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 %
Meridianlink Inc	27	$79,551	87.10%
Sdh Systems Llc	27	$109,776	87.10%
Theragen Llc	27	$93,430	87.10%
Conch Technologies Inc	27	$83,157	87.10%
Cbn Tech Force Inc	27	$91,386	87.10%
Xtracit Inc	27	$101,432	87.10%
Tnp Systems Llc	27	$102,413	87.10%
Systems Integration Solutions Inc	27	$111,138	87.10%
Social Annex Inc	27	$75,561	87.10%
Thales E Security Inc	27	$112,498	87.10%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Shotspotter Inc	2	$155,750	33.33%
Honda Research Institute Usa Inc	2	$117,812	33.33%
Areva Np Inc	2	$87,599	33.33%
E Dong Usa Inc	2	$36,546	33.33%
Donginagape Accupuncture	2	$29,463	33.33%
Rapid Consulting Services Llc	2	$94,983	33.33%
Videosurf Inc	2	$88,109	33.33%
Nihilistic Software	2	$70,741	33.33%
Bluearc Corporation	2	$98,530	33.33%
Nielsen Nrg	2	$169,135	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Medical Equipment And Supplies Manufacturing	5,546	$113,270	87.85%
Web Search Portals And All Other Information Services	5,472	$175,878	95.70%
Offices Of Physical Occupational And Speech Therapists And Audiologists	5,147	$76,018	90.11%
Elementary And Secondary Schools	5,061	$57,232	88.71%
Architectural Services	4,868	$60,468	86.34%
General Medical And Surgical Hospitals	4,798	$88,394	90.12%
Commercial Banking	4,636	$104,495	89.65%
Marketing Consulting Services	4,499	$93,449	87.56%
Software Publishers	4,342	$162,333	96.49%
Offices Of Lawyers	3,653	$104,423	82.67%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Other Noncitrus Fruit Farming	40	$36,074	100.00%
Hay Farming	27	$37,299	100.00%
Tree Nut Farming	25	$37,348	100.00%
Sheep And Goat Farming	24	$30,795	100.00%
Crop Harvesting Primarily By Machine	20	$33,439	100.00%
All Other Crop Farming	19	$38,414	100.00%
Other Animal Production	18	$34,515	100.00%
Flower Nursery Stock And Florists Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	17	$30,575	100.00%
Wineries	15	$39,276	100.00%
Nursery And Floriculture Production	14	$36,474	100.00%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Medical Equipment And Supplies Manufacturing	1,297	$108,838	100.00%
All Other Professional Scientific And Technical Services	1,293	$205,455	100.00%
Commercial Banking	1,148	$108,721	100.00%
Religious Organizations	1,123	$122,781	100.00%
Architectural Services	1,067	$66,121	100.00%
Accounting Tax Preparation Bookkeeping And Payroll Services	995	$87,255	100.00%
Other Electronic Component Manufacturing	981	$106,053	100.00%
Management Consulting Services	961	$109,090	100.00%
Offices Of Lawyers	940	$88,352	100.00%
Offices Of Dentists	911	$269,149	100.00%

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.