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 %
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 %
Human Resources Consulting Services	1,072	$94,779	87.87%
Supermarkets And Other Grocery Retailers Except Convenience Retailers	1,061	$118,222	87.61%
Other Electronic Parts And Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	1,044	$109,965	86.64%
Other Financial Investment Activities	1,044	$101,020	87.29%
Research And Development In The Social Sciences And Humanities	1,022	$74,263	85.52%
Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing	1,021	$99,045	85.65%
Aircraft Manufacturing	1,012	$111,006	85.91%
Medical Laboratories	1,007	$105,766	86.96%
Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing	1,005	$119,889	88.94%
Industrial Design Services	998	$77,621	89.59%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Assisted Living Facilities For The Elderly	350	$27,149	97.49%
Janitorial Services	340	$31,311	97.14%
Scientific Research And Development Services	323	$100,563	95.00%
Other Accounting Services	323	$80,585	100.00%
Other Services Related To Advertising	310	$106,314	95.98%
All Other Financial Investment Activities	296	$112,158	95.48%
Junior Colleges	287	$55,023	96.96%
Industrial Design Services	281	$87,153	97.91%
Hotels Except Casino Hotels And Motels	281	$207,628	100.00%
Medical Dental And Hospital Equipment And Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	277	$86,843	98.58%

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.