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 %
Pathologists 3 $119,024 75.00%
Green Marketers 3 $113,270 75.00%
Wind Energy Project Managers 3 $144,650 75.00%
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks 2 $21,707 50.00%
Medical Assistants 2 $26,686 50.00%
Real Estate Sales Agents 2 $49,109 50.00%
Shipping, Receiving, and Traffic Clerks 2 $29,131 50.00%
Machinists 2 $38,636 50.00%
Desktop Publishers 2 $31,637 50.00%
Loan Interviewers and Clerks 2 $39,541 50.00%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Opticians, Dispensing 2 $46,519 5.26%
Floor Sanders and Finishers 2 $43,379 5.26%
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers 2 $132,787 5.26%
Law Teachers, Postsecondary 2 $54,345 5.26%
Molecular and Cellular Biologists 2 $70,897 5.26%
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers 2 $58,532 5.41%
Production Workers, All Other 2 $28,454 5.41%
Statistical Assistants 2 $44,616 5.41%
Astronomers 2 $59,894 5.41%
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other 2 $41,569 5.41%
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 %
Bosnia And Herzegovina 4 $90,678 44.44%
Afghanistan 4 $51,231 44.44%
Senegal 4 $103,823 50.00%
Libya 4 $127,550 50.00%
Algeria 3 $87,658 37.50%
Benin 3 $91,894 42.86%
Fiji 3 $41,752 42.86%
Zambia 3 $79,347 50.00%
Grenada 3 $95,604 50.00%
Burkina Faso 3 $101,046 50.00%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Novartis Institutes For Biomedical Research Inc 101 $84,972 88.60%
Wipro Vlsi Design Services Llc 100 $125,830 87.72%
Dynamic Access Systems Inc 100 $63,617 87.72%
Pacific Biosciences Of California Inc 100 $119,646 87.72%
Sterling 5 Inc 100 $77,743 87.72%
Le Technology Inc 100 $81,089 87.72%
Spidercloud Wireless Inc 100 $110,265 87.72%
Electronics For Imaging Inc 100 $92,662 87.72%
Eharmony Inc 100 $99,712 87.72%
Investcloud Inc 100 $100,110 87.72%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Bumble Bee Foods Llc 8 $100,542 36.36%
Lieberman Research Worldwide 8 $106,605 36.36%
Gouvis Engineering Consulting Group Inc 8 $67,062 36.36%
Citigroup Global Markets Inc 8 $155,353 36.36%
Lomita Health Management Inc 8 $43,277 36.36%
Guardian Analytics 8 $115,554 36.36%
California Baptist University 8 $61,607 36.36%
Woosung America Corp 8 $47,700 36.36%
Bittorrent Inc 8 $116,296 36.36%
Gmp Global Marketing Inc 8 $66,940 36.36%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Custom Computer Programming Services 312,578 $92,566 91.22%
Computer Systems Design Services 109,823 $112,222 89.12%
Electronic Computer Manufacturing 31,967 $136,456 89.17%
Computer Systems Design And Related Services 31,940 $105,105 95.47%
Other Computer Related Services 28,918 $96,928 86.88%
Colleges Universities And Professional Schools 25,329 $70,893 80.65%
Computing Infrastructure Providers Data Processing Web Hosting And Related Services 22,511 $132,927 92.36%
Engineering Services 19,340 $88,113 87.03%
Semiconductor And Other Electronic Component Manufacturing 19,317 $113,740 89.21%
Semiconductor And Related Device Manufacturing 18,978 $114,532 89.43%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Farm Labor Contractors And Crew Leaders 1,255 $29,995 100.00%
Sheep Farming 973 $28,127 100.00%
Support Activities For Crop Production 556 $35,714 100.00%
Apiculture 306 $31,428 100.00%
Other Vegetable Except Potato And Melon Farming 234 $31,607 100.00%
Strawberry Farming 185 $28,901 100.00%
Noncitrus Fruit And Tree Nut Farming 174 $33,516 100.00%
Vegetable And Melon Farming 147 $34,652 100.00%
Grape Vineyards 106 $30,027 100.00%
Fruit And Tree Nut Farming 97 $34,426 100.00%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Computer Systems Design Services 29,897 $120,796 73.89%
Semiconductor And Related Device Manufacturing 6,758 $112,365 22.60%
Other Computer Related Services 6,599 $114,410 36.13%
Financial Transactions Processing Reserve And Clearinghouse Activities 3,953 $119,753 37.81%
Colleges Universities And Professional Schools 3,799 $68,611 47.45%
Nursing Care Facilities Skilled Nursing Facilities 2,085 $82,066 30.85%
Full Service Restaurants 1,217 $37,937 18.44%
Religious Organizations 1,098 $124,462 16.73%
Architectural Services 992 $65,424 18.88%
Radio Broadcasting Stations 874 $101,751 19.22%

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