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 %
Romania	112	$103,836	47.06%
Venezuela	106	$91,991	44.54%
Greece	105	$106,522	48.61%
Armenia	103	$74,624	47.91%
Belarus	97	$107,803	45.54%
Sri Lanka	96	$89,884	46.38%
Jordan	96	$84,342	47.06%
New Zealand	90	$105,749	44.55%
Belgium	76	$109,751	39.18%
Peru	72	$88,486	43.90%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Hgst Inc	529	$110,258	88.17%
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc	529	$107,971	88.17%
Lendingclub Corporation	528	$120,566	88.89%
Safeway Inc	527	$143,008	89.17%
Dew Software Inc	522	$84,019	88.32%
Niagara Bottling Llc	521	$81,240	88.31%
Stubhub Inc	520	$125,109	88.44%
Interface Rehab Inc	518	$82,929	88.10%
Mckinsey Company Inc United States	517	$96,067	87.93%
Twitch Interactive Inc	516	$118,042	89.27%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Dys Technologies Inc	44	$136,620	31.65%
Niantic Inc	44	$119,372	31.65%
Finisar Corporation	44	$116,515	31.88%
Palm Inc	44	$112,070	31.88%
Redback Networks Inc	44	$90,577	32.35%
Sambanova Systems Inc	44	$121,127	32.59%
Integral Development Corp	44	$131,393	32.59%
Fanatics Retail Group Fulfillment Inc Dba Fanatics	43	$110,088	32.09%
Litmus 7 Systems Consulting Inc	43	$122,230	32.33%
Westways Staffing Services Inc	43	$30,960	32.58%

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.