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
1,132,362	86.89%	$100,819	H-1B
137,987	10.59%	$145,140	PERM
27,949	2.14%	$107,091	E-3 Australian
4,960	0.38%	$29,309	H-2A

As of May 2023, California has seen a total of 1,303,258 visa workers across all visa types. The most common visa class in California is the H-1B visa with 1,132,362 H-1B visas on record over all years accounting for 86.89% of California's total visas. The second most prevalent visa is the PERM visa with 137,987 PERM visas on record over all years accounting for 10.59% of California's total visas.

Top Occupations in California (All Years)

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Software Developers, Applications	194,395	$113,169	89.39%
Computer Systems Analysts	104,820	$82,449	91.36%
Software Developers, Systems Software	58,461	$123,631	89.70%
Computer Programmers	52,531	$69,328	89.59%
Computer Occupations, All Other	51,542	$83,906	91.49%
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer	35,308	$115,630	90.24%
Accountants and Auditors	20,885	$66,832	91.51%
Computer and Information Systems Managers	16,526	$166,691	91.14%
Management Analysts	16,324	$88,735	91.36%
Electrical Engineers	14,812	$115,370	88.12%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse	1,722	$31,984	677.95%
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals	1,264	$28,731	499.60%
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop	714	$32,564	291.43%
Agricultural Equipment Operators	115	$33,388	47.52%
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	34	$38,233	15.81%
Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians	25	$37,078	12.69%
Agricultural Workers, All Other	12	$30,352	6.94%
First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers	11	$37,981	7.14%
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	7	$32,112	7.53%
Food Preparation Workers	5	$33,159	7.69%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Software Developers, Applications	26,501	$160,578	100.57%
Software Developers, Systems Software	15,558	$135,395	61.50%
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer	9,042	$110,904	216.89%
Computer Systems Analysts	6,736	$171,673	247.47%
Computer Occupations, All Other	3,487	$113,110	196.12%
Computer and Information Systems Managers	2,245	$163,817	154.30%
Accountants and Auditors	2,162	$125,666	152.15%
Statisticians	1,989	$82,692	150.34%
Marketing Managers	1,281	$141,556	106.48%
Sales Engineers	1,278	$117,607	114.52%

California Employees Over Time

California has been in the H1B Visa program since 2011 where 50,870 employees were hired. California peaked in 2022 with 107,868 employees, and has since been on a decline with the most recent number of employees being 90,720 in 2023.

Top Countries with Workers in California From PERM Program (All Years)

Country	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Italy	311	$102,109	42.54%
Thailand	306	$58,313	44.54%
Spain	293	$105,403	50.26%
Singapore	278	$109,854	49.91%
Nepal	256	$84,532	47.50%
Malaysia	233	$97,820	43.47%
Ireland	226	$98,932	44.14%
Indonesia	204	$82,045	41.38%
Bangladesh	202	$90,833	44.69%
Hong Kong	192	$89,149	44.04%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Emc Corporation	1,389	$105,891	90.25%
Cadence Design Systems Inc	1,376	$130,117	90.41%
Gilead Sciences Inc	1,368	$113,461	90.30%
Lyft Inc	1,364	$133,764	90.27%
Adobe Systems Incorporated	1,348	$114,849	89.81%
Igate Technologies Inc	1,304	$70,682	86.93%
Satyam Computer Services Ltd	1,296	$76,079	86.69%
The Leland Stanford Jr University	1,287	$66,304	86.55%
Pinterest Inc	1,287	$128,678	87.08%
Rivian Automotive Llc	1,268	$122,196	89.55%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Pfs Llc	148	$24,008	41.81%
Veritas Technologies Llc	145	$119,791	42.52%
Informatica Corporation	144	$101,335	42.73%
Erp Erp Corp	143	$110,575	44.27%
Robinhood Markets Inc	135	$130,219	42.45%
Fireeye Inc	129	$122,847	40.95%
Hortonworks Inc	129	$117,054	41.08%
First Republic Bank	129	$137,753	41.61%
Affirm Inc	126	$117,343	41.04%
Prospance Inc	124	$116,259	40.66%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Other Measuring And Controlling Device Manufacturing	189	$93,103	86.70%
Plastics Product Manufacturing	187	$73,107	88.21%
Sound Recording Industries	186	$129,393	88.57%
Couriers And Express Delivery Services	186	$73,434	89.00%
Used Car Dealers	183	$92,953	87.98%
Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing	182	$100,686	88.78%
Electric Power Generation	181	$90,110	88.73%
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing	179	$78,937	87.75%
Specialized Design Services	175	$64,818	86.21%
Professional And Management Development Training	175	$78,505	86.63%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Direct Mail Advertising	9	$110,617	12.33%
Administration Of Urban Planning And Community And Rural Development	9	$75,192	12.50%
Commercial Photography	9	$69,657	12.50%
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers	9	$65,781	12.50%
Other Support Activities For Road Transportation	9	$63,348	12.68%
Marine Cargo Handling	9	$96,087	12.68%
Industrial Gas Manufacturing	9	$85,136	12.68%
Legal Counsel And Prosecution	9	$85,213	13.04%
Other Concrete Product Manufacturing	9	$77,187	13.04%
Other Airport Operations	8	$52,354	11.76%

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 $100,819. 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 $99,834.