Occupation · SOC 19-4061

Social Science Research Assistants: H-1B salaries and wage levels

421certified H-1B LCAs, Jul 2025 to Jun 2026

$65,164median offer

$57k to $80kmiddle half of offers

17%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

421 certified LCAs, coloured by the level each salary reaches in its own area

$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k$300k

Level IIIIIIIVunder Level I = 5 LCAs = 5 LCAs

Lottery entries

77 new-employment LCAs

Social Science Research Assistants 21%29%26%17% 77

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

315 FY2026 to date

317FY23

416FY24

400FY25

315FY26

Median offer

$65,000 FY2026

$60kFY23

$63kFY24

$65kFY25

$65kFY26

Top employers

Jul 2025 to Jun 2026

#	Employer	Certified LCAs	Median salary
1	The Sphere Institute	40	$85,000
2	Johns Hopkins University	13	$70,917
3	The University of Texas at Austin	13	$60,000
4	Texas A&M University	12	$57,366
5	The Trustees of Princeton University	10	$66,624
6	New York University	9	$66,789
7	Michigan State University	8	$60,630
8	The Brookings Institution	7	$59,000
9	Center for Strategic and International Studies	7	$73,008
10	Atlantic Council of the United States Inc.	6	$67,626
11	Georgetown University	6	$66,268
12	Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania	6	$60,000
13	Apprise Incorporated	5	$73,533
14	The College of William and Mary	5	$61,500
15	The University of Alabama at Birmingham	5	$56,649
16	The Asia Society	4	$66,650
17	Colorado Seminary	4	$46,020
18	Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc.	4	$56,887
19	Research Foundation of CUNY	4	$74,364
20	Temple University--A Commonwealth University	4	$53,000
21	University of California, San Diego	4	$66,461
22	University of Colorado	4	$66,432
23	University of Illinois	4	$61,502
24	University of Maryland College Park	4	$68,826
25	Albert Einstein College of Medicine	3	$58,500
	All other employers	230	–