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 %
South Africa	126	$1,506,303	47.01%
Romania	116	$103,817	45.31%
Greece	111	$108,048	44.40%
Venezuela	111	$92,241	46.06%
Sri Lanka	104	$89,876	44.83%
Jordan	100	$87,306	45.45%
Belarus	100	$107,700	45.66%
New Zealand	92	$106,312	42.99%
Mongolia	82	$69,472	41.62%
Belgium	78	$108,805	41.94%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Sutter Medical Group	30	$192,353	88.24%
Alphatec Spine Inc	30	$94,599	88.24%
The Jackson Laboratory	30	$83,887	88.24%
Thought Byte Inc	30	$89,977	88.24%
Evry Usa Corporation	30	$79,524	88.24%
Vcarve Inc	30	$78,177	88.24%
Sanquest Inc	30	$89,375	88.24%
Petaio Inc	30	$123,323	88.24%
Lilee Technology Inc	30	$80,909	88.24%
Sauce Labs Inc	30	$112,370	88.24%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Ametek Programmable Power	2	$105,279	33.33%
Inmage Systems Inc	2	$92,290	33.33%
Bm Associates Inc	2	$83,314	33.33%
Yasim Inc	2	$53,269	33.33%
Clearwire Legacy Llc	2	$75,920	33.33%
Severn Trent Water Purification Inc	2	$72,072	33.33%
Cdsca Inc	2	$59,873	33.33%
Youth Hope Inc	2	$79,654	33.33%
G Tech Technology	2	$62,441	33.33%
Kal America Inc	2	$31,876	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Other Animal Food Manufacturing	6	$62,996	85.71%
Aluminum Sheet Plate And Foil Manufacturing	6	$78,191	85.71%
Legislative Bodies	6	$67,281	85.71%
Special Die And Tool Die Set Jig And Fixture Manufacturing	6	$77,612	85.71%
Political Organizations	6	$75,334	85.71%
Gold Ore And Silver Ore Mining	6	$96,287	85.71%
Motor Vehicle Parts Used Merchant Wholesalers	6	$50,574	85.71%
Administration Of Environmental Quality Programs	6	$53,071	85.71%
Cemeteries And Crematories	6	$87,751	85.71%
Other Justice Public Order And Safety Activities	6	$56,989	85.71%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Barber Shops	1	$40,331	33.33%
Rice Farming	1	$71,802	33.33%
Nondepository Credit Intermediation	1	$142,667	33.33%
Leather And Hide Tanning And Finishing	1	$106,933	33.33%
Farm Product Warehousing And Storage	1	$55,890	33.33%
Repossession Services	1	$181,896	33.33%
Paperboard Mills	1	$117,042	33.33%
Air And Gas Compressor Manufacturing	1	$36,525	33.33%
Postal Service	1	$92,206	33.33%
Nonferrous Metal Except Copper And Aluminum Rolling Drawing And Extruding	1	$82,410	33.33%

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.