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 %
Geneticists	114	$74,340	86.36%
Sustainability Specialists	114	$80,905	86.36%
Child, Family, and School Social Workers	113	$47,884	86.26%
Special Education Teachers, Middle School	113	$55,819	86.92%
Political Scientists	112	$66,815	87.50%
Nurse Practitioners	110	$103,317	86.61%
History Teachers, Postsecondary	108	$62,877	85.71%
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists	107	$56,730	85.60%
Music Directors and Composers	104	$44,483	85.95%
Obstetricians and Gynecologists	103	$183,688	85.83%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Personal Financial Advisors	20	$83,706	19.80%
Billing and Posting Clerks	20	$36,266	20.00%
Sheet Metal Workers	20	$31,221	20.00%
Order Clerks	19	$29,764	19.00%
Dental Assistants	19	$34,208	19.00%
Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary	19	$62,098	19.19%
Mechanical Engineering Technicians	19	$63,601	19.39%
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents	18	$105,277	18.37%
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	18	$81,992	18.56%
Medical Records and Health Information Technicians	18	$45,130	18.56%

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 %
Nokia Solutions And Networks Us Llc	28	$103,906	87.50%
Acropetal Inc	28	$70,969	87.50%
Cybervision Inc	28	$70,278	87.50%
Towers Watson Pennsylvania Inc	28	$70,962	87.50%
Jm Information Systems Llc	28	$69,461	87.50%
Lmk Infotech	28	$103,542	87.50%
Sriven Technologies Llc	28	$84,611	87.50%
Industrial Light Magic A Div Of Lucasfilm Enter	28	$82,681	87.50%
Emulex Design And Manufacturing Corporation	28	$94,502	87.50%
Key Solutions Inc	28	$76,905	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Better Horizons Development Corporation	2	$35,412	33.33%
Fotokem Industries	2	$89,118	33.33%
Ttm Intertrading Co Inc	2	$67,819	33.33%
Barbaras At The Brewery	2	$35,547	33.33%
Greenbergfarrow	2	$83,782	33.33%
Interactive Data Managed Solutions Llc	2	$86,382	33.33%
Elliott Laboratories Llc	2	$69,982	33.33%
Royale Home Health Care Inc	2	$62,723	33.33%
Analytic Investors	2	$85,083	33.33%
Cal Family Health Inc	2	$116,678	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Document Preparation Services	67	$74,240	85.90%
Flower Nursery Stock And Florists Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	67	$68,258	87.01%
Snack And Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	66	$83,000	85.71%
Other Communication And Energy Wire Manufacturing	65	$90,543	84.42%
Executive Legislative And Other General Government Support	65	$98,620	84.42%
Oil And Gas Pipeline And Related Structures Construction	65	$90,772	84.42%
Other Construction Material Merchant Wholesalers	65	$85,803	85.53%
Transportation Equipment And Supplies Except Motor Vehicle Merchant Wholesalers	65	$77,654	85.53%
Stationery And Office Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	64	$51,685	84.21%
Tire And Tube Merchant Wholesalers	64	$63,186	85.33%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Battery Manufacturing	26	$110,254	92.86%
Navigational Measuring Electromedical And Control Instruments Manufacturing	26	$105,896	92.86%
Pension Funds	26	$106,752	92.86%
Machine Shops Turned Product And Screw Nut And Bolt Manufacturing	26	$68,379	92.86%
Beverage Manufacturing	26	$97,586	92.86%
Paint And Coating Manufacturing	25	$74,434	89.29%
Security Systems Services	25	$87,521	89.29%
Other Building Equipment Contractors	25	$68,120	89.29%
In Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing	25	$83,791	89.29%
Commercial Screen Printing	25	$42,286	92.59%

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.