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 %
Customer Service Representatives	13	$40,653	72.22%
Photographers	13	$44,331	72.22%
Industrial Engineering Technicians	13	$59,482	72.22%
Electronics Engineering Technologists	13	$69,727	72.22%
Fire-Prevention and Protection Engineers	13	$94,275	72.22%
Geographic Information Systems Technicians	13	$101,854	72.22%
Anesthesiologists	13	$154,201	76.47%
Electrical Engineering Technologists	13	$65,105	81.25%
Transportation Inspectors	12	$46,954	75.00%
Marine Engineers	12	$107,205	75.00%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Athletic Trainers	4	$42,853	7.41%
Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	4	$33,925	7.41%
Atmospheric and Space Scientists	4	$60,001	7.41%
Choreographers	4	$55,214	7.41%
Political Scientists	4	$55,276	7.41%
Home Economics Teachers, Postsecondary	4	$72,377	7.41%
Computer Operators	4	$39,707	7.41%
Billing, Cost, and Rate Clerks	4	$32,510	7.55%
Agricultural Equipment Operators	4	$22,776	7.55%
Special Education Teachers, Preschool	4	$57,454	7.55%

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 %
Nokia Solutions And Networks Us Llc	28	$103,906	87.50%
Acropetal Inc	28	$70,969	87.50%
Cybervision Inc	28	$70,278	87.50%
Towers Watson Pennsylvania Inc	28	$70,962	87.50%
Jm Information Systems Llc	28	$69,461	87.50%
Lmk Infotech	28	$103,542	87.50%
Sriven Technologies Llc	28	$84,611	87.50%
Industrial Light Magic A Div Of Lucasfilm Enter	28	$82,681	87.50%
Emulex Design And Manufacturing Corporation	28	$94,502	87.50%
Key Solutions Inc	28	$76,905	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Better Horizons Development Corporation	2	$35,412	33.33%
Fotokem Industries	2	$89,118	33.33%
Ttm Intertrading Co Inc	2	$67,819	33.33%
Barbaras At The Brewery	2	$35,547	33.33%
Greenbergfarrow	2	$83,782	33.33%
Interactive Data Managed Solutions Llc	2	$86,382	33.33%
Elliott Laboratories Llc	2	$69,982	33.33%
Royale Home Health Care Inc	2	$62,723	33.33%
Analytic Investors	2	$85,083	33.33%
Cal Family Health Inc	2	$116,678	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers	90	$60,107	86.54%
Wired And Wireless Telecommunications Except Satellite	90	$70,527	87.38%
Nonresidential Property Managers	90	$65,831	87.38%
Industrial And Personal Service Paper Merchant Wholesalers	90	$68,197	87.38%
Other Professional Equipment And Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	90	$66,698	88.24%
Insurance And Employee Benefit Funds	89	$95,119	88.12%
Telemarketing Bureaus And Other Contact Centers	89	$94,647	89.00%
Family Planning Centers	88	$67,039	88.00%
Construction Machinery Manufacturing	88	$99,471	88.89%
Food Service Contractors	88	$72,125	88.89%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Lessors Of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets Except Copyrighted Works	32	$99,759	91.43%
Other Spectator Sports	32	$48,705	94.12%
Food Service Contractors	32	$73,956	94.12%
Sports Teams And Clubs	32	$63,439	94.12%
Child And Youth Services	32	$2,221,493	94.12%
Cosmetology And Barber Schools	32	$27,896	94.12%
Other Plastics Product Manufacturing	32	$55,715	94.12%
Miscellaneous Durable Goods Merchant Wholesalers	32	$62,656	94.12%
Grantmaking Foundations	32	$74,441	94.12%
Dried And Dehydrated Food Manufacturing	32	$70,749	94.12%

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.