H-1B visa data reveals how much Meta paid for engineering roles in the US in 2025

Meta went on a hiring spree in 2025, paying extraordinary salaries to secure top engineering and AI talent. According to a report by Business Insider, more than 5,800 federal H-1B and other work visa applications, the company offered base salaries that rival Silicon Valley’s highest pay scales. As per the H-1B visa data one software engineer earned $450,000 a year, a research engineer took home $400,000, and a product manager received $348,000 all the before stock options, bonuses and perks. A vice president of AI commanded a base salary of $650,000, underscoring Meta’s willingness to pay premiums for specialized roles.The filings show that most new hires earned between $150,000 and $250,000, but senior technical and AI-focused positions were compensated far higher. Examples include:These figures reflect base salaries only, excluding stock options and bonuses that can double or triple total compensation. For high-level researchers, Meta reportedly offered total packages exceeding $100 million.As per the data about half of Meta’s visa hires in 2025 were software engineers, this figure highlight the dependence of the company on international talent. However, the filings also suggest that the fillings in the last quarter of 2025 halved compared to the previous year because of the changes made to the H-1B visa program by the Trump government. During the same period, Meta continued with its restructuring and aggressive expansion of its AI workforce. By year’s end, Meta reported 78,865 employees in its 10-K filing.