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 %
Animal Scientists 68 $57,784 83.95%
Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary 68 $60,710 83.95%
Surgeons 65 $165,492 81.25%
Credit Counselors 64 $37,128 81.01%
Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes 64 $61,112 83.12%
Civil Engineering Technicians 63 $54,218 82.89%
Social Workers, All Other 62 $48,581 81.58%
Geographers 62 $59,089 82.67%
Logistics Managers 62 $105,785 82.67%
Set and Exhibit Designers 61 $46,893 83.56%
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 %
Hgst Inc 529 $110,258 88.17%
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc 529 $107,971 88.17%
Lendingclub Corporation 528 $120,566 88.89%
Safeway Inc 527 $143,008 89.17%
Dew Software Inc 522 $84,019 88.32%
Niagara Bottling Llc 521 $81,240 88.31%
Stubhub Inc 520 $125,109 88.44%
Interface Rehab Inc 518 $82,929 88.10%
Mckinsey Company Inc United States 517 $96,067 87.93%
Twitch Interactive Inc 516 $118,042 89.27%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Dys Technologies Inc 44 $136,620 31.65%
Niantic Inc 44 $119,372 31.65%
Finisar Corporation 44 $116,515 31.88%
Palm Inc 44 $112,070 31.88%
Redback Networks Inc 44 $90,577 32.35%
Sambanova Systems Inc 44 $121,127 32.59%
Integral Development Corp 44 $131,393 32.59%
Fanatics Retail Group Fulfillment Inc Dba Fanatics 43 $110,088 32.09%
Litmus 7 Systems Consulting Inc 43 $122,230 32.33%
Westways Staffing Services Inc 43 $30,960 32.58%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Crop Production 83 $35,077 100.00%
Greenhouse Nursery And Floriculture Production 76 $35,004 100.00%
Soil Preparation Planting And Cultivating 73 $28,085 100.00%
Support Activities For Agriculture And Forestry 59 $35,754 100.00%
Agriculture Forestry Fishing And Hunting 58 $34,656 100.00%
All Other Miscellaneous Crop Farming 45 $25,279 100.00%
Other Crop Farming 44 $34,410 100.00%
Cattle Ranching And Farming 41 $31,076 100.00%
Beef Cattle Ranching And Farming 34 $31,432 100.00%
Other Noncitrus Fruit Farming 29 $33,533 100.00%

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