Wall Street banks, hedge funds, and tech giants filing at 46-62% lottery odds — salary benchmarks, filing history, and top sponsor breakdown
New York City is one of the strongest H-1B markets for high-wage filings. With Wall Street finance firms, hedge funds, and major tech offices all competing for talent, many NYC sponsors file at Level 3 (46% lottery odds) and Level 4 (62% lottery odds) under the new wage-weighted system. For a Software Developer (SOC 15-1252) in the New York MSA, Level 3 starts at approximately $155,000 and Level 4 at $180,000. For Financial Analysts (SOC 13-2051), Level 3 starts around $120,000 and Level 4 at $145,000. This page covers the top NYC sponsors, their filing patterns, and salary benchmarks.
Quick Answer: New York's top H-1B sponsors at Level 3-4 include Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citadel, Two Sigma, Google NYC, Meta NYC, Amazon NYC, and Bloomberg. Finance roles typically reach Level 3 at ~$120K and Level 4 at ~$145K. Tech roles reach Level 3 at ~$155K and Level 4 at ~$180K. These employers give candidates 46-62% lottery selection odds under the FY2027 wage-weighted system.
| Company | H-1B Filings | Typical Wage Level | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan Chase | 12,400 | Level 3-4 for senior roles | Finance |
| Goldman Sachs | 4,800 | Level 3-4 standard | Finance |
| Google NYC | 5,200 | Level 3-4 for engineers | Tech |
| Meta NYC | 3,100 | Level 3-4 standard | Tech |
| Citadel / Citadel Securities | 1,200 | Level 4 predominantly | Quant Finance |
| Two Sigma | 800 | Level 4 predominantly | Quant Finance |
| Bloomberg LP | 2,400 | Level 3-4 for engineers | FinTech |
| Morgan Stanley | 3,600 | Level 3-4 for senior roles | Finance |
| Amazon NYC | 4,500 | Level 3 for SDE II+ | Tech |
| Deloitte NYC | 3,800 | Level 2-3 for consultants | Consulting |
New York's H-1B market has a unique advantage under the wage-weighted lottery: while NYC salaries are high in absolute terms, so are the prevailing wage thresholds. However, finance and quant firms routinely pay well above Level 4 thresholds, making them some of the strongest lottery bets in the country. A quantitative researcher at Citadel earning $350,000 is deep into Level 4 territory (62% odds), while the same person at a mid-tier firm paying $100,000 might be Level 1 (15% odds).
Wall Street's compensation structure naturally favors high wage levels. Base salaries for analysts at Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Morgan Stanley start at $110,000-$130,000 and rise quickly to $150,000-$200,000+ for associates and VPs. These salaries push most finance H-1B petitions to Level 3 or Level 4 in the New York MSA. Tech companies in NYC offer similar advantages — Google, Meta, and Amazon NYC offices pay Bay Area-competitive salaries that reach Level 3-4 at the New York prevailing wage thresholds, which are lower than San Jose or San Francisco thresholds.
For candidates choosing between NYC and Bay Area offices of the same company, the wage level math matters: $170,000 at Google NYC might be Level 3 (46% odds), while $170,000 at Google Mountain View is Level 2 (31% odds). Same company, same role, same salary — different lottery odds based solely on worksite MSA. NYC also offers cap-exempt backup options: Columbia University, NYU, Mount Sinai, and numerous research institutions for concurrent employment strategies.
Find New York employers filing at Level 3 and Level 4 — maximize your FY2027 lottery odds.
Search NYC Sponsors →Search thousands of verified H-1B sponsors by company, industry, and location.
Search H-1B Sponsors on Wisa →For Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) in the New York-Newark-Jersey City MSA, Level 3 starts at approximately $155,000 and Level 4 at approximately $180,000. For Financial Analysts (SOC 13-2051), Level 3 starts around $120,000 and Level 4 at approximately $145,000. These are approximate — use the DOL FLAG system at flag.dol.gov for exact prevailing wages by SOC code and MSA.
It depends on your salary. NYC prevailing wage thresholds are generally lower than San Jose/San Francisco, meaning the same salary often reaches a higher wage level in NYC. For example, $170,000 for a software engineer is Level 3 in NYC (46% odds) but Level 2 in San Jose (31% odds). If your company has offices in both cities and you can legitimately work from either, NYC may give better lottery odds at the same salary.
By filing volume: JPMorgan Chase (12,400+), Goldman Sachs (4,800+), Morgan Stanley (3,600+), Deloitte (3,800+), Citibank (3,200+), Bank of America (2,800+). Quant firms like Citadel (1,200+), Two Sigma (800+), D.E. Shaw (600+), and Jane Street (400+) file fewer but almost exclusively at Level 4 wages.
Yes. NYC has excellent cap-exempt options: Columbia University, NYU, Mount Sinai Health System, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Weill Cornell Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and numerous other university-affiliated research institutions. These can be used for direct H-1B (no lottery) or as part of a concurrent employment strategy where you hold cap-exempt H-1B at a university while also working at a private firm.