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 %
Forescout Technologies Inc	28	$115,242	87.50%
Persistent Telecom Solutions Inc	28	$82,655	87.50%
City Of Sacramento	28	$85,379	87.50%
Fictiv Inc	28	$127,661	87.50%
Lyra Health Inc	28	$146,848	87.50%
Crosscircles Inc	28	$62,455	87.50%
Kairos Technologies Inc	28	$93,667	87.50%
Quadrant Resource Llc	28	$102,798	87.50%
Infosemantics Inc	28	$70,485	87.50%
Djo Llc	28	$98,419	90.32%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Central Farm Inc	2	$44,658	33.33%
Good Stuff Restaurant	2	$24,190	33.33%
Jc Bc Inc Dba Hama Restaurant	2	$28,829	33.33%
American Bureau Of Shipping	2	$83,273	33.33%
Leucadia Pizzaria Italian Restaurant	2	$23,837	33.33%
Pacific Asian Consortium In Employment Pace	2	$0	33.33%
Integrated Healthcare Medical Group Inc	2	$40,508	33.33%
Surveying Drafting Services Inc	2	$57,491	33.33%
La Piccola Scuola Italiana Di San Francisco	2	$46,260	33.33%
Mesriani Associates A Plc	2	$46,176	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Offices Of Other Holding Companies	1,431	$132,599	91.55%
Computer Facilities Management Services	1,328	$103,861	85.07%
Insurance Agencies And Brokerages	1,308	$90,279	83.79%
Communications Equipment Manufacturing	1,304	$131,615	84.57%
Marketing Research And Public Opinion Polling	1,264	$90,485	86.81%
Freight Transportation Arrangement	1,151	$62,440	87.00%
Other Accounting Services	1,141	$75,071	86.37%
Testing Laboratories And Services	1,125	$74,436	86.21%
All Other Outpatient Care Centers	1,098	$142,026	87.28%
Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing	1,086	$108,802	86.67%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Citrus Except Orange Groves	2	$39,936	100.00%
Landscaping Services	1	$41,080	50.00%
Potato Farming	1	$30,722	50.00%
Commercial And Industrial Machinery And Equipment Except Automotive And Electronic Repair And Maintenance	1	$36,421	100.00%
Poultry And Egg Production	1	$41,080	100.00%
Merchant Wholesalers Nondurable Goods	1	$30,722	100.00%
Racetracks	1	$38,792	100.00%
Saw Blade And Handtool Manufacturing	1	$36,421	100.00%
All Other Animal Production	1	$23,469	100.00%
Soybean Farming	1	$38,792	100.00%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Direct Property And Casualty Insurance Carriers	417	$106,668	98.58%
Testing Laboratories And Services	414	$73,893	99.28%
Process Physical Distribution And Logistics Consulting Services	411	$87,928	99.28%
Insurance Agencies And Brokerages	396	$86,659	96.35%
Other Scientific And Technical Consulting Services	394	$541,657	99.49%
Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing	376	$105,891	95.43%
Communications Equipment Manufacturing	375	$119,371	99.73%
Pharmaceutical And Medicine Manufacturing	371	$91,829	98.93%
Audio And Video Equipment Manufacturing	369	$97,936	99.46%
Medical Laboratories	359	$86,032	97.29%

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.