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)

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 %
City And County Of San Francisco 30 $85,777 88.24%
Glumac 30 $77,121 88.24%
Gsn Games Inc 30 $105,233 88.24%
Thoughtfocus Inc 30 $103,110 88.24%
Plangrid Inc 30 $100,323 88.24%
Spansion Llc 30 $98,272 88.24%
Philips North America Llc 30 $118,250 88.24%
Carl Zeiss X Ray Microscopy Inc 30 $105,722 88.24%
Yantriks Llc 30 $102,104 88.24%
Eshares Inc Dba Carta 30 $141,759 88.24%

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%

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.

State Avg Wage