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 %
Bmc Software Inc 170 $111,561 89.01%
Covetit Inc 169 $80,995 88.48%
Infinity Methods Corp 169 $74,041 88.48%
San Francisco State University 169 $64,404 88.95%
Infineon Technologies Americas Corp 168 $112,014 88.42%
California State University Long Beach 168 $55,353 88.42%
Deloitte Transactions And Business Analytics Llp 168 $78,621 88.42%
Fanatics Retail Group Fulfillment Inc 168 $125,280 88.89%
Model N Inc 167 $112,057 88.36%
Penumbra Inc 167 $100,261 88.36%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Smithgroupjjr 13 $70,395 32.50%
Tile Inc 13 $105,950 32.50%
Mias Fashion Mfg Co Inc 13 $49,775 32.50%
Rm Pacific Rim Inc 13 $26,443 32.50%
James Worldwide Inc 13 $57,866 32.50%
Polaris Wireless Inc 13 $115,669 32.50%
Central California Faculty Medical Group Inc 13 $191,897 32.50%
Cdnetworks Inc 13 $92,523 32.50%
General Atomics 13 $89,483 32.50%
Space Time Insight Inc 13 $114,670 32.50%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
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
All visa, employer, attorney, and salary data was obtained from the OFLC website.
All NAICS data was obtained from the NAICS website.    All SOC data was obtained from the O*Net database.