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 %
Advertising and Promotions Managers 439 $90,438 84.91%
Mathematicians 439 $94,141 86.93%
Automotive Engineers 430 $123,850 89.21%
Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors 424 $47,583 88.70%
Urban and Regional Planners 417 $73,783 88.16%
Mechatronics Engineers 414 $118,422 87.90%
Computer User Support Specialists 402 $60,438 85.90%
Photonics Engineers 396 $129,211 86.09%
Psychiatrists 378 $201,260 82.35%
Paralegals and Legal Assistants 376 $55,714 83.19%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
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 %
Docusign Inc 824 $152,353 88.89%
Square Inc 818 $125,347 89.11%
University Of California Irvine 814 $66,790 89.06%
Populus Group Llc 813 $107,037 89.83%
Management Health Systems Llc 811 $44,673 89.81%
Akamai Technologies Inc 801 $118,745 88.80%
Informatica Llc 797 $126,834 89.35%
University Of California At Santa Barbara 794 $63,137 89.21%
Satyam Computer Services Limited 790 $75,016 89.67%
Zoom Video Communications Inc 786 $133,643 89.32%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Mendoza Bros Harvesting Inc 9 $40,803 100.00%
Stehly Enterprises Inc 9 $26,319 100.00%
Farm Labor Association For Growers Inc 9 $34,639 100.00%
J Goyeneche Sheep Llc 9 $32,000 100.00%
Leland Frank Hazeltine 9 $36,672 100.00%
Pacific Livestock Inc 9 $29,176 100.00%
Q H Honey Farm Llc 9 $29,244 100.00%
Alexas Apiary 8 $32,976 100.00%
Quality Produce Llc 8 $33,768 100.00%
Freshway Farms Llc 8 $35,032 100.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
California State University Fresno 69 $53,517 32.39%
Xavient Information Systems 69 $107,872 32.70%
Versa Networks Inc 69 $149,074 32.70%
Five9 Inc 67 $123,723 31.90%
Chime Financial Inc 67 $130,699 32.21%
Litepoint Corporation 66 $106,196 32.67%
Sony Computer Entertainment America Llc 66 $94,822 33.00%
Reddit Inc 66 $144,988 33.33%
Stitch Fix Inc 66 $121,470 33.50%
Credit Karma Llc 66 $143,256 33.67%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Gasket Packing And Sealing Device Manufacturing 42 $72,968 79.25%
Switchgear And Switchboard Apparatus Manufacturing 42 $79,309 79.25%
Other Support Services 41 $70,737 78.85%
Basic Chemical Manufacturing 41 $79,901 80.39%
Plastics Bag And Pouch Manufacturing 41 $75,527 80.39%
Direct Mail Advertising 41 $98,612 82.00%
Other Plastics Product Manufacturing 40 $87,894 81.63%
Legal Counsel And Prosecution 40 $78,680 81.63%
Other Warehousing And Storage 40 $118,092 81.63%
Cut And Sew Apparel Contractors 40 $80,310 81.63%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Building Finishing Contractors 16 $52,843 84.21%
Home Centers 16 $97,326 84.21%
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 16 $66,332 84.21%
Heavy And Civil Engineering Construction 16 $85,920 84.21%
Berry Except Strawberry Farming 16 $79,171 84.21%
Textile And Fabric Finishing And Fabric Coating Mills 16 $47,191 84.21%
Sound Recording Industries 16 $106,568 88.89%
Frozen Food Manufacturing 16 $54,781 88.89%
Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturing 16 $78,361 88.89%
Offices Of Optometrists 16 $52,731 88.89%

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.

State Avg Wage