The meteoric rise of Nvidia during the ongoing AI boom has now only rewarded the investors but it has also led to the creation of vast wealth for many of its employees. While the workforce of the company remains relatively small at about 36,000, its stock appreciation has turned long-standing contributors into millionaires. As reported by Business Insider, the newly available H-1B visa fillings offer a rare glimpse into how much Nvidia pays its US employees across critical roles.Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has long stressed on the fact that he gets personally involved in compensation decisions. “I review everybody’s compensation up to this day at the end of every cycle,” Huang said on the All-In podcast last July. He also claimed to have “created more billionaires on my management team than any CEO in the world.” Despite this, the employees of the company acknowledge that those who joined Nvidia earlier have benefited far more from equity appreciation than newer hires, a disparity openly discussed within the company.
What the H-1B Data reveals about salaries Nvidia pays its employees
The fillings with the US Labor Department required for sponsoring foreign workers—offer insight into base pay ranges. These figures exclude equity and bonuses, which often make up a significant portion of total compensation.In fiscal 2025, Nvidia received roughly 1,900 certified H-1B applications, covering roles such as software engineers, research scientists, and product managers.
Here’s a look at the salary range of H-1B employees at Nvidia
| Category | Role | Salary Range (USD) |
| Engineer Salaries | ASIC Engineer | $163,925 – $368,000 |
| CAD Engineer | $136,000 – $310,500 | |
| DevOps Engineer | $140,000 – $270,250 | |
| Hardware Engineer (Electronics) | $92,000 – $368,000 | |
| Manager, Engineering | $203,879 – $391,000 | |
| Mask Design Engineer | $110,187 – $230,000 | |
| Mechanical Engineer | $102,336 – $247,250 | |
| Mixed Signal Design Engineer | $151,091 – $310,500 | |
| Physical Design Engineer | $96,000 – $310,500 | |
| Senior ASIC Engineer | $128,000 – $310,500 | |
| Senior Systems Software Engineer | $117,499 – $356,500 | |
| Software Engineer | $92,000 – $425,500 | |
| Software QA Engineer | $133,432 – $322,000 | |
| System Design Engineer | $124,197 – $253,000 | |
| Systems Software Manager | $208,125 – $425,500 | |
| Test Engineer | $124,197 – $287,500 | |
| Verification Engineer | $119,184 – $368,000 | |
| Architect Salaries | Architect | $104,000 – $425,500 |
| Architecture Manager | $207,093 – $425,500 | |
| Senior Architect | $150,821 – $356,500 | |
| Solutions Architect | $108,722 – $356,500 | |
| Research Scientist | Research Scientist | $104,000 – $431,250 |
| Product & Analyst Roles | Business Systems Analyst | $140,000 – $310,500 |
| Product Manager | $131,029 – $379,500 | |
| Program Manager | $75,462 – $368,000 |