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 %
India 42,735 $178,228 48.91%
China 15,777 $108,656 53.06%
South Korea 4,032 $154,868 40.97%
Canada 3,684 $145,079 47.74%
Taiwan 1,769 $272,719 36.38%
Philippines 1,733 $517,903 45.04%
Mexico 1,231 $85,995 37.92%
United Kingdom 913 $111,050 45.38%
Japan 796 $241,546 40.24%
France 786 $107,939 47.61%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Blackrock Institutional Trust Company Na 509 $101,965 88.83%
Syntel Consulting Inc 507 $78,860 89.10%
Move Inc 506 $120,988 89.08%
Activision Publishing Inc 505 $100,405 89.54%
Successfactors Inc 504 $114,701 89.68%
Rite Aid Corp 501 $104,136 89.30%
Databricks Inc 500 $139,326 90.42%
Capgemini Us Llc 500 $96,840 90.58%
Blue Shield Of California 490 $107,799 88.77%
Ericsson Inc 488 $100,566 89.05%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Infovity Inc 43 $121,664 32.82%
Cashedge Inc 43 $105,226 32.82%
Merrick Engineering Inc 42 $27,002 32.06%
Lumentum Operations Llc 42 $123,820 32.31%
Target Enterprise Inc 42 $122,919 32.56%
Gm Cruise Llc 42 $123,363 32.56%
Polycom Inc 42 $106,989 32.56%
Kpi Partners Inc 42 $108,640 32.81%
Western Digital Fremont Llc 42 $101,292 32.81%
Forever 21 Inc Merged With Fashion 21 Inc 41 $78,786 32.54%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Armored Car Services 1 $51,314 100.00%
Biomass Electric Power Generation 1 $101,254 100.00%
Timber Tract Operations 1 $77,917 100.00%
Sawmills 1 $92,706 100.00%
Petroleum Bulk Stations And Terminals 1 $43,056 100.00%
Other Waste Collection 1 $66,248 100.00%
All Other Industrial Machinery Manufacturing 1 $53,165 100.00%
Cane Sugar Manufacturing 1 $87,443 100.00%
Soybean Farming 1 $73,091 100.00%
Noncurrent Carrying Wiring Device Manufacturing 1 $140,920 100.00%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %

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