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 %
Regulatory Affairs Managers	229	$153,362	85.77%
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School	228	$59,303	85.39%
Pharmacists	227	$124,045	85.34%
Film and Video Editors	224	$50,810	85.50%
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education	222	$33,200	85.38%
Engineering Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other	221	$55,578	85.66%
Architectural Drafters	220	$55,984	85.94%
Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products	218	$61,048	86.51%
Energy Engineers	213	$94,852	85.89%
Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists	209	$73,424	85.66%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Communications Teachers, Postsecondary	34	$62,317	24.29%
Education Administrators, Postsecondary	34	$86,504	24.64%
Healthcare Social Workers	33	$48,589	24.09%
First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers	33	$41,808	24.44%
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers	33	$33,664	24.44%
Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks	33	$47,538	25.38%
Medical Secretaries	33	$36,249	25.38%
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals	32	$24,824	25.00%
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	31	$55,839	24.80%
Mental Health Counselors	30	$38,987	24.00%

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 %
Right Click Systems Llc	28	$73,691	87.50%
Varnar Inc	28	$94,662	87.50%
Sony Music Holdings Inc	28	$89,444	87.50%
Mci Communications Services Llc	28	$153,897	87.50%
Nominum Inc	28	$114,981	87.50%
Kiranam Technologies Inc	28	$85,232	87.50%
Hughes Network Systems Llc	28	$83,809	87.50%
Anjus Llc	28	$88,991	87.50%
M9 Consulting Inc	28	$100,243	87.50%
Therapy Mantra Inc	28	$78,484	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Int Technologies Llc	2	$78,364	33.33%
Otis Spunkmeyer	2	$80,423	33.33%
Js Auto Tech Inc	2	$68,422	33.33%
Mellanox Technologies Inc	2	$98,634	33.33%
Ljb Group Llc Dba For Speed Oil Change Center	2	$74,495	33.33%
Saion Corp	2	$71,094	33.33%
Edgile Inc	2	$127,774	33.33%
Heschong Mahone Group Inc	2	$64,407	33.33%
Sabocor Co Llp	2	$67,902	33.33%
German American International School	2	$86,039	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Public Relations Agencies	277	$64,883	85.23%
Motion Picture And Video Distribution	276	$99,775	85.71%
Other Activities Related To Credit Intermediation	276	$110,795	85.98%
Exam Preparation And Tutoring	273	$65,418	85.31%
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	272	$69,453	86.62%
Commercial And Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing	271	$133,427	86.31%
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing	270	$121,317	87.38%
Diet And Weight Reducing Centers	268	$113,456	86.73%
All Other Business Support Services	267	$103,807	88.12%
Electric Power Generation Transmission And Distribution	264	$94,585	87.71%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Plastics Product Manufacturing	90	$65,103	97.83%
Restaurants And Other Eating Places	90	$46,981	98.90%
Cut And Sew Apparel Manufacturing	89	$57,238	98.89%
All Other Insurance Related Activities	89	$108,465	98.89%
Tax Preparation Services	89	$64,293	98.89%
Sporting And Athletic Goods Manufacturing	88	$893,635	97.78%
Exam Preparation And Tutoring	88	$66,432	97.78%
General Automotive Repair	86	$56,083	96.63%
Electric Power Generation Transmission And Distribution	85	$97,102	95.51%
Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers	84	$61,904	94.38%

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.