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
1,132,362 86.89% $100,819 H-1B
137,987 10.59% $145,140 PERM
27,949 2.14% $107,091 E-3 Australian
4,960 0.38% $29,309 H-2A

As of May 2023, California has seen a total of 1,303,258 visa workers across all visa types. The most common visa class in California is the H-1B visa with 1,132,362 H-1B visas on record over all years accounting for 86.89% of California's total visas. The second most prevalent visa is the PERM visa with 137,987 PERM visas on record over all years accounting for 10.59% of California's total visas.

Top Occupations in California (All Years)

Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Communications Teachers, Postsecondary 153 $65,926 83.61%
Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other 149 $63,690 84.66%
Atmospheric and Space Scientists 146 $71,180 82.95%
Coaches and Scouts 142 $40,538 80.68%
Hospitalists 142 $169,263 86.59%
Epidemiologists 141 $73,992 86.50%
Personal Financial Advisors 138 $58,223 84.66%
Chiropractors 137 $54,672 85.09%
Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products 136 $44,274 84.47%
Administrative Services Managers 134 $66,265 84.28%
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 2022 with 107,868 employees, and has since been on a decline with the most recent number of employees being 90,720 in 2023.

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

Country # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
India 42,735 $178,228 48.91%
China 15,777 $108,656 53.06%
South Korea 4,032 $154,868 40.97%
Canada 3,684 $145,079 47.74%
Taiwan 1,769 $272,719 36.38%
Philippines 1,733 $517,903 45.04%
Mexico 1,231 $85,995 37.92%
United Kingdom 913 $111,050 45.38%
Japan 796 $241,546 40.24%
France 786 $107,939 47.61%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
University Of California Berkeley 1,586 $61,747 88.95%
University Of California San Diego 1,550 $58,734 88.47%
University Of California Davis 1,530 $55,734 88.49%
Visa Usa Inc 1,529 $120,676 88.79%
Compunnel Software Group Inc 1,505 $88,897 90.39%
Autodesk Inc 1,489 $120,155 91.13%
Bytedance Inc 1,488 $146,645 94.78%
Salesforce Inc 1,472 $151,881 94.60%
Amgen Inc 1,470 $90,280 94.78%
Etouch Systems Corporation 1,407 $85,409 91.19%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Esurance Insurance Services Inc 176 $104,681 44.22%
Aruba Networks Inc 175 $113,254 45.45%
Ariba Inc 171 $115,300 44.76%
Genentech 168 $84,529 45.28%
Texas Instruments Incorporated 168 $118,873 45.41%
Denken Solutions Inc 164 $98,499 44.69%
Panasonic Avionics Corporation 160 $113,821 43.72%
Snw Infotech Inc 160 $126,102 44.69%
Zillow Inc 155 $112,405 43.30%
Ellie Mae Inc 154 $118,383 43.26%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers 97 $73,871 86.61%
Environment Conservation And Wildlife Organizations 96 $69,457 85.71%
Business Associations 95 $100,358 85.59%
Securities And Commodity Exchanges 94 $124,375 85.45%
Oil And Gas Extraction 94 $124,818 85.45%
Motor And Generator Manufacturing 93 $102,688 85.32%
Surveying And Mapping Except Geophysical Services 92 $85,166 87.62%
Commercial And Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing 92 $101,960 87.62%
Cheese Manufacturing 92 $80,851 88.46%
Beverage Manufacturing 91 $91,553 88.35%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %

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 $100,819. 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 $99,834.

State Avg Wage