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Why H1B Applicants Are Paying Attention To Washington State Right Now
Washington State is not just a tech state. Yes, Seattle has Microsoft, Amazon, and a dense cluster of smaller tech companies. But the H1B data tells a broader story than most people expect.
Healthcare systems, retail giants, defense research nonprofits, and major universities all appear in the top 30. If you are a software engineer, a data scientist, a healthcare professional, or a researcher, Washington has active H1B sponsors across all of those fields. That diversity matters when you are thinking about backup options beyond the big tech names.
There is also a financial reason Washington keeps coming up in H1B conversations. The state has no income tax. For someone earning $170,000 at Microsoft or $179,000 at Lululemon, that is a meaningful real-world difference compared to working in California or New York. Your H1B salary goes further here.
Add in some of the highest approval rates we have seen in any state, and Washington makes a strong case as one of the best places to target for H1B employment in 2026.
What The Numbers Actually Show
Here are Washington State’s top 30 H1B sponsors ranked by total filings for FY2024-2025:
- Microsoft Corporation – 11,133 filings, 10,983 approvals, 150 denials, 98.7% approval rate, avg wage $170,227
- T-Mobile USA Inc – 864 filings, 855 approvals, 9 denials, 99.0% approval rate
- Expedia Inc – 799 filings, 785 approvals, 14 denials, 98.2% approval rate
- University of Washington – 392 filings, 387 approvals, 5 denials, 98.7% approval rate, avg wage $116,728
- Nordstrom Inc – 321 filings, 310 approvals, 11 denials, 96.6% approval rate
- Starbucks Coffee Company – 277 filings, 274 approvals, 3 denials, 98.9% approval rate, avg wage $159,658
- Zillow Inc – 223 filings, 216 approvals, 7 denials, 96.9% approval rate, avg wage $174,419
- Costco Wholesale Corporation – 213 filings, 213 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate, avg wage $157,603
- F5 Inc – 207 filings, 206 approvals, 1 denial, 99.5% approval rate
- Slalom Inc – 184 filings, 180 approvals, 4 denials, 97.8% approval rate
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center – 140 filings, 136 approvals, 4 denials, 97.1% approval rate, avg wage $104,206
- Remitly Inc – 134 filings, 132 approvals, 2 denials, 98.5% approval rate
- Battelle Memorial Institute – 124 filings, 123 approvals, 1 denial, 99.2% approval rate, avg wage $112,353
- PACCAR Inc – 123 filings, 120 approvals, 3 denials, 97.6% approval rate, avg wage $113,225
- MultiCare Health System – 111 filings, 104 approvals, 7 denials, 93.7% approval rate, avg wage $136,087
- Washington State University – 109 filings, 109 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate, avg wage $90,200
- Edifecs Inc – 87 filings, 87 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate
- Lululemon USA Inc – 83 filings, 83 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate, avg wage $179,482
- Smartsheet Inc – 81 filings, 81 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate
- Avanade Inc – 77 filings, 74 approvals, 3 denials, 96.1% approval rate
- People Tech Group Inc – 71 filings, 66 approvals, 5 denials, 93.0% approval rate, avg wage $117,941
- Relanto Inc – 69 filings, 69 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate, avg wage $112,000
- PeaceHealth – 67 filings, 64 approvals, 3 denials, 95.5% approval rate, avg wage $189,879
- Aditi Consulting LLC – 66 filings, 63 approvals, 3 denials, 95.5% approval rate, avg wage $126,650
- Harman Connected Services Inc – 63 filings, 61 approvals, 2 denials, 96.8% approval rate, avg wage $116,090
- ZoomInfo Technologies LLC – 61 filings, 61 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate
- Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories – 58 filings, 58 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate
- Lenora Systems Inc – 58 filings, 58 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate, avg wage $101,054
- Allen Institute – 58 filings, 58 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate, avg wage $97,202
- Lasai Technologies LLC – 58 filings, 58 approvals, 0 denials, 100% approval rate
Source: USCIS H1B Employer Data Hub, FY2024-2025. Wage data from DOL LCA disclosure filings where available.
Let us talk about what these numbers are actually saying.
Microsoft’s dominance is hard to fully appreciate until you do the math. Eleven thousand petitions in two years works out to roughly 15 H1B filings every single business day. No other employer in any state comes close to that kind of volume. For context, the entire state of Florida’s top 27 employers combined filed around 8,000 petitions in the same period. Microsoft alone beats that.
What surprised us most about this data was how strong the approval rates are across the board. Every single employer in the top 30 cleared 91% or higher. Nine companies hit a perfect 100%, including Costco, Washington State University, Lululemon, Smartsheet, Edifecs, and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. Washington is simply one of the most H1B-friendly states in the country from a pure approval standpoint.
Now look at where the salary data gets interesting. PeaceHealth, a nonprofit healthcare system, shows the highest average prevailing wage on the list at $189,879. That is above Microsoft’s $170,227. Lululemon is right behind at $179,482, and Zillow comes in at $174,419. The assumption that tech always pays the most does not hold up here. Healthcare and even retail analytics roles are paying at a very competitive level in Washington.
On the lower end, academic employers follow a familiar pattern. Washington State University’s average prevailing wage is $90,200 and the Allen Institute sits at $97,202. These are research and faculty roles, and the compensation reflects that. They are not bad jobs by any stretch, but you are trading salary for stability, mission, and in some cases cap-exempt sponsorship status.
A few names on this list deserve a closer look. Starbucks with 277 filings and a $159,658 average wage is sponsoring heavily in tech and data roles at its Seattle headquarters, not barista positions. Costco with 213 filings and a perfect approval record is doing the same, sponsoring for corporate technology, finance, and analytics talent. These are not companies most H1B candidates think about first, but the numbers say they should.
The Standouts: Best and Worst Washington H1B Sponsors
Microsoft Corporation. There is really no comparison. Over 11,000 petitions, a 98.7% approval rate, and an average wage of $170,227. If you are a software engineer, data scientist, or product manager considering Washington, Microsoft is almost certainly on your list already. What the data confirms is that the sponsorship process here is well-run and highly reliable. Getting the offer is the hard part, not the visa process.
Costco Wholesale Corporation. This one catches people off guard. Two hundred and thirteen filings, zero denials, 100% approval rate, average wage of $157,603. Costco is sponsoring serious technology and corporate talent at its Issaquah headquarters. For example, if you are a data engineer or software developer who has been ignoring Costco because it sounds like a retail job, this data says look again. The pay is strong and the approval record is perfect.
PeaceHealth. The highest average prevailing wage on the entire list at $189,879. PeaceHealth is a regional nonprofit health system sponsoring physicians and specialists. The 95.5% approval rate is slightly below the Washington average but still very solid. If you are a medical professional targeting the Pacific Northwest, PeaceHealth is worth putting on your shortlist.
MultiCare Health System. The lowest approval rate in the top 30 at 93.7%, with 7 denials out of 111 filings. Not alarming in absolute terms, but it stands out in a state where most employers are hitting 97% or above. Healthcare systems sometimes face more USCIS scrutiny on specialty occupation determinations for certain clinical roles. If you are considering MultiCare, ask your immigration attorney specifically about your job title and how similar petitions have fared.
People Tech Group Inc. A 93.0% approval rate is the second lowest on this list. People Tech is an IT staffing and consulting firm, and like staffing firms in other states, the third-party placement model draws more USCIS scrutiny. The average wage of $117,941 is reasonable, but do your homework on the specific client engagement before signing anything.
What This Means If You Are Job Hunting Right Now
Here is the practical takeaway from all of this data.
Washington is genuinely one of the best states to target for H1B employment right now. The combination of high filing volume, high approval rates, strong wages, and zero state income tax is hard to beat. But the data also shows that the opportunity is concentrated. Microsoft alone accounts for the vast majority of filings. If you do not get a Microsoft offer, you are working with a much smaller pool.
So the smart move is to build a target list that goes beyond the obvious names. T-Mobile, Expedia, Zillow, Starbucks, and Costco are all filing hundreds of petitions with excellent approval records. These are real options, not consolation prizes. A role at Zillow paying $174,000 with a near-perfect approval rate is an excellent outcome by any standard.
If you are in healthcare, do not overlook the Washington options. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, PeaceHealth, and MultiCare are all active sponsors. PeaceHealth in particular is paying above most tech companies on this list. The Pacific Northwest has a real shortage of specialist physicians and the data reflects that demand.
Finally, look at the perfect-100% employers carefully. Companies like Edifecs, Smartsheet, ZoomInfo, and Schweitzer Engineering are smaller, which means less competition for roles and a clean sponsorship track record. Sometimes a 200-person company with zero denials is a smarter bet than chasing a lottery ticket at a mega-employer.
What This Data Does Not Tell You
A few honest limitations worth knowing before you act on any of this.
Wage data is missing for several employers including T-Mobile, Expedia, F5, Slalom, and others. That gap is a matching limitation in our dataset, not a sign that those companies pay poorly. T-Mobile in particular is known for competitive compensation; the absence of a wage figure here just means we could not match their LCA data cleanly.
Microsoft’s numbers are so large that they can distort how you read the rest of the list. A 98.7% approval rate across 11,133 filings is genuinely impressive. But a smaller company hitting 100% across 60 filings is working with a much smaller sample. Do not treat those two numbers as directly equivalent when making decisions.
This data also covers FY2024-2025 and reflects past outcomes. USCIS policy, RFE rates, and adjudication trends shift over time. What held true for an employer last year may not hold exactly the same way this year. Always get current legal advice before making any immigration decisions based on historical data.
The Bottom Line
Washington State is one of the strongest H1B markets in the country, and the data backs that up clearly. Near-perfect approval rates, strong wages, and a diverse employer base that goes well beyond tech make this a state worth targeting seriously.
Microsoft is the obvious anchor, but the real insight from this data is how many solid options exist beyond it. Costco, Starbucks, PeaceHealth, Zillow, and a dozen smaller companies with perfect approval records are all actively sponsoring H1B workers right now.
The state has no income tax. The approval rates are among the best in the country. And the employers here span tech, healthcare, retail, defense, and academia. If you are building a serious H1B job search strategy, Washington belongs near the top of your list.
Reviewed and edited by the H1BTrack editorial team. Data verified against USCIS public disclosure records and DOL LCA filings as of June 2026.
Data sourced from publicly available USCIS and Department of Labor records. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or immigration advice. Always verify current information at uscis.gov before making any decisions.