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 %
Software Developers, Applications	193,998	$113,139	89.21%
Computer Systems Analysts	104,772	$82,444	91.31%
Software Developers, Systems Software	58,151	$123,588	89.22%
Computer Programmers	52,515	$69,323	89.56%
Computer Occupations, All Other	51,521	$83,900	91.45%
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer	39,912	$119,022	90.94%
Accountants and Auditors	23,125	$69,041	91.77%
Computer and Information Systems Managers	19,359	$173,059	91.40%
Management Analysts	17,285	$90,027	91.40%
Electrical Engineers	16,250	$117,766	88.31%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse	2,366	$34,286	753.50%
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals	1,587	$30,893	510.29%
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop	714	$32,564	253.19%
Agricultural Equipment Operators	179	$35,796	68.58%
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	53	$44,467	20.54%
Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians	43	$45,492	17.20%
First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers	21	$48,882	9.29%
Agricultural Workers, All Other	13	$31,001	6.31%
Food Preparation Workers	8	$35,844	7.08%
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	8	$33,545	8.99%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Software Developers, Applications	26,507	$160,581	96.90%
Software Developers, Systems Software	15,563	$135,396	61.52%
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer	9,259	$111,482	219.88%
Computer Systems Analysts	6,744	$171,595	237.30%
Computer Occupations, All Other	3,491	$113,090	186.78%
Computer and Information Systems Managers	2,352	$165,802	148.96%
Accountants and Auditors	2,305	$123,676	162.21%
Statisticians	2,015	$82,718	149.70%
Sales Engineers	1,325	$118,264	104.83%
Marketing Managers	1,310	$141,709	107.73%

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 %
Tajikistan	4	$55,812	36.36%
St Kitts And Nevis	4	$46,790	36.36%
St Lucia	4	$86,355	40.00%
Libya	4	$127,550	44.44%
Grenada	4	$105,940	50.00%
Algeria	4	$108,633	57.14%
Benin	3	$91,894	42.86%
Fiji	3	$41,752	50.00%
Luxembourg	3	$97,386	50.00%
Ivory Coast	3	$110,501	50.00%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Luminus Inc	28	$94,850	87.50%
Msc Software Corporation	28	$75,707	87.50%
The Permanente Medical Group Inc	28	$200,391	87.50%
Zeta Metrics Llc	28	$85,835	87.50%
Sisl Networks Inc	28	$64,076	87.50%
Server Management Services Llc	28	$70,661	87.50%
Talent9 Inc	28	$81,827	87.50%
Alliedmedix Resources Inc	28	$66,307	87.50%
Alliance Fiber Optic Products Inc	28	$83,264	87.50%
Searles Valley Minerals Inc	28	$77,619	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Jjs Pharmacy	2	$95,025	33.33%
International Audio Visual Communication	2	$68,588	33.33%
Fuji Food Products Inc	2	$36,171	33.33%
Cerritos Presbyterian Church	2	$48,807	33.33%
Coyote Films Inc	2	$40,706	33.33%
Sur Trading Dba Nativa Furniture	2	$70,720	33.33%
Clm Care Home	2	$18,512	33.33%
Plaza Park Care Home	2	$18,387	33.33%
H Y Planning Inc	2	$42,838	33.33%
Telecommunications Consulting Inc	2	$102,097	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing	78	$106,986	85.71%
Plastics Material And Resin Manufacturing	78	$71,090	85.71%
Furniture And Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers	77	$52,351	85.56%
Wind Electric Power Generation	76	$105,869	85.39%
Voluntary Health Organizations	76	$66,875	85.39%
Indoor And Outdoor Display Advertising	75	$85,864	84.27%
General Freight Trucking Long Distance Truckload	75	$70,616	84.27%
New Housing For Sale Builders	74	$72,620	83.15%
Lessors Of Real Estate	74	$111,070	84.09%
Office Supplies Except Paper Manufacturing	74	$85,486	84.09%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Securities And Commodity Exchanges	29	$132,745	93.55%
Flight Training	29	$68,480	93.55%
Motor And Generator Manufacturing	29	$103,029	93.55%
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing	29	$103,572	96.67%
Surveying And Mapping Except Geophysical Services	29	$94,638	96.67%
Other Professional Equipment And Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	29	$68,306	96.67%
Other Insurance Related Activities	28	$96,657	93.33%
Tire And Tube Merchant Wholesalers	28	$75,064	93.33%
Aircraft Engine And Engine Parts Manufacturing	28	$90,464	93.33%
Relay And Industrial Control Manufacturing	28	$105,537	93.33%

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.