 $80,425
17 Arizona State University 3 $84,760
18 Columbia University 3 $78,000
19 Northwestern University 3 $78,000
20 Trustees of Boston University 3 $89,100
All other employers 42 –