We now have Quarter 4 H1B visa FY 2023 data and Quarter 4 PERM visa FY 2023 data and Quarter 4 H2A visa FY 2023 data.
Employer Search tool is moved to it's own page: "H1B Visa Data Search Tool"

California Foreign Labor Visa Stats (All Years)

Total Visas	% of all Visas	Average Wage	Visa Type
1,236,055	87.25%	$104,510	H-1B
144,051	10.17%	$144,477	PERM
30,331	2.14%	$109,456	E-3 Australian
6,165	0.44%	$31,590	H-2A

As of May 2023, California has seen a total of 1,416,602 visa workers across all visa types. The most common visa class in California is the H-1B visa with 1,236,055 H-1B visas on record over all years accounting for 87.25% of California's total visas. The second most prevalent visa is the PERM visa with 144,051 PERM visas on record over all years accounting for 10.17% of California's total visas.

Top Occupations in California (All Years)

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Software Developers, Applications	193,998	$113,139	89.21%
Computer Systems Analysts	104,772	$82,444	91.31%
Software Developers, Systems Software	58,151	$123,588	89.22%
Computer Programmers	52,515	$69,323	89.56%
Computer Occupations, All Other	51,521	$83,900	91.45%
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer	39,912	$119,022	90.94%
Accountants and Auditors	23,125	$69,041	91.77%
Computer and Information Systems Managers	19,359	$173,059	91.40%
Management Analysts	17,285	$90,027	91.40%
Electrical Engineers	16,250	$117,766	88.31%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse	2,366	$34,286	753.50%
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals	1,587	$30,893	510.29%
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop	714	$32,564	253.19%
Agricultural Equipment Operators	179	$35,796	68.58%
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	53	$44,467	20.54%
Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians	43	$45,492	17.20%
First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers	21	$48,882	9.29%
Agricultural Workers, All Other	13	$31,001	6.31%
Food Preparation Workers	8	$35,844	7.08%
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	8	$33,545	8.99%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Software Developers, Applications	26,507	$160,581	96.90%
Software Developers, Systems Software	15,563	$135,396	61.52%
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer	9,259	$111,482	219.88%
Computer Systems Analysts	6,744	$171,595	237.30%
Computer Occupations, All Other	3,491	$113,090	186.78%
Computer and Information Systems Managers	2,352	$165,802	148.96%
Accountants and Auditors	2,305	$123,676	162.21%
Statisticians	2,015	$82,718	149.70%
Sales Engineers	1,325	$118,264	104.83%
Marketing Managers	1,310	$141,709	107.73%

California Employees Over Time

California has been in the H1B Visa program since 2011 where 50,870 employees were hired. California peaked in 2018 with 106,682 employees, and has since been on a decline with the most recent number of employees being 18,356 in 2025.

Top Countries with Workers in California From PERM Program (All Years)

Country	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
India	45,730	$175,901	47.43%
China	16,844	$109,259	50.79%
South Korea	4,340	$147,936	41.14%
Canada	3,905	$143,888	46.41%
Philippines	1,927	$470,682	35.63%
Taiwan	1,908	$260,805	44.94%
Mexico	1,361	$87,276	34.68%
United Kingdom	967	$111,850	44.71%
Japan	844	$231,744	40.04%
France	821	$108,315	46.73%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
The Jerde Partnership Inc	28	$61,411	87.50%
Krg Technologies Inc	28	$62,995	87.50%
Jad Associates Llc	28	$66,035	87.50%
Silicon Concepts	28	$76,382	87.50%
Eminent Inc	28	$96,064	87.50%
Source Mantra Inc	28	$73,335	87.50%
Perk Systems Inc	28	$64,097	87.50%
Razorfish Llc	28	$88,121	87.50%
Blur Studio Inc	28	$69,600	87.50%
Cerus Corporation	28	$112,142	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Pacific Theatres Corporation Decurion Management Company	2	$113,412	33.33%
Mertz Care Home	2	$16,640	33.33%
Del Monte Foods	2	$112,799	33.33%
Piedmont University	2	$45,489	33.33%
Ajit Healthcare Inc	2	$62,889	33.33%
Relax Acupuncture Clinic	2	$39,666	33.33%
Archtech Connection Inc	2	$34,195	33.33%
Bcd Tofu House Inc	2	$42,713	33.33%
B Bridge International Inc	2	$143,042	33.33%
The Catholic Times Inc	2	$45,344	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
New Single Family Housing Construction Except For Sale Builders	87	$78,089	88.78%
Other Vegetable Except Potato And Melon Farming	87	$77,727	88.78%
Other Business Service Centers Including Copy Shops	86	$82,410	88.66%
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing	85	$82,645	87.63%
Fruit And Vegetable Preserving And Specialty Food Manufacturing	84	$72,932	86.60%
Industrial Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	84	$63,712	86.60%
All Other Basic Organic Chemical Manufacturing	84	$95,225	87.50%
Manufacturing And Reproducing Magnetic And Optical Media	84	$77,334	87.50%
Offices Of Other Health Practitioners	83	$68,587	87.37%
Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing	83	$105,152	87.37%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Soap And Cleaning Compound Manufacturing	32	$99,426	96.97%
Water Supply And Irrigation Systems	31	$71,718	93.94%
Grocery And Convenience Retailers	31	$49,942	93.94%
Hair Nail And Skin Care Services	31	$37,100	93.94%
Electric Power Generation	31	$97,858	93.94%
Electronic And Precision Equipment Repair And Maintenance	30	$79,693	90.91%
Media Buying Agencies	30	$125,319	93.75%
Other Sound Recording Industries	30	$110,447	93.75%
Site Preparation Contractors	30	$63,645	93.75%
Other Personal And Household Goods Repair And Maintenance	30	$48,120	93.75%

California Wage Comparison to Other States (All Years)

The chart below compares The average wage in California to that of the other top 9 states with the highest overall average H1-B wage. The average wage in California over all years is $104,510. California has the highest average wage of H1-B workers for all states, with the second highest average wage being WA with an average wage of $103,635.