Principal Scientist
Median salary
$142,315
Half earn more, half less
Middle 50%
$117,398 – $164,048
P25 to P75
Change vs prior year
-2.5%
-5.46% after inflation
Share of all H-1B
0%
235 filings
Principal Scientist pay range
Annual base pay in certified H-1B filings for this title, all occupations combined.
P10$106,105
P25$117,398
Median$142,315
P75$164,048
P90$178,465
Median by H-1B wage level
Level I$113,35010 LCAs
Level II$138,68149 LCAs
Level III$126,27087 LCAs
Level IV$154,40089 LCAs
Level I is entry level, Level IV fully experienced (Department of Labor prevailing-wage levels).
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Principal Scientist pay by occupation code
Employers file the same title under different SOC occupation codes, and pay differs between them. Each row is computed only within its SOC.
Biological Scientists, All Other 21%Biochemists and Biophysicists 20%Chemists 17%Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists 16%Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers 3%Industrial Engineers 3%
| Occupation (SOC) | Share | LCAs | P25 | Median | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biological Scientists, All Other 19-1029 | 20.85% | 49 | $113,464 | $130,000 | $165,700 |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists 19-1021 | 20% | 47 | $126,805 | $157,126 | $165,285 |
| Chemists 19-2031 | 17.02% | 40 | $110,430 | $120,000 | $145,352 |
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists 19-1042 | 15.74% | 37 | $126,006 | $157,000 | $177,000 |
| Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers 17-2031 | 3.4% | 8 | $123,000 | $128,555 | $148,184 |
| Industrial Engineers 17-2112 | 3.4% | 8 | $119,110 | $119,445 | $124,511 |
| Statisticians 15-2041 | 3.4% | 8 | $138,681 | $168,550 | $176,650 |
| Chemical Engineers 17-2041 | 2.98% | 7 | $150,000 | $150,000 | $152,900 |
| Materials Scientists 19-2032 | 2.98% | 7 | $119,798 | $130,543 | $130,543 |
| Food Scientists and Technologists 19-1012 | 2.98% | 7 | $125,233 | $143,000 | $152,622 |
Occupations with fewer than 5 filings for this title are not shown.
Top H-1B sponsors for Principal Scientist
What the biggest sponsors pay for this title, compared with the median of all sponsors filing the same title in the same occupation.
| Employer | LCAs | Median | vs all sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regeneron Pharmaceuticals | 14 | $161,352 | +2.7% |
| Novartis Institutes For Biomedical Research | 11 | $113,464 | -12.7% |
| Eli Lilly And | 8 | $126,270 | -2.9% |
| Regeneron Pharmaceuticals | 8 | $165,278 | +27.1% |
| Novartis Institutes For Biomedical Research | 6 | $120,110 | -23.6% |
| Pfizer | 5 | $106,662 | -32.1% |
Exact titles grouped here
The most common versions of this title as employers wrote them (after removing job codes and typos), with their own medians.
- Principal Scientist I22 LCAs · median $115,149
- Senior Principal Scientist8 LCAs · median $160,869