Palo Alto, CA
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H1BIndex City Grade
i
A
FY 2026
2023
B
2024
B
2025
A+
City Visa Volume i
509
Filings in FY 2026
Median City Pay i
$185,934
Typical yearly salary
True Purchasing Power i
$122,560
Adjusted for Cost of Living
Top Local Sponsor i
Tesla, Inc
78 Filings
City Data Overview
An automated review of Palo Alto's tech ecosystem, salaries, and residency sponsorship.Active Local Market: A
Finding a sponsored role in Palo Alto is a realistic goal. Backed by 509 formal applications, the city achieves an H1B Index Rating of A.
Working From Home
A solid 38.9% of sponsored workers living in Palo Alto skip the local commute completely, working remotely for out-of-state employers.
Internal Work Focus
Direct hiring is the standard here. A massive 98.2% of sponsored professionals in Palo Alto work directly for the company that hired them.
High Salary Growth
Gaining experience pays off well in Palo Alto. Moving from an entry-level job to a senior role multiplies your base pay by 1.7x.
Junior-Level Opportunities
The experience needed for a long-term job in Palo Alto is just 24 months. This makes it a great market for early-career workers.
Zero Reported Layoffs
There are absolutely zero reported layoffs from Professional, Scientific, and Tech Services companies here. Job security is excellent, with just a 3.8% visa denial rate.
Top Companies
The leading companies driving the foreign talent market in Palo Alto.Hiring & Green Card Data
How companies acquire and retain talent.Talent Origin Pipeline
Fresh Hires (23.2%)Transfers/Poached (76.8%)
Green Card (PERM) Conversion i
13.60% of active filings transition to residency.
10-Year Salary Trends
Tracking the 10-year salary growth for tech workers in Palo Alto.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) | 68 | $145,204 |
| Qualified (Level II) | 124 | $180,000 |
| Experienced (Level III) | 115 | $208,450 |
| Fully Competent (Level IV) | 82 | $250,000 |
Top Local Industries
The top sectors operating in Palo Alto.| Economic Sector | Total Filings |
|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Tech Services | 213 |
| Manufacturing | 126 |
| Information & Tech | 80 |
| Retail Trade | 25 |
| Other/Corporate Services | 20 |
Law Firms & Third-Party Work
Leading legal counsel for visas.Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, Llp
Legal Partner
103
Ey Law Llp
Legal Partner
93
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
Legal Partner
30
Erickson Immigration Group
Legal Partner
26
Mehlman Jacobs Llp
Legal Partner
20
Top Third-Party End Clients
Where consultants are deployed.Ford Motor Company
End-Client Placement
3
American Express
End-Client Placement
1
American Express Travel Related Services
End-Client Placement
1
Hp Inc
End-Client Placement
1
Hp Inc.
End-Client Placement
1
Highest Density Zip Codes
The most active areas for talent.Zip Code: 94304
Local Median: $180,000
274
Zip Code: 94301
Local Median: $205,000
111
Zip Code: 94306
Local Median: $188,000
90
Zip Code: 94303
Local Median: $150,000
31
Zip Code: 94107
Local Median: $112,882
1
Historical Visa Volume
10-Year Labor Condition Application history for Palo Alto.💡 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 Palo Alto.| Local Employer | Total Filings | Maximum Salary | Median Salary | Minimum Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla, Inc. | 78 | $290,000 | $170,898 | $118,716 |
| Amazon.Com Services Llc | 24 | $252,500 | $205,860 | $153,010 |
| Rivian And Volkswagen Group Technologies, Llc | 22 | $300,000 | $178,843 | $130,000 |
| Snap Inc. | 22 | $347,540 | $190,812 | $124,421 |
| Jpmorgan Chase & Co. | 14 | $235,000 | $187,500 | $163,500 |
| Rubrik, Inc. | 12 | $310,000 | $225,000 | $140,000 |
| Stanford Health Care | 12 | $249,038 | $147,500 | $99,986 |
| Rivian Automotive, Llc | 12 | $325,000 | $205,200 | $132,818 |
| Pinterest, Inc. | 12 | $275,850 | $187,741 | $148,699 |
| X.Ai Llc | 10 | $500,000 | $267,500 | $150,000 |
| Vmware Llc | 10 | $225,000 | $222,095 | $153,156 |
| Sap Labs, Llc | 9 | $300,000 | $169,735 | $128,820 |
| The Leland Stanford, Jr University | 9 | $257,000 | $77,619 | $76,970 |
| Tinder Llc | 9 | $295,000 | $228,328 | $149,365 |
| Ford Motor Company | 8 | $316,680 | $193,461 | $158,995 |
| Navan, Inc. | 8 | $300,000 | $189,000 | $130,853 |
| Also, Inc. | 7 | $255,000 | $215,000 | $160,000 |
| Salesforce, Inc. | 6 | $304,121 | $242,538 | $164,403 |
| Sap America, Inc. | 6 | $211,200 | $169,972 | $149,495 |
| A9.Com Llc | 5 | $259,000 | $248,643 | $198,900 |
| Guardant Health, Inc. | 5 | $259,600 | $149,157 | $126,942 |
| Sambanova Systems Inc. | 5 | $325,000 | $200,000 | $150,000 |
| Inception Ai, Inc. | 5 | $275,000 | $250,000 | $200,000 |
| Arc Research Institute | 4 | $107,000 | $106,000 | $100,000 |
| X Corp. | 4 | $450,000 | $300,000 | $150,000 |
| Woven By Toyota, U.S., Inc. | 4 | $260,000 | $193,870 | $185,000 |
| Mistral Ai, Inc. | 4 | $350,000 | $170,000 | $150,000 |
| Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. | 4 | $155,740 | $103,043 | $83,860 |
| Magicbyte Ai, Inc. | 4 | $250,000 | $165,000 | $100,000 |
| Tencent America Llc | 3 | $300,000 | $204,000 | $95,000 |
| Applovin Corporation | 3 | $250,000 | $250,000 | $150,000 |
| Ariba, Inc. | 3 | $201,265 | $181,506 | $145,886 |
| Wing Aviation Llc | 3 | $224,000 | $215,000 | $210,000 |
| Augment Computing, Inc. | 3 | $480,000 | $210,000 | $200,000 |
| Varian Medical Systems, Inc. | 3 | $160,000 | $151,365 | $142,731 |
| Kforce Inc. | 3 | $208,000 | $156,853 | $156,853 |
| Palo Alto Veterans Institute For Research | 3 | $114,234 | $73,965 | $73,965 |
| Make Matter, Inc. | 3 | $300,000 | $260,000 | $205,000 |
| Tereina Llc | 3 | $187,741 | $160,000 | $160,000 |
| Rivian And Vw Group Technology, Llc | 3 | $245,520 | $234,520 | $195,000 |
| Quantifind, Inc. | 3 | $200,000 | $125,000 | $125,000 |
| Tabapay, Inc. | 3 | $170,000 | $145,000 | $94,162 |
| Cicero Technologies, Inc. Dba Eudia | 3 | $260,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 |
| Aidash Inc. | 2 | $230,000 | $173,545 | $166,962 |
| Government Employee Insurance Company (Geico) | 2 | $250,000 | $240,000 | $230,000 |
| Genspark Inc. | 2 | $260,000 | $187,752 | $149,365 |
| Seg, Inc. | 2 | $80,000 | $70,000 | $70,000 |
| Uniphore Technologies North America, Inc. | 2 | $205,000 | $197,500 | $190,000 |
| Successfactors, Inc. | 2 | $178,591 | $166,426 | $154,260 |
| Rhombus Power, Inc. | 2 | $200,000 | $144,682 | $140,000 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member Of Technical Staff | 23 | $500,000 | $250,000 | $100,000 |
| Software Engineer | 18 | $320,000 | $160,000 | $134,326 |
| Senior Software Engineer | 11 | $265,000 | $204,000 | $149,500 |
| R&D Engineer Software | 10 | $225,000 | $222,095 | $153,156 |
| Associate, Software Engineer Iii | 8 | $190,000 | $181,350 | $163,500 |
| Software Development Engineer Ii | 6 | $205,000 | $153,010 | $136,201 |
| Sourcing Engineer | 6 | $160,000 | $140,000 | $127,000 |
| Sr. Software Engineer | 6 | $250,000 | $226,138 | $205,000 |
| Associate | 6 | $420,000 | $285,000 | $100,000 |
| Founding Member Of Technical Staff | 5 | $300,000 | $260,000 | $205,000 |
| Electronic Design Engineer | 5 | $220,000 | $155,000 | $145,000 |
| Postdoctoral Research Affiliate | 5 | $77,619 | $77,278 | $76,970 |
| Software Engineer Ii | 5 | $187,741 | $185,000 | $172,931 |
| Senior Product Manager | 4 | $245,000 | $171,531 | $103,000 |
| Staff Sourcing Engineer | 4 | $203,500 | $176,274 | $172,800 |
| Manager Iii, Software Development | 4 | $248,643 | $229,875 | $206,720 |
| Machine Learning Engineer (4) | 4 | $210,000 | $174,015 | $174,015 |
| Software Dev Engineer Ii | 4 | $210,100 | $188,600 | $178,300 |
| Senior Developer | 4 | $201,265 | $167,883 | $145,886 |
| Software Dev Engineer Iii | 4 | $254,500 | $252,500 | $247,200 |
| Software Development Engineer Iii | 4 | $252,500 | $232,454 | $219,562 |
| Developer | 4 | $150,466 | $145,038 | $128,820 |
| Software Engineer (4) | 4 | $205,000 | $174,015 | $172,931 |
| Sr Technical Program Mgr | 4 | $201,000 | $169,000 | $145,000 |
| Vice President, Sr Manager Of Software Engineering | 3 | $235,000 | $235,000 | $235,000 |
| Machine Learning Engineer Ii | 3 | $187,741 | $187,741 | $148,699 |
| Research Scientist | 3 | $225,077 | $201,094 | $164,403 |
| Machine Learning Engineer (5) | 3 | $260,000 | $202,346 | $202,346 |
| Research Engineer | 3 | $480,000 | $330,000 | $159,890 |
| Supplier Industrialization Engineer | 3 | $172,000 | $154,000 | $126,102 |
| Sr Technical Construction Project Manager | 3 | $167,164 | $155,000 | $133,864 |
| Sr Supplier Industrialization Engineer | 3 | $166,599 | $162,238 | $151,686 |
| Test Engineer | 3 | $170,898 | $170,898 | $148,000 |
| Senior Machine Learning Engineer | 3 | $265,000 | $226,138 | $226,138 |
| Applied Scientist Ii | 3 | $171,600 | $165,000 | $164,403 |
| Staff Research Associate | 2 | $107,000 | $107,000 | $107,000 |
| Customer Success Executive | 2 | $170,248 | $142,220 | $139,235 |
| Staff Software Engineer, Machine Learning | 2 | $295,000 | $252,879 | $237,000 |
| Ai Engineer | 2 | $260,000 | $197,500 | $155,000 |
| Vice President, Lead Software Engineer | 2 | $225,000 | $212,750 | $200,500 |
| Staff Research Scientist | 2 | $300,000 | $287,500 | $275,000 |
| Computer Research Scientist | 2 | $250,000 | $215,000 | $180,000 |
| Senior Test Engineer | 2 | $187,200 | $156,853 | $156,853 |
| Solution Architect (Ai Deployment Strategist) | 2 | $170,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 |
| Software Engineer (5) | 2 | $281,740 | $233,430 | $202,346 |
| Data Scientist | 2 | $200,000 | $152,500 | $140,000 |
| Chief Technology Officer | 2 | $266,656 | $233,328 | $200,000 |
| Staff Machine Learning Engineer | 2 | $275,850 | $267,925 | $260,000 |
| Backend Engineer | 2 | $240,000 | $169,000 | $150,000 |
| Sr. Technical Program Manager | 2 | $165,000 | $165,000 | $165,000 |
Historical Compensation Averages
Year-over-year salary data comparing historical averages.| Fiscal Year | Maximum | Median | Average | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $500,000 | $186,469 | $192,234 | $63 |
| 2025 | $468,900 | $180,000 | $181,249 | $25 |
| 2024 | $420,000 | $175,000 | $173,653 | $29 |
| 2023 | $500,000 | $168,000 | $170,063 | $28 |
| 2022 | $409,500 | $160,000 | $162,952 | $30 |
| 2021 | $350,000 | $150,000 | $152,310 | $31 |
| 2020 | $550,000 | $145,725 | $147,318 | $24 |
| 2019 | $250,000 | $132,184 | $130,701 | $33 |
| 2018 | $500,000 | $125,050 | $127,012 | $25 |
| 2017 | $336,000 | $121,130 | $119,725 | $20 |
| 2016 | $600,000 | $114,400 | $112,786 | $16 |
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 Palo Alto.How much do foreign professionals make in Palo Alto?
The median base pay in Palo Alto is $185,934, while specialized roles often push past $226,138.
Is the cost of living in Palo Alto affordable for sponsored workers?
After calculating state taxes and local living costs, the true purchasing power for an average professional here adjusts to about $122,560.
What are the estimated taxes for foreign workers in Palo Alto?
Local state income tax is approximately 9.3%. A professional earning the median wage here pays an estimated $17,292 to the state.
Which company sponsors the most work visas in Palo Alto?
Currently, Tesla, Inc drives the local employment market, generating 78 approved work visas in Palo Alto.