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 %
Credit Counselors	65	$37,159	82.28%
Museum Technicians and Conservators	65	$54,687	84.42%
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists	65	$97,731	85.53%
Microsystems Engineers	65	$128,563	85.53%
Surgeons	65	$165,492	87.84%
Civil Engineering Technicians	64	$54,242	86.49%
Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary	64	$61,738	86.49%
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	64	$46,325	86.49%
Set and Exhibit Designers	64	$48,157	87.67%
Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary	63	$66,662	86.30%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Rehabilitation Counselors	13	$32,142	15.66%
Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers	12	$69,436	14.63%
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary	12	$59,814	14.63%
Librarians	12	$59,299	14.63%
Engineering Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other	12	$74,890	14.63%
Robotics Engineers	12	$111,580	14.81%
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School	12	$54,365	14.81%
Writers and Authors	12	$82,072	15.00%
Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School	12	$98,028	15.00%
Social and Human Service Assistants	11	$30,623	13.75%

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 %
Luminus Inc	28	$94,850	87.50%
Msc Software Corporation	28	$75,707	87.50%
The Permanente Medical Group Inc	28	$200,391	87.50%
Zeta Metrics Llc	28	$85,835	87.50%
Sisl Networks Inc	28	$64,076	87.50%
Server Management Services Llc	28	$70,661	87.50%
Talent9 Inc	28	$81,827	87.50%
Alliedmedix Resources Inc	28	$66,307	87.50%
Alliance Fiber Optic Products Inc	28	$83,264	87.50%
Searles Valley Minerals Inc	28	$77,619	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Jjs Pharmacy	2	$95,025	33.33%
International Audio Visual Communication	2	$68,588	33.33%
Fuji Food Products Inc	2	$36,171	33.33%
Cerritos Presbyterian Church	2	$48,807	33.33%
Coyote Films Inc	2	$40,706	33.33%
Sur Trading Dba Nativa Furniture	2	$70,720	33.33%
Clm Care Home	2	$18,512	33.33%
Plaza Park Care Home	2	$18,387	33.33%
H Y Planning Inc	2	$42,838	33.33%
Telecommunications Consulting Inc	2	$102,097	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
All Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing	62	$115,945	86.11%
Lessors Of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets Except Copyrighted Works	62	$104,530	86.11%
Other Investment Pools And Funds	61	$86,125	84.72%
Frozen Food Manufacturing	60	$70,604	84.51%
Other Gambling Industries	59	$105,963	83.10%
Bread And Bakery Product Manufacturing	59	$54,571	84.29%
General Freight Trucking Long Distance	58	$70,088	82.86%
Cement Manufacturing	58	$88,779	82.86%
Beauty Salons	58	$82,924	82.86%
Book Periodical And Newspaper Merchant Wholesalers	58	$105,918	84.06%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Petroleum Refineries	23	$107,814	85.19%
Apparel Knitting Mills	23	$49,692	88.46%
Plastics Material And Resin Manufacturing	23	$94,336	88.46%
Plastics Packaging Materials And Unlaminated Film And Sheet Manufacturing	23	$78,569	88.46%
Lessors Of Other Real Estate Property	23	$82,567	88.46%
Special Food Services	22	$49,681	84.62%
Insurance And Employee Benefit Funds	22	$100,670	84.62%
Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing	22	$102,597	84.62%
Motor Vehicle Seating And Interior Trim Manufacturing	22	$106,529	88.00%
Beer Wine And Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers	22	$63,844	88.00%

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 $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.