2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Cornerstone Research

Offered base salaries from 47 certified H-1B filings, across 1 roles in 6 metro areas.

DOL LCA disclosures · FY 2025 Certified, full-time filings only
Table 1 — The median offer

Half of Cornerstone Research's certified filings offered $195,000 or more.

The middle half of offers fell between $145,000 and $235,000. Offered base salary excludes equity and bonus — read every figure on this page as a floor on total pay, not an average.

Table 2 — Roles

What they hire for

Offered base salary by occupation, nationwide, ordered by filing volume.

RoleMedian offerRangeFilings
Economists$195,000$105k – $265k45
Table 3 — Metro areas

Where they hire

The same filings by worksite metro area.

Metro areaMedian offerRangeFilings
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$145,000$105k – $240k11
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$230,000$115k – $265k10
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$230,000$105k – $240k8
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$230,000$160k – $265k7
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$230,000$105k – $265k6
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$115,000$105k – $265k5
Table 4 — Against the market

Offers beside the local going rate

Each row compares Cornerstone Research's median offer with the median for everyone in that occupation and metro, from federal wage statistics.

Role — MetroMedian offerFilingsvs. market
Economists — New York$145,00011−17.7%
Economists — Boston$230,0008+112.7%
Economists — San Francisco$230,0007+61.5%
Economists — Los Angeles$115,0005−24.1%
Economists — Washington$230,0005+46.7%
Sources

How this page was made

Employer pay
US Department of Labor, Labor Condition Application disclosures, FY 2025. Public records.
Coverage
47 certified full-time H-1B filings. Groups under 3 filings are excluded throughout.
Market comparison
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.

Filings state the offered base salary at time of application; equity and bonus are not recorded, and visa-sponsored hiring skews toward larger employers and technical roles — this page describes Cornerstone Research's visa filings, not its whole workforce. Employer names are normalised from filing entities, so figures cover the filing entity named above. We take no payment from employers for how any figure is presented, and corrections are welcome at press@salaryalmanac.com.