Which H-1B employer pays the highest average salary?

Among large H-1B sponsors (5,000+ filings since 2021), Google LLC pays the highest average wage at $182,653, followed by Meta Platforms at $206,224 (combined entities), Qualcomm Technologies at $138,033, and Microsoft Corporation at $166,393. These are averages across all job titles filed — individual roles can pay significantly more or less. Data from DOL LCA disclosures, 2021-2026.

How many H-1B filings are there in total?

The H1BWageCheck database contains 1,757,659 certified Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) from 2020 through 2026, covering 137,834 unique employers. The average certified wage across all filings is $118,275 per year. An LCA is required for every H-1B petition; the total number of actual H-1B visas issued is lower because multiple LCAs may be filed for the same worker or positions that were never filled.

What industries use the most H-1B visas?

Computer & IT occupations (SOC codes 15-xxxx) dominate H-1B usage, accounting for 1,054,240 of 1,648,534 certified filings since 2021 — roughly 64% of all H-1B activity. Engineering comes second with 151,333 filings, followed by Business & Finance (129,018), Management (88,247), Science & Research (65,608), and Healthcare (59,821). The average wage in Computer & IT is $121,317, in Management $170,491, and in Healthcare $136,168.

What is the difference between consulting firm H-1B sponsors and direct employers?

Consulting and IT staffing firms (Cognizant, TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Accenture) file in very high volume because they place workers at multiple client sites — each placement requires a separate LCA. Direct employers (Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Apple) file H-1Bs only for their own employees. The key practical difference: consulting firm wages tend to cluster at Level I-II (average $83,000-$105,000), while direct tech employers pay Level III-IV wages ($140,000-$200,000+). Under the FY2027 weighted lottery, this wage gap translates directly into different lottery selection odds.

Does filing more H-1B LCAs mean a company hires more H-1B workers?

No. A Labor Condition Application (LCA) is a prerequisite for filing an H-1B petition, but not every LCA leads to a petition. Employers often file LCAs in advance of anticipated hiring, or file multiple LCAs for different work locations. The USCIS approval data on actual H-1B visa counts is separate from DOL LCA filings. Large consulting firms typically have high LCA-to-hire ratios because they file for potential client placements speculatively.

Which cities have the most H-1B workers?

New York leads all cities with 84,432 certified H-1B filings since 2021, paying an average of $148,944. Seattle follows with 35,722 filings ($150,263 avg), then Austin TX (34,957 filings, $125,796 avg), San Francisco (31,477 filings, $170,308 avg), and San Jose (28,009 filings, $164,608 avg). Tech-heavy metros like San Francisco, San Jose, and Sunnyvale consistently show the highest average wages.

What percentage of H-1B workers are at each wage level?

Based on DOL LCA data from 2021-2026: Level I (entry-level, below 17th percentile of prevailing wage) accounts for 18% of filings with an average wage of $78,210. Level II (experienced, 34th percentile) is the most common at 43% of filings, averaging $105,375. Level III (fully competent, 50th percentile) covers 21% at $137,104 average. Level IV (fully competent with specialized requirements, above 67th percentile) covers 17% of filings, averaging $168,008.

How does an employer's H-1B wage level affect FY2027 lottery odds?

Under the FY2027 H-1B lottery reform, higher wage levels receive more lottery entries: Level I gets 1 entry (~16% selection rate), Level II gets 2 entries (~31%), Level III gets 3 entries (~45%), and Level IV gets 4 entries (~61%). This means employees sponsored by direct tech employers at Level III-IV wages have roughly 3-4x the lottery selection odds compared to Level I consulting firm placements. The reform explicitly favors higher-paying sponsors.

Is Amazon the largest H-1B employer?

Amazon (across its legal entities Amazon.com Services LLC, Amazon Web Services Inc., and Amazon Development Center U.S., Inc.) is the largest single corporate H-1B employer, with a combined 59,451 certified LCA filings since 2021 and an average wage of approximately $153,000. When treated as separate legal entities (as DOL tracks them), Amazon.com Services LLC alone leads with 42,376 filings, with Cognizant second at 37,346.

Top 25 H-1B Employers: Who Sponsors the Most Visas?

Q: Which company sponsors the most H-1B visas?

Amazon.com Services LLC leads all H-1B sponsors with 42,376 certified LCA filings since 2021, followed by Cognizant Technology Solutions (37,346), Microsoft Corporation (28,161), Tata Consultancy Services (27,678), and Ernst & Young U.S. LLP (26,828). These five companies together account for over 162,000 filings, roughly 10% of all H-1B activity. Source: H1BWageCheck analysis of DOL LCA disclosure data, 2021-2026.

Updated June 2026 · Based on 1,757,659 certified LCA filings from 137,834 employers (DOL data, 2020–2026)

The H-1B visa program is concentrated among a small number of employers. Our database of 1.76 million certified Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) shows which companies file the most — and what they actually pay. Note that Amazon's three legal entities (Amazon.com Services LLC, Amazon Web Services, and Amazon Development Center U.S., Inc.) together account for 59,451 filings, making Amazon the single largest H-1B employer by a significant margin.

#	Employer	LCA Filings (2021–2026)	Avg Wage	Type
1	Amazon.com Services LLC	42,376	$153,652	Direct
2	Cognizant Technology Solutions	37,346	$105,356	Consulting
3	Microsoft Corporation	28,161	$166,393	Direct
4	Tata Consultancy Services	27,678	$89,111	Consulting
5	Ernst & Young U.S. LLP	26,828	$152,128	Professional Services
6	Google LLC	23,919	$182,653	Direct
7	Infosys Limited	20,354	$83,453	Consulting
8	Apple Inc.	15,421	$173,624	Direct
9	Deloitte Consulting LLP	11,409	$139,979	Professional Services
10	Walmart Associates, Inc.	11,237	$143,098	Direct
11	Amazon Web Services, Inc.	10,693	$149,684	Direct
12	Meta Platforms, Inc.	10,351	$206,224	Direct
13	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	10,334	$156,306	Direct
14	HCL America Inc.	10,107	$108,531	Consulting
15	Accenture LLP	10,097	$127,897	Consulting
16	Capgemini America Inc.	9,112	$119,826	Consulting
17	Intel Corporation	9,026	$125,933	Direct
18	IBM Corporation	8,167	$125,132	Direct
19	Wipro Limited	7,744	$92,157	Consulting
20	LTIMindtree Limited	7,328	$104,663	Consulting
21	Tesla, Inc.	6,489	$149,702	Direct
22	Compunnel Software Group	6,461	$103,943	Staffing
23	Amazon Development Center U.S.	6,382	$156,812	Direct
24	Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.	5,731	$138,033	Direct
25	Salesforce, Inc.	5,200	$171,000	Direct

Source: DOL LCA Disclosure Data, 2021–2026. Filings = certified H-1B LCAs. Multiple legal entities for the same parent company are listed separately as DOL tracks them.

The Wage Gap: Direct Employers vs. Consulting Firms

The table above reveals a stark pattern: consulting and IT staffing firms pay dramatically less than direct employers. This is not accidental — it reflects fundamental differences in how these companies use the H-1B program.

Employer Type	Typical Wage Level	Avg Wage Range	FY2027 Lottery Entries
Direct Tech Employers Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Meta	Level III–IV	$150,000–$210,000	3–4 entries
Professional Services E&Y, Deloitte, JPMorgan	Level II–III	$130,000–$165,000	2–3 entries
IT Consulting/Staffing Cognizant, TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL	Level I–II	$83,000–$110,000	1–2 entries

Under the FY2027 wage-weighted lottery, a worker sponsored by Google at Level IV has roughly 4x the lottery selection odds of a worker sponsored by Infosys at Level I. This is a major policy shift from the prior random system where all registrations had equal odds (~30%).

H-1B by Industry: Computer & IT Dominates

Computer and IT occupations account for nearly two-thirds of all H-1B filings. Based on 1,648,534 certified filings from 2021–2026:

Industry Category	LCA Filings	Share	Avg Wage
Computer & IT (SOC 15-xxxx)	1,054,240	64%	$121,317
Engineering (SOC 17-xxxx)	151,333	9%	$109,016
Business & Finance (SOC 13-xxxx)	129,018	8%	$110,836
Management (SOC 11-xxxx)	88,247	5%	$170,491
Science & Research (SOC 19-xxxx)	65,608	4%	$84,705
Healthcare (SOC 29-xxxx)	59,821	4%	$136,168
Other	100,267	6%	$91,926

Management roles (executives, IT managers, finance directors) show the highest average wage at $170,491, followed by Healthcare at $136,168.

Top H-1B Cities

New York leads all cities in H-1B volume, but Silicon Valley metros show the highest wages. Based on 2021–2026 certified filings:

City	State	LCA Filings	Avg Wage
New York	NY	84,432	$148,944
Seattle	WA	35,722	$150,263
Austin	TX	34,957	$125,796
San Francisco	CA	31,477	$170,308
San Jose	CA	28,009	$164,608
Chicago	IL	25,863	$118,404
Sunnyvale	CA	25,668	$169,186
Atlanta	GA	23,640	$114,705
Dallas	TX	22,884	$114,562
Bellevue	WA	19,060	$154,563

Austin and Atlanta are notable for combining high filing volume with wages below the California/Seattle average — primarily because a large share of filings come from IT consulting firms with Texas and Georgia operations.

Browse H-1B data for all cities →

Wage Level Distribution: Where Do H-1B Workers Fall?

DOL wage levels determine both the legal minimum wage commitment and, starting FY2027, lottery selection odds. Here is how the 1.76 million filings break down:

Wage Level	Description	Filings	Share	Avg Wage	FY2027 Lottery
Level I	Entry-level, below 17th percentile	280,345	18%	$78,210	1 entry (~16% odds)
Level II	Experienced worker, 34th percentile	668,185	43%	$105,375	2 entries (~31% odds)
Level III	Fully competent, 50th percentile	328,405	21%	$137,104	3 entries (~45% odds)
Level IV	Specialized/expert, above 67th percentile	256,305	17%	$168,008	4 entries (~61% odds)

Level II is by far the most common at 43% of all filings. The practical implication under FY2027 rules: the majority of H-1B registrants will have 2 lottery entries, while elite tech workers at Level IV have nearly 4x the selection probability of Level I registrants. Learn more about wage levels →

Key Takeaways

Amazon Is the Largest H-1B Employer

When combined across its legal entities, Amazon filed 59,451 H-1B LCAs from 2021–2026, making it the largest single corporate H-1B sponsor by a significant margin. Amazon.com Services LLC alone (42,376 filings) exceeds Cognizant's total.

High Volume Does Not Mean High Wages

Among the top 10 sponsors by volume, the wage range spans from $83,453 (Infosys) to $182,653 (Google) — a $99,200 gap. TCS pays an average of $89,111 while Microsoft pays $166,393 for similar IT job titles. The difference is that consulting firms place workers at client sites at negotiated rates, while direct employers compete for talent at market wages.

Filing Volume ≠ Visa Count

An LCA filing does not guarantee an H-1B petition was filed, much less approved. Consulting firms in particular file LCAs speculatively for anticipated client placements. The DOL LCA filing count is always higher than the USCIS H-1B approval count for the same employer.

FY2027 Will Restructure the Landscape

The wage-weighted lottery fundamentally changes H-1B incentives. Consulting firms that cluster at Level I–II will face much lower selection rates for their registrants. Direct tech employers paying Level III–IV wages gain a structural lottery advantage. This may shift volume away from staffing-model firms over time.

Explore H-1B Data

Search our database of 1.76 million LCA filings:

→ Browse all employers — see filing counts and wage data for 137,000+ companies
→ Search by company name
→ Calculate your wage level — find your lottery odds under FY2027 rules
→ H-1B wage level guide — how Level I–IV thresholds work

Frequently Asked Questions

Which company sponsors the most H-1B visas?

Amazon (across all entities) is the largest H-1B sponsor with 59,451 certified LCA filings since 2021. As a single legal entity, Amazon.com Services LLC leads at 42,376 filings, followed by Cognizant (37,346), Microsoft (28,161), Tata Consultancy Services (27,678), and Ernst & Young (26,828).

Which H-1B employer pays the most?

Among large sponsors, Meta Platforms averages $206,224, Google $182,653, Apple $173,624, and Microsoft $166,393. These are averages across all filed positions. Individual software engineering roles at these companies routinely exceed $200,000.

Why do consulting firms have so many more H-1B filings than their employee count suggests?

Consulting and IT staffing firms file a separate LCA for each worker-client placement combination. A single employee may generate multiple LCA filings if placed at different client sites over time, or if the client location changes. Direct employers file one LCA per employee per year.

Is H-1B data public?

Yes. The U.S. Department of Labor publishes LCA Disclosure Data quarterly at dol.gov. It includes employer name, job title, SOC code, offered wage, work location, and case status for every H-1B LCA filed. H1BWageCheck compiles and makes this data searchable.