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Median H-1B salary, 2008 to 2025

Median annual salary offered on certified H-1B applications, in U.S. dollars, fiscal years 2008 to 2025. · published Aug 2026

About this statistic

Median H-1B salary stood at $120,000 in 2025, up 6.2% on the previous period.

The median salary offered to H-1B workers reached $120,000 in fiscal year 2025, up $7,000 from the year before and exactly double the $60,000 median of 2008.

How it is measured

Each Labor Condition Application states the wage the employer offers for the position. Kitegraph takes the offered wage on every certified full-time application, annualizes hourly and monthly figures, and reports the median for each federal fiscal year, from 556,527 applications in 2025. This is the salary offered on the application, not a survey of what workers are ultimately paid. Employers must offer at least the prevailing wage the department sets for the occupation and area, which anchors the floor of these figures.

What the curve shows

The median rose slowly through the early 2010s, from $60,000 in 2008 to $78,000 by 2017. Growth then accelerated: $87,859 in 2018, $101,300 in 2021, and $120,000 in 2025. Rising market salaries in the computer occupations that dominate the program and a filing mix that shifted toward higher-paying employers both push the same direction.

Frequently asked questions
What is the median H-1B salary?
$120,000 per year as of fiscal 2025, measured across 556,527 certified full-time applications.
Is this what H-1B workers are actually paid?
It is the salary offered on the certified application. Actual pay can differ, but the offer must meet or exceed the prevailing wage the Department of Labor sets for the occupation and area.
How fast are H-1B salaries rising?
The median doubled between 2008 and 2025, from $60,000 to $120,000. Most of that growth came after 2017, when the median stood at $78,000.
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Median H-1B salary — Kitegraph