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 %
Optometrists	56	$105,540	83.58%
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks	56	$37,588	87.50%
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects	56	$92,731	87.50%
Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School	55	$92,928	85.94%
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	55	$51,506	87.30%
Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers	55	$68,925	87.30%
Fundraisers	53	$59,847	84.13%
Orthotists and Prosthetists	53	$59,569	84.13%
Compensation and Benefits Managers	51	$146,709	82.26%
Physician Assistants	51	$101,518	83.61%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Butchers and Meat Cutters	10	$24,449	13.16%
Dentists, All Other Specialists	10	$113,366	13.16%
Civil Engineering Technicians	10	$64,305	13.16%
Child, Family, and School Social Workers	10	$49,032	13.16%
Surgeons	10	$136,635	13.33%
Teacher Assistants	10	$32,752	13.33%
Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors	10	$46,530	13.33%
Audio and Video Equipment Technicians	10	$48,345	13.33%
Mechanical Drafters	10	$65,194	13.51%
Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary	10	$61,924	13.70%

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 %
Nokia Solutions And Networks Us Llc	28	$103,906	87.50%
Acropetal Inc	28	$70,969	87.50%
Cybervision Inc	28	$70,278	87.50%
Towers Watson Pennsylvania Inc	28	$70,962	87.50%
Jm Information Systems Llc	28	$69,461	87.50%
Lmk Infotech	28	$103,542	87.50%
Sriven Technologies Llc	28	$84,611	87.50%
Industrial Light Magic A Div Of Lucasfilm Enter	28	$82,681	87.50%
Emulex Design And Manufacturing Corporation	28	$94,502	87.50%
Key Solutions Inc	28	$76,905	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Better Horizons Development Corporation	2	$35,412	33.33%
Fotokem Industries	2	$89,118	33.33%
Ttm Intertrading Co Inc	2	$67,819	33.33%
Barbaras At The Brewery	2	$35,547	33.33%
Greenbergfarrow	2	$83,782	33.33%
Interactive Data Managed Solutions Llc	2	$86,382	33.33%
Elliott Laboratories Llc	2	$69,982	33.33%
Royale Home Health Care Inc	2	$62,723	33.33%
Analytic Investors	2	$85,083	33.33%
Cal Family Health Inc	2	$116,678	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
General Line Grocery Merchant Wholesalers	144	$58,800	87.80%
Lessors Of Nonresidential Buildings Except Miniwarehouses	143	$103,008	88.27%
Toy And Hobby Goods And Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	143	$73,436	88.27%
Postproduction Services And Other Motion Picture And Video Industries	143	$71,531	88.82%
Media Streaming Distribution Services Social Networks And Other Media Networks And Content Providers	143	$137,106	89.38%
Other Sound Recording Industries	142	$123,233	88.75%
Air Conditioning And Warm Air Heating Equipment And Commercial And Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing	141	$95,876	88.68%
Tour Operators	139	$56,897	87.42%
Psychiatric And Substance Abuse Hospitals	139	$123,986	87.42%
Outpatient Mental Health And Substance Abuse Centers	137	$59,113	87.82%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing	49	$80,923	92.45%
Residential Property Managers	49	$76,654	94.23%
Metal And Mineral Except Petroleum Merchant Wholesalers	48	$61,226	92.31%
Book Periodical And Newspaper Merchant Wholesalers	46	$111,858	88.46%
Cut And Sew Apparel Contractors	46	$44,822	90.20%
Indoor And Outdoor Display Advertising	46	$113,028	92.00%
Hardware And Plumbing And Heating Equipment And Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	46	$61,865	93.88%
Commercial And Industrial Machinery And Equipment Except Automotive And Electronic Repair And Maintenance	45	$59,391	91.84%
Automotive Repair And Maintenance	45	$43,399	91.84%
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing	45	$97,429	91.84%

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.