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 %
Sierra Leone	2	$65,707	50.00%
Guinea-bissau	2	$95,191	50.00%
Brunei	2	$80,101	50.00%
Montenegro	2	$69,139	66.67%
Liberia	1	$22,526	33.33%
Bhutan	1	$54,205	33.33%
Swaziland	1	$65,395	33.33%
Guinea	1	$103,459	33.33%
Malta	1	$47,278	33.33%
Cote D'ivoire	1	$123,885	33.33%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Baidu Usa Llc	239	$123,777	87.55%
Palantir Technologies Inc	239	$109,087	87.55%
Formac Inc	239	$101,970	87.87%
Contextlogic Inc Dba Wish	238	$150,650	87.50%
City Of Hope National Medical Center	237	$79,552	87.13%
Quantcast Corporation	237	$125,546	87.13%
Telenav Inc	237	$111,207	87.45%
Analysis Group Inc	236	$98,314	87.41%
The Scripps Research Institute	236	$53,151	87.41%
Iqvia Inc	236	$96,690	87.41%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Diamond Cattle Co Llc	2	$9,300	100.00%
Moon Valley Nursery Of California Llc Murrieta	2	$34,902	100.00%
Divine Honey Inc	2	$39,936	100.00%
Isa Contracting Services Inc Dimare	2	$33,571	100.00%
Bradley Jagol Ca	2	$36,088	100.00%
Angels Contracting	2	$22,339	100.00%
Danys Berry Farms	2	$22,350	100.00%
Santiago Santillan	2	$26,736	100.00%
Imperial Lamb Inc	2	$31,467	100.00%
Amerian Sod Farms Llc	2	$39,936	100.00%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Kioxia America Inc	20	$136,031	34.48%
Innopeak Technology Inc	20	$126,444	34.48%
Plusai Inc	20	$123,215	34.48%
Alcon Research Llc	20	$116,537	34.48%
Danube River Holdings Llc Dba Riverpointe	20	$31,075	34.48%
Rx Staffing And Home Care	19	$20,555	32.76%
Relief Nursing Services Inc	19	$22,647	33.33%
Natureware Inc	19	$33,666	33.33%
Cal Royal Products Inc	19	$65,414	33.33%
Chelsio Communications Inc	19	$105,057	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Computer Training	173	$87,672	86.07%
Cut And Sew Apparel Manufacturing	173	$57,918	86.50%
Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers	171	$60,023	85.50%
All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing	171	$73,940	85.50%
Automatic Environmental Control Manufacturing For Residential Commercial And Appliance Use	169	$96,974	84.50%
Fitness And Recreational Sports Centers	168	$62,747	84.42%
Brick Stone And Related Construction Material Merchant Wholesalers	168	$69,732	84.42%
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing	167	$101,298	84.34%
Other Aircraft Parts And Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing	167	$80,424	84.77%
Security Systems Services Except Locksmiths	166	$98,261	85.13%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Electronic Connector Manufacturing	62	$108,668	93.94%
Promoters Of Performing Arts Sports And Similar Events With Facilities	61	$108,588	92.42%
Retail Bakeries	61	$47,889	93.85%
Furniture And Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers	61	$57,094	93.85%
All Other Electrical Equipment And Component Manufacturing	61	$89,679	93.85%
Architectural And Structural Metals Manufacturing	61	$35,806	95.31%
Medical And Diagnostic Laboratories	60	$64,868	95.24%
Passenger Car Rental	60	$112,475	95.24%
All Other Miscellaneous Schools And Instruction	60	$75,961	95.24%
General Freight Trucking	60	$56,493	96.77%

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.