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
1,132,362 86.89% $100,819 H-1B
137,987 10.59% $145,140 PERM
27,949 2.14% $107,091 E-3 Australian
4,960 0.38% $29,309 H-2A

As of May 2023, California has seen a total of 1,303,258 visa workers across all visa types. The most common visa class in California is the H-1B visa with 1,132,362 H-1B visas on record over all years accounting for 86.89% of California's total visas. The second most prevalent visa is the PERM visa with 137,987 PERM visas on record over all years accounting for 10.59% of California's total visas.

Top Occupations in California (All Years)

Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Commercial Pilots 8 $72,754 12.12%
Automotive Body and Related Repairers 8 $43,612 12.31%
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects 8 $87,300 12.31%
Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary 8 $60,856 12.31%
Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers 8 $63,037 12.31%
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists 7 $68,574 10.94%
Curators 7 $44,367 10.94%
Hydrologists 7 $76,969 11.11%
Automotive Master Mechanics 7 $34,998 11.11%
Architectural Drafters 7 $46,660 11.11%
California Employees Over Time
California has been in the H1B Visa program since 2011 where 50,870 employees were hired. California peaked in 2022 with 107,868 employees, and has since been on a decline with the most recent number of employees being 90,720 in 2023.

Top Countries with Workers in California From PERM Program (All Years)

Country # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Grenada 3 $95,604 60.00%
Burkina Faso 3 $101,046 60.00%
Luxembourg 3 $97,386 60.00%
Guyana 2 $93,839 50.00%
Barbados 2 $101,061 50.00%
Guinea-bissau 2 $95,191 50.00%
Bahrain 2 $124,103 50.00%
Togo 2 $80,388 50.00%
Brunei 2 $80,101 50.00%
Montenegro 2 $69,139 50.00%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Thermo Fisher Scientific 121 $104,203 88.32%
Stratedge Inc 121 $74,538 88.97%
General Motors Company 121 $123,594 88.97%
Teamsoft Technologies Llc 121 $87,076 88.97%
Southern California Edison 121 $90,700 88.97%
Opendoor Labs Inc 121 $140,223 88.97%
Bofa Securities Inc 121 $99,109 88.97%
I3 Infotek Inc 121 $92,809 88.97%
Cintel Systemsinc 121 $62,486 89.63%
Cougar Tech 121 $66,301 89.63%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Stellus Technologies Inc 9 $145,034 33.33%
Clever Inc 9 $122,017 33.33%
Vings Technologies Limited 9 $108,125 33.33%
Jayway Inc 9 $143,825 33.33%
Nativo Inc 9 $96,775 33.33%
Schneider Electric Software Llc 9 $111,040 33.33%
Pacific Dental Services 9 $120,702 33.33%
Reltio 9 $138,981 33.33%
Fastly Inc 9 $148,279 33.33%
Motor Vehicle Software Corporation 9 $129,762 33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Custom Computer Programming Services 312,578 $92,566 91.22%
Computer Systems Design Services 109,823 $112,222 89.12%
Electronic Computer Manufacturing 31,967 $136,456 89.17%
Computer Systems Design And Related Services 31,940 $105,105 95.47%
Other Computer Related Services 28,918 $96,928 86.88%
Colleges Universities And Professional Schools 25,329 $70,893 80.65%
Computing Infrastructure Providers Data Processing Web Hosting And Related Services 22,511 $132,927 92.36%
Engineering Services 19,340 $88,113 87.03%
Semiconductor And Other Electronic Component Manufacturing 19,317 $113,740 89.21%
Semiconductor And Related Device Manufacturing 18,978 $114,532 89.43%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Farm Labor Contractors And Crew Leaders 1,255 $29,995 100.00%
Sheep Farming 973 $28,127 100.00%
Support Activities For Crop Production 556 $35,714 100.00%
Apiculture 306 $31,428 100.00%
Other Vegetable Except Potato And Melon Farming 234 $31,607 100.00%
Strawberry Farming 185 $28,901 100.00%
Noncitrus Fruit And Tree Nut Farming 174 $33,516 100.00%
Vegetable And Melon Farming 147 $34,652 100.00%
Grape Vineyards 106 $30,027 100.00%
Fruit And Tree Nut Farming 97 $34,426 100.00%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Computer Systems Design Services 29,897 $120,796 73.89%
Semiconductor And Related Device Manufacturing 6,758 $112,365 22.60%
Other Computer Related Services 6,599 $114,410 36.13%
Financial Transactions Processing Reserve And Clearinghouse Activities 3,953 $119,753 37.81%
Colleges Universities And Professional Schools 3,799 $68,611 47.45%
Nursing Care Facilities Skilled Nursing Facilities 2,085 $82,066 30.85%
Full Service Restaurants 1,217 $37,937 18.44%
Religious Organizations 1,098 $124,462 16.73%
Architectural Services 992 $65,424 18.88%
Radio Broadcasting Stations 874 $101,751 19.22%

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 $100,819. 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 $99,834.

State Avg Wage