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 %
Mechanical Engineering Technicians	41	$55,477	75.93%
Chefs and Head Cooks	41	$57,017	78.85%
Fuel Cell Engineers	39	$125,040	75.00%
Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technicians	38	$61,881	82.61%
Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians	38	$51,387	82.61%
Genetic Counselors	37	$92,894	80.43%
Chemical Technicians	37	$40,351	80.43%
Geospatial Information Scientists and Technologists	36	$98,318	81.82%
Audiologists	35	$83,183	81.40%
Environmental Economists	34	$72,970	79.07%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Vocational Education Teachers, Postsecondary	9	$69,994	13.04%
Animal Scientists	9	$62,217	13.04%
Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other	9	$56,814	13.04%
Slaughterers and Meat Packers	9	$20,821	13.04%
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary	8	$62,404	11.59%
Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other	8	$80,972	11.59%
Automotive Body and Related Repairers	8	$43,612	11.59%
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects	8	$87,300	11.76%
Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers	8	$63,037	11.76%
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers	8	$40,235	11.94%

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 %
Right Click Systems Llc	28	$73,691	87.50%
Varnar Inc	28	$94,662	87.50%
Sony Music Holdings Inc	28	$89,444	87.50%
Mci Communications Services Llc	28	$153,897	87.50%
Nominum Inc	28	$114,981	87.50%
Kiranam Technologies Inc	28	$85,232	87.50%
Hughes Network Systems Llc	28	$83,809	87.50%
Anjus Llc	28	$88,991	87.50%
M9 Consulting Inc	28	$100,243	87.50%
Therapy Mantra Inc	28	$78,484	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Int Technologies Llc	2	$78,364	33.33%
Otis Spunkmeyer	2	$80,423	33.33%
Js Auto Tech Inc	2	$68,422	33.33%
Mellanox Technologies Inc	2	$98,634	33.33%
Ljb Group Llc Dba For Speed Oil Change Center	2	$74,495	33.33%
Saion Corp	2	$71,094	33.33%
Edgile Inc	2	$127,774	33.33%
Heschong Mahone Group Inc	2	$64,407	33.33%
Sabocor Co Llp	2	$67,902	33.33%
German American International School	2	$86,039	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Document Preparation Services	67	$74,240	85.90%
Flower Nursery Stock And Florists Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	67	$68,258	87.01%
Snack And Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	66	$83,000	85.71%
Other Communication And Energy Wire Manufacturing	65	$90,543	84.42%
Executive Legislative And Other General Government Support	65	$98,620	84.42%
Oil And Gas Pipeline And Related Structures Construction	65	$90,772	84.42%
Other Construction Material Merchant Wholesalers	65	$85,803	85.53%
Transportation Equipment And Supplies Except Motor Vehicle Merchant Wholesalers	65	$77,654	85.53%
Stationery And Office Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	64	$51,685	84.21%
Tire And Tube Merchant Wholesalers	64	$63,186	85.33%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Battery Manufacturing	26	$110,254	92.86%
Navigational Measuring Electromedical And Control Instruments Manufacturing	26	$105,896	92.86%
Pension Funds	26	$106,752	92.86%
Machine Shops Turned Product And Screw Nut And Bolt Manufacturing	26	$68,379	92.86%
Beverage Manufacturing	26	$97,586	92.86%
Paint And Coating Manufacturing	25	$74,434	89.29%
Security Systems Services	25	$87,521	89.29%
Other Building Equipment Contractors	25	$68,120	89.29%
In Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing	25	$83,791	89.29%
Commercial Screen Printing	25	$42,286	92.59%

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.