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%
Occupational Therapists	140	$6,312,821	45.45%
Financial Specialists, All Other	140	$80,044	45.60%
Economists	135	$96,716	45.45%
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	135	$51,701	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%
Art Directors	120	$117,909	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 %
The Jerde Partnership Inc	28	$61,411	87.50%
Krg Technologies Inc	28	$62,995	87.50%
Jad Associates Llc	28	$66,035	87.50%
Silicon Concepts	28	$76,382	87.50%
Eminent Inc	28	$96,064	87.50%
Source Mantra Inc	28	$73,335	87.50%
Perk Systems Inc	28	$64,097	87.50%
Razorfish Llc	28	$88,121	87.50%
Blur Studio Inc	28	$69,600	87.50%
Cerus Corporation	28	$112,142	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Pacific Theatres Corporation Decurion Management Company	2	$113,412	33.33%
Mertz Care Home	2	$16,640	33.33%
Del Monte Foods	2	$112,799	33.33%
Piedmont University	2	$45,489	33.33%
Ajit Healthcare Inc	2	$62,889	33.33%
Relax Acupuncture Clinic	2	$39,666	33.33%
Archtech Connection Inc	2	$34,195	33.33%
Bcd Tofu House Inc	2	$42,713	33.33%
B Bridge International Inc	2	$143,042	33.33%
The Catholic Times Inc	2	$45,344	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Document Preparation Services	67	$74,240	85.90%
Flower Nursery Stock And Florists Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	67	$68,258	87.01%
Snack And Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	66	$83,000	85.71%
Other Communication And Energy Wire Manufacturing	65	$90,543	84.42%
Executive Legislative And Other General Government Support	65	$98,620	84.42%
Oil And Gas Pipeline And Related Structures Construction	65	$90,772	84.42%
Other Construction Material Merchant Wholesalers	65	$85,803	85.53%
Transportation Equipment And Supplies Except Motor Vehicle Merchant Wholesalers	65	$77,654	85.53%
Stationery And Office Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	64	$51,685	84.21%
Tire And Tube Merchant Wholesalers	64	$63,186	85.33%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Battery Manufacturing	26	$110,254	92.86%
Navigational Measuring Electromedical And Control Instruments Manufacturing	26	$105,896	92.86%
Pension Funds	26	$106,752	92.86%
Machine Shops Turned Product And Screw Nut And Bolt Manufacturing	26	$68,379	92.86%
Beverage Manufacturing	26	$97,586	92.86%
Paint And Coating Manufacturing	25	$74,434	89.29%
Security Systems Services	25	$87,521	89.29%
Other Building Equipment Contractors	25	$68,120	89.29%
In Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing	25	$83,791	89.29%
Commercial Screen Printing	25	$42,286	92.59%

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.