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 %
Special Education Teachers, Preschool	50	$57,318	81.97%
Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other	47	$69,715	77.05%
Document Management Specialists	46	$54,807	77.97%
Models	46	$42,873	77.97%
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants	45	$41,310	80.36%
Food Service Managers	45	$49,791	81.82%
Recreation Workers	43	$23,749	78.18%
Petroleum Engineers	42	$117,100	77.78%
Remote Sensing Scientists and Technologists	42	$86,426	77.78%
Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other	41	$47,874	75.93%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Child, Family, and School Social Workers	10	$49,032	13.70%
Credit Counselors	10	$37,810	13.70%
Cooks, Short Order	9	$27,137	12.33%
Slaughterers and Meat Packers	9	$20,821	12.33%
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	9	$43,237	12.33%
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School	9	$74,214	12.68%
Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	9	$27,213	12.68%
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop	9	$16,663	12.68%
Vocational Education Teachers, Postsecondary	9	$69,994	12.68%
Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products	9	$54,054	12.86%

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 %
Capacitor Resistor Coil Transformer And Other Inductor Manufacturing	47	$85,002	81.03%
Sign Manufacturing	47	$71,237	82.46%
Private Mail Centers	47	$89,907	82.46%
Petroleum Refineries	46	$108,732	80.70%
Blood And Organ Banks	46	$76,072	80.70%
Lessors Of Miniwarehouses And Self Storage Units	46	$103,176	80.70%
Public Finance Activities	46	$75,980	82.14%
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing	45	$84,350	80.36%
Outpatient Care Centers	45	$103,380	81.82%
Photofinishing Laboratories Except One Hour	45	$118,265	81.82%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Cement Manufacturing	18	$93,030	85.71%
Heating Equipment Except Warm Air Furnaces Manufacturing	18	$73,834	85.71%
Merchant Wholesalers Durable Goods	18	$61,828	85.71%
Industrial Mold Manufacturing	18	$77,065	85.71%
Collection Agencies	18	$96,209	85.71%
Refrigeration Equipment And Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	17	$63,798	80.95%
Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing	17	$79,939	80.95%
Plumbing And Heating Equipment And Supplies Hydronics Merchant Wholesalers	17	$67,311	80.95%
Soft Drink Manufacturing	17	$100,415	80.95%
Public Finance Activities	17	$95,121	85.00%

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.