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 %
Luxembourg	3	$97,386	50.00%
Ivory Coast	3	$110,501	50.00%
Kuwait	3	$59,619	60.00%
Democratic Republic Of Congo	2	$92,014	40.00%
Togo	2	$80,388	50.00%
Mali	2	$79,300	50.00%
Botswana	2	$97,084	50.00%
Bahrain	2	$124,103	50.00%
Barbados	2	$67,933	50.00%
Guyana	2	$93,839	50.00%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Asa Computers Inc	29	$76,037	87.88%
Highdata Software Corporation	29	$71,288	87.88%
Enterprise Business Solutions Inc	29	$63,942	87.88%
Hyundai Information Service North America Llc	29	$85,506	87.88%
Avalondev Corporation	29	$59,705	87.88%
Mootly Inc	29	$66,157	87.88%
Infobiz Technologies Inc	29	$69,320	87.88%
Ondemand Agility Solutions Inc	29	$67,355	87.88%
Bridgepoint Education Inc	29	$74,827	87.88%
California State University Channel Islands	29	$71,963	87.88%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Acclarent Inc	2	$106,985	33.33%
Acu World Health Clinic	2	$34,705	33.33%
Dreyfuss Blackford Architects	2	$62,810	33.33%
Wilshire Kingsley Inc	2	$32,230	33.33%
Crissair Incorporated	2	$82,150	33.33%
Savino Del Bene Usa Inc	2	$82,129	33.33%
Acom Solutions Inc	2	$75,286	33.33%
Pinoy Fiesta Inc	2	$24,762	33.33%
Javan Restaurant	2	$26,208	33.33%
Lynam Industries Inc	2	$42,786	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Distilleries	19	$67,763	86.36%
Food Health Supplement Retailers	19	$72,838	86.36%
Hydroelectric Power Generation	19	$91,224	86.36%
Other Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers	19	$63,895	86.36%
Mining Machinery And Equipment Manufacturing	19	$91,169	86.36%
Cosmetics Beauty Supplies And Perfume Retailers	19	$82,827	86.36%
Fluid Power Pump And Motor Manufacturing	19	$116,655	90.48%
General Freight Trucking Long Distance Less Than Truckload	19	$111,994	90.48%
Support Activities For Animal Production	19	$64,939	90.48%
Roasted Nuts And Peanut Butter Manufacturing	18	$76,895	85.71%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Wood Container And Pallet Manufacturing	7	$131,171	87.50%
Grain And Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers	7	$130,253	87.50%
Apiculture	7	$40,952	87.50%
Administration Of Housing Programs Urban Planning And Community Development	7	$98,316	87.50%
Tortilla Manufacturing	7	$66,723	87.50%
Other Wood Product Manufacturing	6	$61,256	75.00%
Pottery Ceramics And Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing	6	$67,097	75.00%
Power Driven Handtool Manufacturing	6	$71,892	75.00%
Fluid Power Cylinder And Actuator Manufacturing	6	$111,925	75.00%
Investigation And Personal Background Check Services	6	$70,148	75.00%

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.