San Diego, CA
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H1BIndex City Grade
i
B
FY 2026
2023
B
2024
C
2025
A+
City Visa Volume i
781
Filings in FY 2026
Median City Pay i
$152,027
Typical yearly salary
True Purchasing Power i
$100,210
Adjusted for Cost of Living
Top Local Sponsor i
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc
203 Filings
City Data Overview
An automated review of San Diego's tech ecosystem, salaries, and residency sponsorship.Consistent Hiring: B
Companies in San Diego sponsor foreign workers at a normal pace. We logged 781 visa requests, earning a solid H1B Index Score of B.
High Remote Work
Working remotely for out-of-state companies is common here. Exactly 24.8% of sponsored workers living in San Diego work for employers in other states.
Core Internal Teams
Most businesses in San Diego hire directly for their own daily needs. Around 94.4% of sponsored workers focus entirely on internal tasks.
Experience Compensation
Sticking with your career in this market brings high rewards. The pay gap between beginners and experts in San Diego is 2.2x.
Low Experience Required
This market is a great starting point for permanent residency. Local companies only require an average of 24 months of experience.
Zero Reported Layoffs
There are absolutely zero reported layoffs from Manufacturing companies here. Job security is excellent, with just a 2.9% visa denial rate.
Top Companies
The leading companies driving the foreign talent market in San Diego.Hiring & Green Card Data
How companies acquire and retain talent.Talent Origin Pipeline
Fresh Hires (49.8%)Transfers/Poached (50.2%)
Green Card (PERM) Conversion i
15.60% of active filings transition to residency.
10-Year Salary Trends
Tracking the 10-year salary growth for tech workers in San Diego.Most Common Job Titles
The most frequently sponsored positions.O*NET Wage Level Distribution
Experience requirements matched against pay tiers.| Experience Level | Total Filings | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Level (Level I) | 42 | $84,317 |
| Qualified (Level II) | 233 | $130,187 |
| Experienced (Level III) | 229 | $155,000 |
| Fully Competent (Level IV) | 189 | $184,974 |
Top Local Industries
The top sectors operating in San Diego.| Economic Sector | Total Filings |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 427 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Tech Services | 228 |
| Information & Tech | 39 |
| Retail Trade | 30 |
| Other/Corporate Services | 19 |
Law Firms & Third-Party Work
Leading legal counsel for visas.Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen And Loewy, Llp
Legal Partner
447
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
Legal Partner
37
Berry Appleman & Leiden Llp
Legal Partner
31
Ey Law Llp
Legal Partner
18
Graham Adair, Inc.
Legal Partner
16
Top Third-Party End Clients
Where consultants are deployed.Illumina
End-Client Placement
4
Axos Bank
End-Client Placement
4
Intuit-Sdg
End-Client Placement
2
Medimpact Healthcare Systems
End-Client Placement
2
Hyundai Translead
End-Client Placement
2
Highest Density Zip Codes
The most active areas for talent.Zip Code: 92121
Local Median: $152,479
424
Zip Code: 92127
Local Median: $151,064
94
Zip Code: 92122
Local Median: $130,187
55
Zip Code: 92130
Local Median: $157,581
34
Zip Code: 92128
Local Median: $157,581
30
Historical Visa Volume
10-Year Labor Condition Application history for San Diego.💡 Click on the legend labels below to filter data.
Historical Green Card Data
10-Year Permanent Residency sponsorship volume.💡 Click on the legend labels below to filter data.
Noticing a difference in dates? Salary metrics reflect real-time DOL filings, while approval metrics rely on finalized USCIS historical data. View timelines
Complete Employer List
A detailed ledger of all employers operating in San Diego.| Local Employer | Total Filings | Maximum Salary | Median Salary | Minimum Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. | 203 | $374,900 | $152,506 | $84,718 |
| Apple Inc. | 97 | $325,500 | $163,300 | $126,880 |
| Servicenow, Inc. | 25 | $305,000 | $135,138 | $94,806 |
| Amazon.Com Services Llc | 21 | $194,400 | $147,300 | $80,514 |
| Qualcomm Innovation Center, Inc. | 19 | $278,200 | $130,187 | $114,252 |
| Sony Interactive Entertainment Llc | 16 | $297,400 | $152,250 | $110,402 |
| Illumina, Inc. | 16 | $425,000 | $131,768 | $73,362 |
| Asml Us, Lp | 12 | $240,000 | $128,606 | $108,000 |
| Ernst & Young U.S. Llp | 11 | $313,664 | $200,000 | $185,000 |
| Specs Inc. | 9 | $259,560 | $157,581 | $157,581 |
| Qualcomm Incorporated | 9 | $211,200 | $122,387 | $93,933 |
| Intuit Inc. | 9 | $254,152 | $162,972 | $153,600 |
| Qualcomm Atheros, Inc. | 8 | $236,300 | $130,187 | $114,252 |
| Genentech, Inc. | 7 | $307,800 | $116,376 | $97,469 |
| Petco Animal Supplies Stores, Inc. | 5 | $207,000 | $185,000 | $109,500 |
| Resmed Digital Health Inc. | 5 | $188,000 | $167,000 | $92,622 |
| Microsoft Corporation | 5 | $211,248 | $200,470 | $157,600 |
| Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. | 5 | $247,700 | $108,600 | $90,480 |
| Gofundme, Inc. | 5 | $280,000 | $236,000 | $136,000 |
| Google Llc | 5 | $312,998 | $183,000 | $175,000 |
| Cymer, Llc | 4 | $208,125 | $123,896 | $120,765 |
| Deloitte Consulting Llp | 4 | $232,900 | $200,449 | $129,188 |
| Asml Us, Llc | 4 | $193,125 | $119,308 | $90,631 |
| Midland Credit Management, Inc | 4 | $204,974 | $156,853 | $156,125 |
| Nvidia Corporation | 4 | $287,500 | $184,000 | $152,506 |
| Psemi Corporation | 4 | $194,000 | $131,000 | $128,898 |
| Lpl Financial Llc | 4 | $219,450 | $189,550 | $147,160 |
| Teradata U.S. Inc | 4 | $158,936 | $150,040 | $129,901 |
| Axos Bank | 3 | $131,000 | $110,000 | $103,000 |
| Avidxchange, Inc. | 3 | $126,000 | $116,000 | $116,000 |
| Mediatek Usa Inc. | 3 | $227,000 | $166,000 | $161,000 |
| Dexcom, Inc. | 3 | $180,000 | $160,000 | $100,000 |
| Orpine Inc | 3 | $130,187 | $102,794 | $102,794 |
| Shein Technology Llc | 3 | $255,000 | $182,000 | $117,000 |
| Tata Consultancy Services Limited | 3 | $137,600 | $94,806 | $92,622 |
| Arohak Inc | 2 | $99,000 | $96,500 | $94,000 |
| Becton, Dickinson And Company | 2 | $154,000 | $139,500 | $135,000 |
| Amazon Web Services, Inc. | 2 | $158,400 | $149,750 | $141,100 |
| Epsilon Data Management Llc | 2 | $131,884 | $131,884 | $131,884 |
| Epic Games, Inc. | 2 | $290,500 | $237,750 | $185,000 |
| Novartis Institutes For Biomedical Research, Inc. | 2 | $116,355 | $116,355 | $116,355 |
| Majestic It Services Inc | 2 | $86,000 | $85,987 | $85,987 |
| Lytx, Inc. | 2 | $145,000 | $137,062 | $129,125 |
| Mango Technologies, Inc. | 2 | $335,000 | $180,000 | $160,000 |
| Innophase Iot, Inc. | 2 | $191,012 | $190,506 | $190,000 |
| Ionian Technologies, Llc | 2 | $195,000 | $150,500 | $146,000 |
| Orion Structural Engineering Inc | 2 | $98,322 | $89,242 | $80,163 |
| Oracle America, Inc. | 2 | $181,112 | $157,581 | $157,581 |
| Natus Medical Incorporated | 2 | $134,672 | $134,672 | $134,672 |
| Neuromodulatory Devices & Applications, Inc. | 2 | $200,000 | $200,000 | $200,000 |
Complete Salary Matrix by Job Title
Salary breakdown across all job titles in this city.| Local Job Title | Total Filings | Maximum Salary | Median Salary | Minimum Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineering Systems | 22 | $258,100 | $157,581 | $139,500 |
| Staff Software Engineer | 19 | $300,000 | $184,974 | $152,479 |
| Senior Software Engineer | 16 | $220,000 | $143,884 | $114,252 |
| Software Engineer | 14 | $287,500 | $130,187 | $82,118 |
| Software Development Engineer - Firmware | 14 | $302,200 | $157,581 | $126,880 |
| Software Engineer (4) | 9 | $206,000 | $157,581 | $157,581 |
| Software Development Engineering | 8 | $258,100 | $171,278 | $145,761 |
| Senior Asics Engineer | 7 | $173,400 | $128,898 | $128,898 |
| Senior Staff Software Engineer | 7 | $250,800 | $184,459 | $181,867 |
| Software Developer | 7 | $203,882 | $157,581 | $78,000 |
| Senior Systems Test Engineer | 6 | $160,600 | $130,187 | $107,000 |
| Senior Staff Gpu Engineer | 5 | $292,800 | $195,200 | $195,200 |
| Data Scientist | 4 | $197,500 | $114,750 | $106,300 |
| Asics Engineer | 4 | $147,700 | $128,655 | $128,412 |
| Senior Cellular System Test Engineer | 4 | $160,600 | $130,187 | $107,000 |
| Software Development Engineer Ii | 4 | $194,400 | $150,375 | $147,300 |
| Software Engineer Ii | 4 | $225,100 | $147,900 | $131,140 |
| Information Security Analysts - Kbgfjg23970-17 | 4 | $215,000 | $215,000 | $215,000 |
| Staff Asics Engineer | 4 | $210,000 | $152,506 | $152,506 |
| Staff Cellular System Test Engineer | 4 | $195,800 | $157,581 | $154,860 |
| Senior Camera Software Engineer | 4 | $175,300 | $130,187 | $130,187 |
| Staff Cellular Technologies Software Engineer | 4 | $222,500 | $157,581 | $157,581 |
| Tools And Automation Engineer | 4 | $245,800 | $149,050 | $126,880 |
| Senior Plasma And Laser Physics Engineer 1 | 3 | $193,125 | $120,765 | $120,765 |
| Senior Manager | 3 | $232,900 | $200,449 | $200,449 |
| Senior Modem Technologies Engineer | 3 | $192,000 | $128,898 | $128,898 |
| Module Systems Engineer | 3 | $258,100 | $152,506 | $139,500 |
| Lead Sfdc Techno Functional | 3 | $130,187 | $102,794 | $102,794 |
| Systems Engineer | 3 | $135,600 | $85,987 | $85,987 |
| Systems Test Engineer | 3 | $133,600 | $130,187 | $104,434 |
| Camera Software Engineer | 3 | $148,300 | $120,322 | $120,322 |
| Senior Engineer | 3 | $208,400 | $152,506 | $128,898 |
| Senior Staff Camera Software Engineer | 3 | $256,200 | $184,974 | $184,974 |
| Program Manager | 3 | $189,600 | $144,000 | $126,400 |
| Senior Staff Camera Engineer | 3 | $268,400 | $179,000 | $179,000 |
| Staff Camera Engineer | 3 | $222,500 | $152,506 | $152,506 |
| Senior Staff Multimedia Systems Engineer | 3 | $268,400 | $179,000 | $179,000 |
| Principal Software Engineer | 3 | $242,400 | $157,581 | $157,581 |
| Staff Engineer | 3 | $250,000 | $161,000 | $152,506 |
| Staff Gpu Engineer | 3 | $243,000 | $161,800 | $161,800 |
| Staff Hardware Applications Engineer | 3 | $188,400 | $152,506 | $138,385 |
| Staff Hardware Engineer | 3 | $202,200 | $135,538 | $134,800 |
| Staff Machine Learning Engineer | 3 | $237,600 | $158,400 | $158,400 |
| Machine Learning Engineer | 3 | $258,100 | $130,187 | $130,187 |
| Staff Systems Analyst | 3 | $172,800 | $120,037 | $120,037 |
| Staff Systems Test Engineer | 3 | $195,800 | $157,581 | $130,600 |
| Module Design Engineer | 3 | $302,200 | $171,600 | $139,500 |
| Wireless Systems Engineering | 3 | $302,200 | $171,600 | $143,187 |
| Applied Scientist Ii | 3 | $161,200 | $153,000 | $153,000 |
| Senior Gpu Engineer | 3 | $200,400 | $133,600 | $133,600 |
Historical Compensation Averages
Year-over-year salary data comparing historical averages.| Fiscal Year | Maximum | Median | Average | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $313,664 | $150,000 | $147,156 | $35 |
| 2025 | $525,000 | $130,475 | $134,057 | $15 |
| 2024 | $785,689 | $123,000 | $127,337 | $17 |
| 2023 | $528,500 | $119,000 | $123,379 | $21 |
| 2022 | $400,000 | $117,600 | $118,481 | $15 |
| 2021 | $747,942 | $112,500 | $113,433 | $17 |
| 2020 | $500,000 | $106,533 | $106,540 | $20 |
| 2019 | $285,000 | $100,000 | $97,065 | $25 |
| 2018 | $329,736 | $90,000 | $89,798 | $11 |
| 2017 | $303,000 | $85,000 | $85,903 | $14 |
| 2016 | $800,000 | $87,100 | $87,488 | $17 |
Recent Visa Applications (FY 2026)
Raw, unedited federal disclosures showing individual labor applications filed in this city.City Specific Intelligence (FAQ)
Common questions and insights about San Diego.What is the actual spending power of a professional in San Diego?
Adjusting for the local cost of living and specific state taxes brings the true purchasing power of the median wage to about $100,210.
What is the tax rate on a professional salary in San Diego?
In San Diego, state taxes sit around 9.3%. You should expect an estimated $14,139 to be withheld for state taxes annually.
What company hires the most international workers in San Diego?
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc is the leading sponsor in the area, filing 203 work visa requests recently.
What is a standard salary for sponsored jobs in San Diego?
The median base pay in San Diego is $152,027, while specialized roles often push past $175,125.