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 %
Chemical Engineers 1,286 $90,156 85.51%
Physicians and Surgeons, All Other 1,276 $127,080 86.57%
Cost Estimators 1,268 $63,163 88.80%
Construction Managers 1,224 $95,574 88.44%
Molecular and Cellular Biologists 1,166 $76,661 87.60%
Economists 1,131 $93,455 89.06%
Industrial Production Managers 1,118 $111,277 88.94%
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education 1,084 $56,954 87.84%
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 1,063 $54,277 87.56%
Business Teachers, Postsecondary 1,037 $77,964 89.32%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Medical and Health Services Managers 140 $1,521,405 47.30%
Financial Specialists, All Other 136 $79,774 46.42%
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 134 $51,667 46.69%
Human Resources Specialists 131 $66,640 45.80%
Economists 127 $95,652 45.36%
Chemical Engineers 125 $95,305 45.29%
Purchasing Managers 124 $111,008 45.59%
Veterinarians 122 $75,865 45.69%
Food Scientists and Technologists 116 $59,978 43.94%
Compliance Officers 115 $76,754 43.73%
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 %
Argentina 175 $96,380 50.43%
Egypt 162 $103,584 46.96%
Poland 159 $103,080 50.48%
Nigeria 150 $96,617 47.62%
Sweden 146 $113,209 47.10%
Lebanon 137 $72,931 50.00%
Netherlands 135 $114,095 49.27%
Colombia 124 $87,465 45.59%
South Africa 121 $1,563,288 44.49%
Chile 116 $103,746 44.96%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Callidus Software Inc 151 $101,533 88.82%
Pharmacyclics Llc 150 $110,826 88.24%
Pantar Solutions Inc 150 $94,456 88.24%
Ab Ovo Inc 150 $92,183 88.76%
James R Glidewell Dental Ceramics Inc 149 $95,674 88.17%
Inphi Corporation 149 $110,818 88.17%
Deckers Outdoor Corporation 149 $99,016 88.17%
Opentable Inc 149 $110,880 88.69%
San Diego State University 149 $94,576 88.69%
Cavisson Systems Inc 148 $87,742 88.10%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Mercer Us Inc 12 $107,467 34.29%
Aixtron Inc 12 $123,991 34.29%
Intacct Corp 12 $86,582 34.29%
Umg Recordings Inc 12 $118,707 34.29%
Cerijons Homes Inc 12 $38,156 34.29%
Ove Arup And Partners California Limited 12 $84,833 34.29%
Nishimoto Trading Co Ltd 12 $51,955 34.29%
Tegile Systems Inc 12 $122,647 34.29%
Cisco Consumer Products Llc 12 $95,378 34.29%
Ramar International Corporation 12 $58,781 34.29%

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