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 %
Auditors	259	$74,327	86.62%
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other	253	$69,688	86.05%
Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary	253	$62,976	86.05%
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products	252	$77,726	86.30%
Health Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners, All Other	251	$46,868	87.46%
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary	238	$66,457	83.22%
Marriage and Family Therapists	238	$48,609	83.51%
Public Relations and Fundraising Managers	237	$102,415	83.75%
Postsecondary Teachers, All Other	236	$71,316	84.89%
Life Scientists, All Other	234	$61,147	84.48%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Health Educators	39	$42,873	26.90%
Receptionists and Information Clerks	38	$25,461	26.21%
Team Assemblers	38	$24,016	26.21%
Public Relations and Fundraising Managers	38	$114,628	26.57%
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary	38	$60,324	26.76%
Waiters and Waitresses	38	$26,957	26.76%
Editors	36	$61,294	25.35%
Shipping, Receiving, and Traffic Clerks	35	$27,628	24.82%
Social and Community Service Managers	35	$65,689	24.82%
Auditors	35	$70,597	24.82%

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 %
Qualcomm Global Services Inc	28	$89,990	87.50%
Acerta Pharma Llc	28	$117,346	87.50%
Federal Home Loan Bank Of San Francisco	28	$142,010	87.50%
Lululemon Usa Inc	28	$121,517	87.50%
Deliverr Inc	28	$133,334	87.50%
Itamerica Inc	28	$108,361	87.50%
Invincible Tech Systems Inc	28	$106,000	87.50%
Mufg Bank Ltd	28	$124,842	87.50%
Cyphort Inc	28	$115,134	87.50%
Peel Technologies Inc	28	$123,166	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Wilshire United Methodist Church	2	$47,591	33.33%
Jae Electronics Inc	2	$125,195	33.33%
Mirrorplus Technologies Inc	2	$123,490	33.33%
First Imperial Trading Co	2	$120,256	33.33%
Sgs Testcom Inc	2	$76,565	33.33%
Pba Inc	2	$83,190	33.33%
Bling Bling Inc	2	$45,729	33.33%
La Noosha Inc	2	$29,557	33.33%
Asiana Airlines	2	$103,241	33.33%
Dci Llc Db In Ca As Dci Investment Management Llc	2	$112,757	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Advertising Agencies	1,966	$81,788	82.67%
Process Physical Distribution And Logistics Consulting Services	1,932	$91,841	85.71%
Research And Development In The Physical Engineering And Life Sciences Except Nanotechnology And Biotechnology	1,849	$112,158	87.46%
Radio Broadcasting Stations	1,800	$93,527	85.23%
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing	1,648	$114,747	87.52%
Offices Of Dentists	1,577	$113,273	89.76%
Direct Property And Casualty Insurance Carriers	1,526	$103,838	89.29%
Department Stores	1,525	$143,848	90.77%
All Other Financial Investment Activities	1,521	$114,061	92.69%
Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing	1,464	$107,242	89.32%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Other Grain Farming	3	$27,484	100.00%
Spectator Sports	2	$36,421	100.00%
Transportation Equipment And Supplies Except Motor Vehicle Merchant Wholesalers	2	$35,360	100.00%
Fruit And Vegetable Retailers	2	$33,571	100.00%
Oilseed Except Soybean Farming	2	$26,058	100.00%
Other Commercial And Industrial Machinery And Equipment Rental And Leasing	2	$30,722	100.00%
Floriculture Production	2	$29,796	100.00%
Food Crops Grown Under Cover	2	$37,606	100.00%
Rice Farming	2	$39,936	100.00%
Machinery Manufacturing	2	$32,053	100.00%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Private Households	521	$144,777	100.00%
Other Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods Merchant Wholesalers	511	$61,292	100.00%
Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing	494	$105,298	97.05%
Educational Support Services	493	$82,973	99.80%
Direct Health And Medical Insurance Carriers	490	$112,322	99.39%
Advertising Agencies	470	$93,562	95.92%
Other Management Consulting Services	455	$105,630	96.81%
Offices Of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners	441	$203,971	96.92%
Supermarkets And Other Grocery Retailers Except Convenience Retailers	439	$81,756	99.55%
Computer And Electronic Product Manufacturing	423	$91,011	96.36%

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.