H-1B sponsor data
H-1B sponsors for astronomers
Employers with certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications in occupation 19-2011 (Astronomers), decided between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026 (FY2026 Q3 release).
An LCA shows an employer has filed to hire H-1B workers in a role. It is not a job offer and does not mean a specific opening will be sponsored.
Which companies sponsor H-1B visas for astronomers?
48 employers had 110 certified H-1B LCAs for astronomers in the window. The most active were University of Colorado, National Radio Astronomy Observatory and Aura/Space Telescope Science Institute. The median offered wage on full-time filings was $83,500 a year. California had the most worksites. An LCA shows an employer has filed to hire H-1B workers in a role. It is not a job offer and does not mean a specific opening will be sponsored.
| Certified H-1B LCAs | 110 |
|---|---|
| Employers filing | 48 |
| Median offered wage (full-time) | $83,500 |
| Middle 50% of offered wages | $73,000 – $98,100 |
| Most common worksite state | California |
Top H-1B sponsors for astronomers
Employers ranked by certified H-1B LCAs in this occupation.
| Rank | Employer | Certified LCAs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Colorado | 11 |
| 2 | National Radio Astronomy Observatory | 7 |
| 3 | Aura/Space Telescope Science Institute | 5 |
| 4 | Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy | 4 |
| 5 | California Institute of Technology | 4 |
| 6 | Universities Space Research Association | 4 |
| 7 | University of California, Berkeley | 4 |
| 8 | The University of Chicago | 4 |
| 9 | University of Michigan | 4 |
| 10 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 3 |
| 11 | The Simons Foundation Inc. | 3 |
| 12 | University of Hawaii | 3 |
| 13 | University of Maryland, Baltimore County | 3 |
| 14 | University of Maryland College Park | 3 |
| 15 | Arizona State University | 2 |
| 16 | Georgia State University | 2 |
| 17 | Harvard University | 2 |
| 18 | New Mexico State University | 2 |
| 19 | Northwestern University | 2 |
| 20 | Research Corporation of the University of Hawai‘i | 2 |
| 21 | Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory | 2 |
| 22 | Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania | 2 |
| 23 | The University of Arizona | 2 |
| 24 | University of California, Los Angeles | 2 |
| 25 | University of Central Florida | 2 |
| 26 | University of Delaware | 2 |
| 27 | The University of Texas at Austin | 2 |
| 28 | University of Washington | 2 |
| 29 | American University | 1 |
| 30 | California Association for Research in Astronomy | 1 |
Median offered wage by level
The prevailing-wage level on each filing, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent), with the median offered wage at that level.
- Level I (entry)$75,000
- Level II (qualified)$90,000
- Level III (experienced)$115,700
- Level IV (fully competent)$128,300
Where the jobs are
State
Job titles filed under this occupation
Employers write their own job titles; DOL assigns the occupation code. These are the most common titles.
- Postdoctoral Research Associate8
- Research Associate6
- Postdoctoral Fellow6
- Postdoctoral Associate5
- Assistant Research Scientist4
- Scientist/Computer Science3
- Research Scientist3
- Research Assistant Professor3
- Research Associate (Astronomer)3
- Research Associate (Research Scientist II) - Astronomer3
- Postdoctoral Scholar3
- Assistant Professor3
Frequently asked questions
- Which employers sponsor the most H-1B visas for astronomers?
- In this window: University of Colorado, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Aura/Space Telescope Science Institute, Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy and California Institute of Technology. The full table above ranks the top employers by certified LCAs.
- What do H-1B astronomers get paid?
- The median offered wage on full-time filings was $83,500 a year, with the middle half between $73,000 – $98,100. Offered wages are what employers stated on the filing; actual pay can differ.
- What is SOC code 19-2011?
- It is the Standard Occupational Classification code for Astronomers. Employers file under their own job titles; the Department of Labor assigns each filing an occupation code, which this page groups by.
Other occupations
- Obstetricians and Gynecologists114 certified LCAs
- Emergency Medicine Physicians112 certified LCAs
- Financial Examiners110 certified LCAs
- History Teachers, Postsecondary110 certified LCAs
- Occupational Health and Safety Specialists105 certified LCAs
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers104 certified LCAs
- H-1B sponsors
Source and method
U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification: LCA Programs (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3) disclosure data, FY2026 Q3 release, decisions from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. DOL performance data page
- Counts are Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) with case status Certified and visa class H-1B, decided in the 12-month window above. Cases certified and later withdrawn, denied cases and withdrawn cases are listed separately.
- Employers are grouped by their filed legal name after removing punctuation and legal forms such as Inc. or LLC, so related companies that file under different legal names (for example a parent and a subsidiary) appear separately.
- Wages are the lower end of the wage range the employer stated on full-time LCAs, converted to a yearly amount. They are offered wages on a filing, not salary data, and actual pay can differ.
- DOL may revise individual records in later releases. Ruubu republishes the figures after each quarterly release.
This is U.S. government public-domain data credited to the U.S. Department of Labor. Ruubu aggregates it and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Labor.
Data imported October 24, 2026. Source page checked October 24, 2026.
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