H-1B Chemical Engineer Hiring Experiences Significant Uptick in FY2025
Explore H-1B visa filings for Chemical Engineers. View sponsoring employers, salary data from 100 filings, and approval rates from DOL public records.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total H-1B Petitions | 100 |
| Approval Rate | 96% |
| Average Salary | $122,423 |
| Salary Range | $48,838 - $305,760 |
| Top Sponsor | Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. |
| Primary Location | California |
Chemical Engineers is one of the H-1B visa categories with 187 filings and an average salary of $1,065,730. The number of Chemical Engineers with H-1B visas has seen a significant surge in FY2025, indicating increased demand. California and Massachusetts are the leading states for H-1B hires in this role, suggesting concentrated opportunities. The average salary for H-1B Chemical Engineers is slightly above the median, pointing to competitive compensation. While the total number of positions is relatively low, the recent spike suggests a growing trend.
| Total Filings | 100 |
| Approval Rate | 96% |
| Average Salary | $122,423 |
| Median Salary | $115,000 |
| 25th Percentile | $90,000 |
| 75th Percentile | $145,600 |
| Minimum Salary | $48,838 |
| Maximum Salary | $305,760 |
| 10th Percentile | $69,079 |
| 25th Percentile | $90,000 |
| Median (50th) | $115,000 |
| 75th Percentile | $145,600 |
| 90th Percentile | $178,651 |
| Average | $122,423 |
| Sample Size | 100 |
| Visa Class | Filings |
|---|---|
| H-1B | 72 |
| E-3 AUSTRALIAN | 21 |
| H-1B1 SINGAPORE | 4 |
| H-1B1 CHILE | 3 |
| Education Level | Filings |
|---|---|
| Not Specified | 100 |
| Employer | Filings | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. | 4 | $126k |
| REDWOOD MATERIALS, INC. | 4 | $126k |
| ALTEXT INC | 4 | $118k |
| UT-BATTELLE, LLC (OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY) | 3 | $151k |
| Magrathea Metals Inc. | 2 | $160k |
| Novetus Engineering, LLC | 2 | $306k |
| Kanadevia Inova U.S.A. LLC | 2 | $105k |
| G2 Technology Corp | 2 | $100k |
| GMP Engineering Inc. | 2 | $82k |
| Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 2 | $142k |
| State | Filings |
|---|---|
| California | 14 |
| Texas | 10 |
| Massachusetts | 10 |
| New Jersey | 7 |
| Nevada | 6 |
| Tennessee | 6 |
| Illinois | 5 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 |
| Arizona | 4 |
| Michigan | 4 |
Focus your H-1B job search on California and Massachusetts, and highlight specialized skills that align with the high average salaries offered to Chemical Engineers.
The average H-1B salary for Chemical Engineers is $1,065,730, with a median of $110,000. The 25th-75th percentile range is $85,000 to $138,694.
Top H-1B sponsors for Chemical Engineers include Western Digital Technologies, Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., University of California, Berkeley, Battelle Memorial Institute, Sanofi Pasteur Inc.. A total of 129 employers have filed for this role.
There are 187 H-1B filings on record for Chemical Engineers positions. 95.7% were certified.
The top states for H-1B Chemical Engineers positions are California (44), Massachusetts (21), Texas (19), Pennsylvania (9), Illinois (9).
Yes, Chemical Engineers is a qualifying occupation for H-1B visa sponsorship. There are 187 approved H-1B petitions for this role in the database.
H-1B Chemical Engineers salaries range from $48,838 to $177,902,400. The median salary is $110,000.
The approval rate for Chemical Engineers H-1B petitions is 95.7%. The dramatic increase in FY2025 (176 hires) compared to previous years (3-6 hires) is the most striking observation.
California (44) and Massachusetts (21) are the top destinations for H-1B Chemical Engineers.
Focus your H-1B job search on California and Massachusetts, and highlight specialized skills that align with the high average salaries offered to Chemical Engineers.
The average salary (106,573) is higher than the median salary (110,000), which is unusual and might indicate a data anomaly or specific high-paying roles.
The Chemical Engineers occupation (SOC code 17-204100) is classified under the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system maintained by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The SOC system groups workers into occupational categories based on the type of work performed, providing a standardized framework for comparing wages, employment levels, and workforce trends across the United States.
Chemical Engineers positions fall within the specialty occupation category required for H-1B visa sponsorship, meaning they typically require the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and at minimum a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in the specific specialty. Based on H-1B filing data, the most common education requirement for Chemical Engineers positions is Not Specified (100 filings), followed by other degree levels.
Across 100 LCA filings tracked by H1BSalaryCheck, Chemical Engineers positions show an average offered salary of $122,423, with a range from $48,838 at the entry level to $305,760 for senior positions. The largest concentration of H-1B filings for this role is in California (14 filings) and Texas (10 filings).
Career outlook for Chemical Engineers professionals is closely tied to industry demand for specialized skills. Employers sponsoring H-1B workers for this role are demonstrating that they could not find sufficient qualified U.S. workers to fill these positions, which often signals strong demand and competitive compensation. Workers in this occupation may also be eligible for other visa categories including L-1 intracompany transfers, O-1 extraordinary ability visas, or employment-based green card sponsorship through the PERM process.
To sponsor a foreign worker for an H-1B visa in a Chemical Engineers role, U.S. employers must satisfy several requirements established by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and enforced by both the Department of Labor (DOL) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS):
The position must qualify as a "specialty occupation," meaning it requires the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and at minimum a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in a specific specialty directly related to the position. For Chemical Engineers roles, H-1B filings indicate that employers most commonly require a Not Specified degree. USCIS evaluates whether the position itself, not just the employer's preference, genuinely requires specialized education.
Employers must pay H-1B workers at least the prevailing wage for the occupation in the geographic area of employment, as determined by the DOL. The prevailing wage is based on four skill levels (Level 1 through Level 4) that reflect the complexity of the job duties and required experience. For Chemical Engineers positions, the average offered salary of $122,423 exceeds prevailing wages by an average of 21.2%, with 84% of filings offering above the prevailing wage.
Before filing the H-1B petition, employers must obtain a certified LCA from the DOL. The LCA requires employers to attest to four conditions: (1) paying at least the prevailing wage or actual wage, whichever is higher; (2) providing working conditions that do not adversely affect similarly employed U.S. workers; (3) no strike or lockout at the worksite; and (4) proper notice of the filing to workers. The overall LCA approval rate for Chemical Engineers positions is 96%.
The annual H-1B cap is set at 65,000 regular visas plus 20,000 for beneficiaries with U.S. master's degrees or higher (the "master's cap"). Certain employers, including institutions of higher education, nonprofit research organizations, and government research organizations, are exempt from the cap. Chemical Engineers positions at cap-exempt employers can be filed at any time during the year, while cap-subject employers must participate in the annual H-1B lottery, typically held in March for the following fiscal year.
H-1B visas are initially granted for up to three years and can be extended for a maximum of six years total. Workers who have an approved I-140 immigrant petition (part of the green card process) may be eligible for extensions beyond the six-year limit under the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act (AC21). The average contract duration for Chemical Engineers H-1B filings is approximately 31 months.
Cities with the most H-1B filings for Chemical Engineers positions.
| City | State | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Houston | Texas | 6 |
| Lexington | Massachusetts | 4 |
| Oak Ridge | Tennessee | 3 |
| Oakland | California | 2 |
| Knoxville | Tennessee | 2 |
| McCarran | Nevada | 2 |
| Phoenix | Arizona | 2 |
| Rahway | New Jersey | 2 |
| Chicago | Illinois | 2 |
| Raleigh | North Carolina | 2 |
Other H-1B job categories related to Chemical Engineers, grouped by similar SOC classification codes.