Palo Alto, CA
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H1BIndex City Grade
i
A
FY 2026
2023
A+
2024
A+
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
Green Card Rate i
13.60%
Transition to Residency
City Data Overview
An automated review of Palo Alto's tech ecosystem, salaries, and residency sponsorship.Consistent Hiring: "A"
Companies in the city sponsor foreign workers at a normal pace. We logged 509 visa requests, earning a solid H1B Index Score of "A".
High Remote Work
Working remotely for out-of-state companies is common here. Exactly 38.9% of sponsored workers based in Palo Alto work for employers in other states.
In-House Projects
External client work is rare in Palo Alto. Roughly 98.2% of the workforce operates strictly on their employer’s own internal products.
Seniority Wage Growth
Companies in Palo Alto offer strong salary growth. Reaching senior-level status typically increases your starting pay by 1.7x.
Junior-Level Opportunities
The experience needed for a long-term job in this city is just 24 months. This makes it a great market for early-career workers.
Zero Reported Layoffs
Across 509 federal filings, there are absolutely zero reported layoffs from Professional, Scientific, and Tech Services companies here. Job security is excellent, with just a 0.0% visa denial rate.
Layoff Radar & Risk Indicators
Clean Layoff Record
Safe Local Economy: Employers in Palo Alto have a clean record with zero recent job cuts in these roles.
Top Companies
The leading companies driving the foreign talent market in Palo Alto.Tesla, Inc.
78 Local Filings
$170,898
-8.1% City Avg
Amazon.com Services LLC
24 Local Filings
$205,860
+10.7% City Avg
Rivian And Volkswagen Group Technologies, LLC
22 Local Filings
$178,843
Market Rate
Snap Inc.
22 Local Filings
$190,812
Market Rate
Jpmorgan Chase & Co.
14 Local Filings
$187,500
Market Rate
Rubrik, Inc.
12 Local Filings
$225,000
+21.0% City Avg
Stanford Health Care
12 Local Filings
$147,500
-20.7% City Avg
Rivian Automotive, LLC
12 Local Filings
$205,200
+10.4% City Avg
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. Positive Economic Growth: +63.0%. The median baseline compensation across all sponsored roles in this city has seen a steady upward trend over the last decade.
Lower Permanent Wage Baseline: -$10,169. Local data reveals current permanent residency filings match a 5.5% reduction compared to temporary contractor price values.
Most Common Job Titles i
The most frequently sponsored positions.Job Title & Market DataTotal Approvals
4.5% Share
23
3.5% Share
18
2.2% Share
11
2.0% Share
10
1.6% Share
8
O*NET Wage Level Distribution
Experience requirements matched against pay tiers.| Experience Level | Total Filings | Cohort Size | Minimum Base | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Level (Level I) | 68 | 13.4% | $67,485 | $145,204 |
| Qualified (Level II) | 124 | 24.4% | $75,774 | $180,000 |
| Experienced (Level III) | 115 | 22.6% | $73,965 | $208,450 |
| Fully Competent (Level IV) | 82 | 16.1% | $99,986 | $250,000 |
| Not Disclosed (Blank) | 120 | 23.6% | $118,715 | $178,300 |
Top Local Industries
The top sectors operating in Palo Alto.| Economic Sector | Total Filings | Market Share | Median Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Tech Services | 213 | 41.8% | $187,881 |
| Manufacturing | 126 | 24.8% | $181,587 |
| Information & Tech | 80 | 15.7% | $187,741 |
| Retail Trade | 25 | 4.9% | $206,720 |
| Unspecified / Blank | 20 | 3.9% | $185,000 |
| Healthcare & Social Assistance | 18 | 3.5% | $147,078 |
| Finance & Insurance | 15 | 2.9% | $155,000 |
| Educational Services | 12 | 2.4% | $77,572 |
Law Firms & Third-Party Work i
Leading legal counsel for visas.Law Firm & Market DataTotal Approvals
21.9% Share
103
19.8% Share
93
6.4% Share
30
5.5% Share
26
4.3% Share
20
Top Third-Party End Clients i
Where consultants are deployed.End Client & Placement DataTotal Approvals
33.3% Share
3
11.1% Share
1
11.1% Share
1
11.1% Share
1
11.1% Share
1
Highest Density Zip Codes i
The most active areas for talent.Zip Code & Hub DemographicsTotal Approvals
53.8% Hub Share
274
21.8% Hub Share
111
17.7% Hub Share
90
6.1% Hub Share
31
0.2% Hub Share
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 | Market Share | Maximum Salary | Median Salary | Minimum Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla, Inc. | 78 | 15.3% | $290,000 | $170,898 | $118,716 |
| Amazon.com Services LLC | 24 | 4.7% | $252,500 | $205,860 | $153,010 |
| Rivian And Volkswagen Group Technologies, LLC | 22 | 4.3% | $300,000 | $178,843 | $130,000 |
| Snap Inc. | 22 | 4.3% | $347,540 | $190,812 | $124,421 |
| Jpmorgan Chase & Co. | 14 | 2.8% | $235,000 | $187,500 | $163,500 |
| Rubrik, Inc. | 12 | 2.4% | $310,000 | $225,000 | $140,000 |
| Stanford Health Care | 12 | 2.4% | $249,038 | $147,500 | $99,986 |
| Rivian Automotive, LLC | 12 | 2.4% | $325,000 | $205,200 | $132,818 |
| Pinterest, Inc. | 12 | 2.4% | $275,850 | $187,741 | $148,699 |
| X.Ai LLC | 10 | 2.0% | $500,000 | $267,500 | $150,000 |
| Vmware LLC | 10 | 2.0% | $225,000 | $222,095 | $153,156 |
| Sap Labs, LLC | 9 | 1.8% | $300,000 | $169,735 | $128,820 |
| The Leland Stanford, Jr University | 9 | 1.8% | $257,000 | $77,619 | $76,970 |
| Tinder LLC | 9 | 1.8% | $295,000 | $228,328 | $149,365 |
| Ford Motor Company | 8 | 1.6% | $316,680 | $193,461 | $158,995 |
| Navan, Inc. | 8 | 1.6% | $300,000 | $189,000 | $130,853 |
| Also, Inc. | 7 | 1.4% | $255,000 | $215,000 | $160,000 |
| Salesforce, Inc. | 6 | 1.2% | $304,121 | $242,538 | $164,403 |
| Sap America, Inc. | 6 | 1.2% | $211,200 | $169,972 | $149,495 |
| A9.com LLC | 5 | 1.0% | $259,000 | $248,643 | $198,900 |
| Guardant Health, Inc. | 5 | 1.0% | $259,600 | $149,157 | $126,942 |
| Sambanova Systems Inc. | 5 | 1.0% | $325,000 | $200,000 | $150,000 |
| Inception Ai, Inc. | 5 | 1.0% | $275,000 | $250,000 | $200,000 |
| Arc Research Institute | 4 | 0.8% | $107,000 | $106,000 | $100,000 |
| X Corp. | 4 | 0.8% | $450,000 | $300,000 | $150,000 |
| Woven By Toyota, U.S., Inc. | 4 | 0.8% | $260,000 | $193,870 | $185,000 |
| Mistral Ai, Inc. | 4 | 0.8% | $350,000 | $170,000 | $150,000 |
| Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. | 4 | 0.8% | $155,740 | $103,043 | $83,860 |
| Magicbyte Ai, Inc. | 4 | 0.8% | $250,000 | $165,000 | $100,000 |
| Tencent America LLC | 3 | 0.6% | $300,000 | $204,000 | $95,000 |
| Applovin Corporation | 3 | 0.6% | $250,000 | $250,000 | $150,000 |
| Ariba, Inc. | 3 | 0.6% | $201,265 | $181,506 | $145,886 |
| Wing Aviation LLC | 3 | 0.6% | $224,000 | $215,000 | $210,000 |
| Augment Computing, Inc. | 3 | 0.6% | $480,000 | $210,000 | $200,000 |
| Varian Medical Systems, Inc. | 3 | 0.6% | $160,000 | $151,365 | $142,731 |
| Kforce Inc. | 3 | 0.6% | $208,000 | $156,853 | $156,853 |
| Palo Alto Veterans Institute For Research | 3 | 0.6% | $114,234 | $73,965 | $73,965 |
| Make Matter, Inc. | 3 | 0.6% | $300,000 | $260,000 | $205,000 |
| Tereina LLC | 3 | 0.6% | $187,741 | $160,000 | $160,000 |
| Rivian And Vw Group Technology, LLC | 3 | 0.6% | $245,520 | $234,520 | $195,000 |
| Quantifind, Inc. | 3 | 0.6% | $200,000 | $125,000 | $125,000 |
| Tabapay, Inc. | 3 | 0.6% | $170,000 | $145,000 | $94,162 |
| Cicero Technologies, Inc. Dba Eudia | 3 | 0.6% | $260,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 |
| Aidash Inc. | 2 | 0.4% | $230,000 | $173,545 | $166,962 |
| Government Employee Insurance Company (Geico) | 2 | 0.4% | $250,000 | $240,000 | $230,000 |
| Genspark Inc. | 2 | 0.4% | $260,000 | $187,752 | $149,365 |
| Seg, Inc. | 2 | 0.4% | $80,000 | $70,000 | $70,000 |
| Uniphore Technologies North America, Inc. | 2 | 0.4% | $205,000 | $197,500 | $190,000 |
| Successfactors, Inc. | 2 | 0.4% | $178,591 | $166,426 | $154,260 |
| Rhombus Power, Inc. | 2 | 0.4% | $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 | Salary Variance | Maximum Salary | Median Salary | Minimum Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member Of Technical Staff | 23 | $400,000 | $500,000 | $250,000 | $100,000 |
| Software Engineer | 18 | $185,674 | $320,000 | $160,000 | $134,326 |
| Senior Software Engineer | 11 | $115,500 | $265,000 | $204,000 | $149,500 |
| R&D Engineer Software | 10 | $71,844 | $225,000 | $222,095 | $153,156 |
| Associate, Software Engineer Iii | 8 | $26,500 | $190,000 | $181,350 | $163,500 |
| Software Development Engineer Ii | 6 | $68,799 | $205,000 | $153,010 | $136,201 |
| Sourcing Engineer | 6 | $33,000 | $160,000 | $140,000 | $127,000 |
| Sr. Software Engineer | 6 | $45,000 | $250,000 | $226,138 | $205,000 |
| Associate | 6 | $320,000 | $420,000 | $285,000 | $100,000 |
| Founding Member Of Technical Staff | 5 | $95,000 | $300,000 | $260,000 | $205,000 |
| Electronic Design Engineer | 5 | $75,000 | $220,000 | $155,000 | $145,000 |
| Postdoctoral Research Affiliate | 5 | $649 | $77,619 | $77,278 | $76,970 |
| Software Engineer Ii | 5 | $14,810 | $187,741 | $185,000 | $172,931 |
| Senior Product Manager | 4 | $142,000 | $245,000 | $171,531 | $103,000 |
| Staff Sourcing Engineer | 4 | $30,700 | $203,500 | $176,274 | $172,800 |
| Manager Iii, Software Development | 4 | $41,923 | $248,643 | $229,875 | $206,720 |
| Machine Learning Engineer (4) | 4 | $35,985 | $210,000 | $174,015 | $174,015 |
| Software Dev Engineer Ii | 4 | $31,800 | $210,100 | $188,600 | $178,300 |
| Senior Developer | 4 | $55,379 | $201,265 | $167,883 | $145,886 |
| Software Dev Engineer Iii | 4 | $7,300 | $254,500 | $252,500 | $247,200 |
| Software Development Engineer Iii | 4 | $32,938 | $252,500 | $232,454 | $219,562 |
| Developer | 4 | $21,646 | $150,466 | $145,038 | $128,820 |
| Software Engineer (4) | 4 | $32,069 | $205,000 | $174,015 | $172,931 |
| Sr Technical Program Mgr | 4 | $56,000 | $201,000 | $169,000 | $145,000 |
| Vice President, Sr Manager Of Software Engineering | 3 | Flat Rate | $235,000 | $235,000 | $235,000 |
| Machine Learning Engineer Ii | 3 | $39,042 | $187,741 | $187,741 | $148,699 |
| Research Scientist | 3 | $60,674 | $225,077 | $201,094 | $164,403 |
| Machine Learning Engineer (5) | 3 | $57,654 | $260,000 | $202,346 | $202,346 |
| Research Engineer | 3 | $320,110 | $480,000 | $330,000 | $159,890 |
| Supplier Industrialization Engineer | 3 | $45,898 | $172,000 | $154,000 | $126,102 |
| Sr Technical Construction Project Manager | 3 | $33,300 | $167,164 | $155,000 | $133,864 |
| Sr Supplier Industrialization Engineer | 3 | $14,913 | $166,599 | $162,238 | $151,686 |
| Test Engineer | 3 | $22,898 | $170,898 | $170,898 | $148,000 |
| Senior Machine Learning Engineer | 3 | $38,862 | $265,000 | $226,138 | $226,138 |
| Applied Scientist Ii | 3 | $7,197 | $171,600 | $165,000 | $164,403 |
| Staff Research Associate | 2 | Flat Rate | $107,000 | $107,000 | $107,000 |
| Customer Success Executive | 2 | $31,013 | $170,248 | $142,220 | $139,235 |
| Staff Software Engineer, Machine Learning | 2 | $58,000 | $295,000 | $252,879 | $237,000 |
| Ai Engineer | 2 | $105,000 | $260,000 | $197,500 | $155,000 |
| Vice President, Lead Software Engineer | 2 | $24,500 | $225,000 | $212,750 | $200,500 |
| Staff Research Scientist | 2 | $25,000 | $300,000 | $287,500 | $275,000 |
| Computer Research Scientist | 2 | $70,000 | $250,000 | $215,000 | $180,000 |
| Senior Test Engineer | 2 | $30,347 | $187,200 | $156,853 | $156,853 |
| Solution Architect (Ai Deployment Strategist) | 2 | $20,000 | $170,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 |
| Software Engineer (5) | 2 | $79,394 | $281,740 | $233,430 | $202,346 |
| Data Scientist | 2 | $60,000 | $200,000 | $152,500 | $140,000 |
| Chief Technology Officer | 2 | $66,656 | $266,656 | $233,328 | $200,000 |
| Staff Machine Learning Engineer | 2 | $15,850 | $275,850 | $267,925 | $260,000 |
| Backend Engineer | 2 | $90,000 | $240,000 | $169,000 | $150,000 |
| Sr. Technical Program Manager | 2 | Flat Rate | $165,000 | $165,000 | $165,000 |
Historical Compensation Averages
Year-over-year salary data comparing historical averages.| Fiscal Year | YoY Growth | Maximum | Median | Average | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | In Progress | $500,000 | $186,469 | $192,234 | $131,040 |
| 2025 | +2.9% | $468,900 | $180,000 | $181,229 | $52,000 |
| 2024 | +4.2% | $420,000 | $175,000 | $173,653 | $60,320 |
| 2023 | +5.0% | $500,000 | $168,000 | $170,005 | $58,240 |
| 2022 | +6.7% | $409,500 | $160,000 | $162,977 | $62,400 |
| 2021 | +2.9% | $350,000 | $150,000 | $152,310 | $64,480 |
| 2020 | +10.2% | $550,000 | $145,725 | $147,300 | $49,920 |
| 2019 | +5.7% | $250,000 | $132,184 | $130,665 | $68,640 |
| 2018 | +3.2% | $500,000 | $125,050 | $126,972 | $52,000 |
| 2017 | +5.9% | $336,000 | $121,130 | $119,728 | $41,600 |
| 2016 | - | $600,000 | $114,379 | $112,803 | $33,280 |
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.What company hires the most international workers in Palo Alto?
Currently, Tesla, Inc. drives the local employment market, generating 78 approved work visas in Palo Alto.
Do sponsored workers pay high state taxes in Palo Alto?
Based on local tax brackets (9.3%), an average worker will see around $17,292 deducted for state income taxes.
What is a good salary for a sponsored professional in Palo Alto, CA?
The typical base pay sits at a median of $185,934, with senior earners taking home over $226,138 before bonuses.
Does the local pay in Palo Alto cover the cost of living?
Adjusting for the local cost of living and specific state taxes brings the true purchasing power of the median wage to about $122,560.