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 %
Belgium	78	$108,805	43.58%
United States Of America	71	$1,093,106	42.26%
Bulgaria	68	$95,088	44.16%
Portugal	64	$107,430	42.11%
Switzerland	55	$2,684,021	39.29%
El Salvador	55	$53,574	40.15%
Hungary	53	$98,983	44.92%
Serbia	51	$101,501	45.13%
Costa Rica	51	$104,307	45.13%
Finland	49	$109,962	44.55%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Claremont Graduate University	30	$69,093	88.24%
Karl Storz Imaging Inc	30	$90,536	88.24%
Siluria Technologies Inc	30	$95,581	88.24%
Avenir Associates Inc	30	$78,240	88.24%
Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories Professional Scientific Services Llc	30	$73,862	88.24%
Sony Pictures Television Inc	30	$82,817	88.24%
Bittorrent Inc	30	$102,756	88.24%
Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau Of California	30	$120,934	88.24%
Cyber Professionals Inc	30	$76,781	88.24%
Numbers Only Inc	30	$81,532	88.24%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Wellcall Inc	2	$62,265	28.57%
Weir Floway Inc	2	$60,549	28.57%
Rhythm Newmedia Inc	2	$115,294	28.57%
Jt Finneran Inc	2	$52,905	28.57%
Hydro Aire Inc Dba Crane Aerospace Electroni	2	$95,899	28.57%
Mathematical Systems Solutions Inc	2	$84,947	28.57%
Tn Gutz Inc	2	$21,829	28.57%
Lim Nascimento Engineering Corp	2	$68,869	28.57%
Kavlico Corporation	2	$67,590	28.57%
Kph Satellite Inc	2	$76,409	28.57%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Sporting Goods Retailers	9	$151,898	90.00%
Administration Of Housing Programs Urban Planning And Community Development	9	$56,056	90.00%
Dry Pasta Dough And Flour Mixes Manufacturing From Purchased Flour	9	$51,718	90.00%
Automotive Equipment Rental And Leasing	9	$71,945	90.00%
Soybean And Other Oilseed Processing	9	$79,063	90.00%
Recreational Vehicle Dealers	9	$102,811	90.00%
Fluid Power Cylinder And Actuator Manufacturing	9	$111,465	90.00%
Other Services To Buildings And Dwellings	9	$117,192	90.00%
Secondary Smelting Refining And Alloying Of Nonferrous Metal Except Copper And Aluminum	9	$101,657	90.00%
Beer And Ale Merchant Wholesalers	9	$99,008	90.00%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Metal Ore Mining	2	$106,371	50.00%
Saw Blade And Handtool Manufacturing	2	$68,151	50.00%
Textile Furnishings Mills	2	$37,471	50.00%
Other Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing	2	$42,952	50.00%
Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation	2	$35,534	50.00%
Urban Transit Systems	2	$154,253	50.00%
Chocolate And Confectionery Manufacturing From Cacao Beans	2	$53,716	50.00%
Steel Wire Drawing	2	$61,256	50.00%
Motor Vehicle And Parts Dealers	2	$66,124	50.00%
Ground Or Treated Mineral And Earth Manufacturing	2	$70,658	50.00%

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.