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 %
Newport Corporation	28	$94,955	87.50%
Ssc Technologies Inc	28	$114,270	87.50%
Lumos Labs Inc	28	$113,435	87.50%
Liveaction Inc	28	$101,904	87.50%
Bankruptcy Management Solutions Inc	28	$90,581	87.50%
Ibrain Technologies Inc	28	$90,607	87.50%
Expensify Inc	28	$101,679	87.50%
Icertis Inc	28	$128,346	87.50%
Interdigital Communications Inc	28	$124,460	87.50%
Denali Therapeutics Inc	28	$124,195	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Original Wireless Inc	2	$64,646	33.33%
Quorum Consulting Inc	2	$64,771	33.33%
Pentair Water Pool And Spa Inc	2	$102,721	33.33%
Ayuda Group Llc	2	$66,300	33.33%
Dereks Bistro Inc	2	$39,187	33.33%
Nextg Networks Inc	2	$80,871	33.33%
Multi Cable Inc	2	$58,302	33.33%
Homak Enterprises Inc	2	$54,881	33.33%
Cj Tech America Inc	2	$89,170	33.33%
I Many Inc	2	$111,977	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Advertising Agencies	1,966	$81,788	82.67%
Process Physical Distribution And Logistics Consulting Services	1,932	$91,841	85.71%
Research And Development In The Physical Engineering And Life Sciences Except Nanotechnology And Biotechnology	1,849	$112,158	87.46%
Radio Broadcasting Stations	1,800	$93,527	85.23%
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing	1,648	$114,747	87.52%
Offices Of Dentists	1,577	$113,273	89.76%
Direct Property And Casualty Insurance Carriers	1,526	$103,838	89.29%
Department Stores	1,525	$143,848	90.77%
All Other Financial Investment Activities	1,521	$114,061	92.69%
Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing	1,464	$107,242	89.32%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Other Grain Farming	3	$27,484	100.00%
Spectator Sports	2	$36,421	100.00%
Transportation Equipment And Supplies Except Motor Vehicle Merchant Wholesalers	2	$35,360	100.00%
Fruit And Vegetable Retailers	2	$33,571	100.00%
Oilseed Except Soybean Farming	2	$26,058	100.00%
Other Commercial And Industrial Machinery And Equipment Rental And Leasing	2	$30,722	100.00%
Floriculture Production	2	$29,796	100.00%
Food Crops Grown Under Cover	2	$37,606	100.00%
Rice Farming	2	$39,936	100.00%
Machinery Manufacturing	2	$32,053	100.00%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Private Households	521	$144,777	100.00%
Other Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods Merchant Wholesalers	511	$61,292	100.00%
Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing	494	$105,298	97.05%
Educational Support Services	493	$82,973	99.80%
Direct Health And Medical Insurance Carriers	490	$112,322	99.39%
Advertising Agencies	470	$93,562	95.92%
Other Management Consulting Services	455	$105,630	96.81%
Offices Of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners	441	$203,971	96.92%
Supermarkets And Other Grocery Retailers Except Convenience Retailers	439	$81,756	99.55%
Computer And Electronic Product Manufacturing	423	$91,011	96.36%

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.