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 %
Business Operations Specialists, All Other	1,385	$56,239	86.78%
Construction Managers	1,377	$98,216	88.38%
Cost Estimators	1,373	$65,307	89.10%
Architectural and Civil Drafters	1,348	$51,398	87.53%
Industrial Production Managers	1,311	$116,161	88.94%
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	1,280	$58,957	87.67%
Physicians and Surgeons, All Other	1,271	$126,922	88.08%
Economists	1,223	$94,771	88.05%
Bioinformatics Scientists	1,190	$94,015	86.80%
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	1,138	$55,244	87.74%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Biochemists and Biophysicists	146	$68,343	46.95%
Financial Specialists, All Other	140	$80,044	45.45%
Occupational Therapists	140	$6,312,821	45.60%
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	135	$51,701	45.45%
Economists	135	$96,716	45.61%
Chemical Engineers	130	$96,300	44.22%
Purchasing Managers	130	$113,207	44.83%
Veterinarians	123	$75,863	42.56%
Chefs and Head Cooks	122	$52,737	42.36%
Compliance Officers	120	$76,377	41.81%

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 %
Nonupholstered Wood Household Furniture Manufacturing	27	$49,825	81.82%
Vegetable And Melon Farming	27	$78,339	81.82%
Industrial Process Furnace And Oven Manufacturing	27	$104,818	81.82%
Warm Air Heating And Air Conditioning Equipment And Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	27	$79,779	81.82%
Support Activities For Air Transportation	27	$49,238	84.38%
Labor Unions And Similar Labor Organizations	27	$63,761	84.38%
Scheduled Air Transportation	27	$77,681	84.38%
Offices Of Real Estate Appraisers	27	$71,386	84.38%
Janitorial Services	27	$76,895	84.38%
Drywall And Insulation Contractors	27	$67,024	84.38%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
All Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing	10	$73,574	76.92%
Dance Companies	10	$47,183	76.92%
Administration Of Urban Planning And Community And Rural Development	10	$75,949	83.33%
Material Handling Equipment Manufacturing	10	$74,122	83.33%
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers	10	$62,487	83.33%
Other Metal Valve And Pipe Fitting Manufacturing	10	$105,608	83.33%
Technical And Trade Schools	10	$72,383	83.33%
Metal Crown Closure And Other Metal Stamping Except Automotive	10	$99,820	83.33%
Direct Mail Advertising	10	$112,842	83.33%
Photography Studios Portrait	10	$44,751	83.33%

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.