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 %
Insurance Underwriters 92 $60,527 85.19%
Financial Examiners 89 $73,933 82.41%
Geneticists 89 $72,841 83.96%
Registered Nurses 86 $82,005 82.69%
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers 86 $45,840 83.50%
Media and Communication Workers, All Other 84 $38,644 84.00%
Hydrologists 84 $66,849 84.85%
Mechanical Drafters 83 $54,381 84.69%
Search Marketing Strategists 83 $101,606 84.69%
Statistical Assistants 82 $49,970 86.32%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents 17 $106,907 18.48%
Order Clerks 16 $29,506 17.58%
Mathematicians 16 $83,689 17.58%
Travel Agents 15 $37,934 16.48%
Sewing Machine Operators 15 $20,413 16.67%
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers 14 $34,839 15.73%
Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters 14 $30,112 15.73%
Animal Trainers 14 $38,544 15.73%
Insurance Underwriters 14 $85,029 15.91%
Cooks, Private Household 14 $41,668 15.91%
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 %
Nextgen Technologies Inc 384 $91,156 86.68%
Bio Rad Laboratories Inc 383 $108,911 86.46%
Cloudera Inc 381 $129,128 86.20%
Logic Planet Cs Inc 380 $55,793 86.17%
Infinera Corporation 380 $124,034 86.17%
Delta Dental Of California 379 $116,161 86.93%
Intel Mobile Communications North America 378 $109,228 87.30%
Mastech Inc A Mastech Holdings Inc Company 378 $95,475 87.30%
Altera Corporation 377 $102,327 87.47%
Cepheid 377 $114,572 87.47%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Skidmore Owings Merrill Llp 32 $75,131 34.41%
Novatel Wireless 32 $96,233 34.41%
Metricstream Inc 32 $120,402 34.78%
University Of California San Francisco 32 $94,127 34.78%
Jds Uniphase Corporation 32 $106,971 35.16%
Fluor Enterprises Inc 31 $106,816 34.44%
Apn Software Services Inc 31 $101,486 34.44%
Sri International 31 $77,983 34.44%
Mercedes Benz Research Development 31 $114,404 34.44%
Spokeo Inc 31 $100,550 34.44%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Other Accounting Services 1,094 $73,533 80.15%
Communications Equipment Manufacturing 1,062 $127,600 83.95%
Testing Laboratories And Services 1,049 $73,009 85.77%
Freight Transportation Arrangement 1,040 $60,742 86.52%
Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing 991 $98,959 87.16%
Human Resources Consulting Services 989 $92,946 87.14%
Other Financial Investment Activities 956 $98,547 84.45%
All Other Outpatient Care Centers 954 $137,838 86.73%
Audio And Video Equipment Manufacturing 946 $90,859 87.35%
Industrial Design Services 946 $75,778 87.51%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Soybean Farming 1 $38,792 100.00%
Merchant Wholesalers Nondurable Goods 1 $30,722 100.00%
Saw Blade And Handtool Manufacturing 1 $36,421 100.00%
Rice Farming 1 $38,792 100.00%
Citrus Except Orange Groves 1 $38,792 100.00%
All Other Animal Production 1 $23,469 100.00%

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