Report: California, Washington, Oregon report highest H-1B salaries

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(The Center Square) – California, Washington and Oregon provided the highest salaries for H-1B workers in the United States, according to a new report.

The new report from Manifest Law analyzed data from the United States Department of Labor collected in first three quarters of 2025. The report found that, in 2022, H-1B approvals reached their highest levels at more than 442,000. This figure has remained stable and totals 406,000 in 2025.

“This marks a strong recovery from the late 2010s, when approvals dropped below 340,000 amid increased scrutiny of visa applications and tighter adjudication standards,” according to the report.

H-1B visas are temporary nonimmigrant work authorizations for employees with at least a bachelor’s degree. People who live and work in the United States on H-1B visas are typically in science or technology fields.

Manifest Law’s report found that the median annual wage for H-1B workers was $167,534 in California, followed by $157,600 in Washington and $138,086 in Oregon.

Specialty physicians and workers at large technology companies accounted for the highest H-1B worker wages. Cardiologists, anesthesiologists, radiologists, surgeons and neurologists all reported median H-1B wages exceeding $300,000.

“These figures reflect both the advanced training required for these roles and the persistent demand in U.S. healthcare systems for board-certified specialists,” Manifest Law’s report read.

Anna Gorisch, founder and managing partner of Kendall Immigration Law, said H-1B visas have become increasingly necessary to fill gaps in the healthcare industry.

“We have foreign physicians who work in places that American grads don’t want to go,” Gorisch said.

According to the report, H-1B workers in small metropolitan areas received median salaries above $300,000 annually. Parkersburg and Beckley, West Virginia, reported median salaries of $382,200 and $355,000, respectively. Jacksonville, North Carolina, reported a median salary of $350,000 for H-1B workers.

These areas appeared to have high demands in the healthcare sector, which accounted for their high median salary options. 

The rural areas outperformed median salaries in large metropolitan areas across California, Washington and Oregon. San Jose reported median salaries of $184,772, Seattle reported $158,691 and Portland had median salaries of $139,744.

Technology companies hold 12 of the top 15 highest paying employer spots for H-1B workers. The streaming service Roku, Netflix, Airbnb and Nvidia are among the top employers with the most highly paid H-1B workers. 

“These companies are concentrated in high-cost, innovation-driven industries and are competing aggressively for specialized talent in the fields such as software development, artificial intelligence and robotics,” according to the report. “The presence of these firms at the top of the wage rankings underscores the premium placed on technical expertise in today’s digital economy.”

These wages could be affected by the Trump administration’s actions to reduce and restrict H-1B visa holders from coming into the country. In September, President Donald Trump imposed a $100,000 fee against new H-1B visa applicants.

The administration has also proposed rules to raise the prevailing wage rate, a measure used to determine H-1B workers minimum wage. This could make it so employers are more hesitant to hire or recruit workers on H-1B visas.

“These shifts could incentivize employers to fill roles domestically, adopt automation solutions, or more heavily rely on renewing existing H-1B visas, which will not be affected by these changes,” Manifest Law’s report reads.

The report predicted H-1B visas will remain prevalent in healthcare industries, especially to fulfill specialty physician roles.

“These roles are difficult to automate and often face long domestic training pipelines, meaning foreign-trained specialists will continue to play a key role in maintaining care capacity, especially in hospitals and health systems that struggle to attract U.S.-trained providers,” the report reads.

Manifest Law said federal changes to the H-1B system could have effects on employers and drive costs higher.

“Looming regulatory changes – including sharply higher H-1B application fees, rising prevailing wage requirements, and proposed updates to the lottery system – may drive employer costs higher or push employers to streamline recruitment toward fewer, more specialized roles even as persistent skill shortages in tech and healthcare ensure that demand for highly skilled foreign workers remains strong,” the report reads.