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 Teachers, Postsecondary	1,126	$78,446	89.15%
Interior Designers	1,049	$51,487	84.12%
Food Scientists and Technologists	1,019	$64,608	85.06%
Medical and Health Services Managers	1,007	$92,171	85.63%
Environmental Engineers	958	$80,561	84.63%
Materials Scientists	942	$84,796	84.71%
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary	938	$59,367	85.35%
Compliance Officers	911	$72,906	85.78%
Technical Writers	883	$77,470	83.30%
Landscape Architects	880	$61,913	86.02%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Compliance Officers	120	$76,377	43.48%
Art Directors	120	$117,909	44.28%
Food Service Managers	118	$54,478	44.53%
Food Scientists and Technologists	117	$60,024	44.49%
Interior Designers	117	$51,245	44.49%
Credit Analysts	112	$77,256	43.24%
Personal Care Aides	112	$25,574	43.41%
Web Developers	111	$86,264	43.53%
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	109	$44,662	43.25%
Budget Analysts	109	$69,548	43.78%

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 %
Natural Gas Distribution	37	$92,440	84.09%
Other Support Activities For Air Transportation	37	$83,607	84.09%
Executive Search Services	37	$77,518	84.09%
All Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing	37	$84,306	84.09%
Ornamental And Architectural Metal Work Manufacturing	37	$59,124	84.09%
Hair Nail And Skin Care Services	37	$71,545	84.09%
Tire Manufacturing	37	$69,252	86.05%
Textile And Fabric Finishing Mills	37	$63,324	86.05%
Commercial Air Rail And Water Transportation Equipment Rental And Leasing	37	$106,641	86.05%
Soil Preparation Planting And Cultivating	36	$80,739	83.72%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Exterminating And Pest Control Services	14	$51,097	82.35%
Coastal And Great Lakes Freight Transportation	14	$130,263	82.35%
Rubber Product Manufacturing	14	$62,843	87.50%
Dairy Product Manufacturing	14	$81,083	87.50%
Roasted Nuts And Peanut Butter Manufacturing	14	$64,747	87.50%
Custom Compounding Of Purchased Resins	14	$68,226	87.50%
Specialized Freight Except Used Goods Trucking Long Distance	14	$44,026	87.50%
Nonupholstered Wood Household Furniture Manufacturing	14	$47,201	87.50%
Private Mail Centers	14	$81,183	87.50%
Advertising Material Distribution Services	13	$109,458	81.25%

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.