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 %
Logistics Analysts	543	$76,989	88.58%
Manufacturing Engineers	541	$98,726	89.13%
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health	539	$69,833	90.44%
Social Science Research Assistants	528	$51,004	91.03%
Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary	527	$75,717	91.65%
Family and General Practitioners	496	$153,537	89.21%
Human Resources Managers	487	$132,000	89.03%
Computer Network Support Specialists	481	$72,998	88.10%
Pediatricians, General	477	$150,867	88.66%
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	473	$60,497	89.25%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Computer Network Support Specialists	73	$79,545	38.02%
Human Resources Managers	72	$133,711	37.50%
Paralegals and Legal Assistants	72	$55,194	37.70%
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education	70	$34,776	36.84%
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists	69	$28,519	37.10%
Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food	68	$23,916	36.76%
Actuaries	67	$102,617	36.22%
Advertising and Promotions Managers	66	$105,283	35.87%
Dental Laboratory Technicians	65	$44,113	35.52%
Directors, Religious Activities and Education	64	$39,540	34.97%

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 %
India	45,730	$175,901	47.43%
China	16,844	$109,259	50.79%
South Korea	4,340	$147,936	41.14%
Canada	3,905	$143,888	46.41%
Philippines	1,927	$470,682	35.63%
Taiwan	1,908	$260,805	44.94%
Mexico	1,361	$87,276	34.68%
United Kingdom	967	$111,850	44.71%
Japan	844	$231,744	40.04%
France	821	$108,315	46.73%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Nokia Solutions And Networks Us Llc	28	$103,906	87.50%
Acropetal Inc	28	$70,969	87.50%
Cybervision Inc	28	$70,278	87.50%
Towers Watson Pennsylvania Inc	28	$70,962	87.50%
Jm Information Systems Llc	28	$69,461	87.50%
Lmk Infotech	28	$103,542	87.50%
Sriven Technologies Llc	28	$84,611	87.50%
Industrial Light Magic A Div Of Lucasfilm Enter	28	$82,681	87.50%
Emulex Design And Manufacturing Corporation	28	$94,502	87.50%
Key Solutions Inc	28	$76,905	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Better Horizons Development Corporation	2	$35,412	33.33%
Fotokem Industries	2	$89,118	33.33%
Ttm Intertrading Co Inc	2	$67,819	33.33%
Barbaras At The Brewery	2	$35,547	33.33%
Greenbergfarrow	2	$83,782	33.33%
Interactive Data Managed Solutions Llc	2	$86,382	33.33%
Elliott Laboratories Llc	2	$69,982	33.33%
Royale Home Health Care Inc	2	$62,723	33.33%
Analytic Investors	2	$85,083	33.33%
Cal Family Health Inc	2	$116,678	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Dry Condensed And Evaporated Dairy Product Manufacturing	29	$70,746	82.86%
Other Community Housing Services	29	$60,826	85.29%
Paper And Paper Product Merchant Wholesalers	29	$56,133	85.29%
Furniture Retailers	29	$105,661	85.29%
Motor Vehicle Transmission And Power Train Parts Manufacturing	28	$111,584	82.35%
Other Chemical Product And Preparation Manufacturing	28	$83,034	82.35%
Theater Companies And Dinner Theaters	28	$51,135	82.35%
Other Amusement And Recreation Industries	27	$60,825	81.82%
Breakfast Cereal Manufacturing	27	$94,765	81.82%
Ship Building And Repairing	27	$82,972	81.82%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Other Chemical Product And Preparation Manufacturing	11	$55,685	84.62%
Scheduled Freight Air Transportation	11	$76,945	84.62%
Mayonnaise Dressing And Other Prepared Sauce Manufacturing	11	$63,652	84.62%
All Other Miscellaneous Textile Product Mills	11	$76,316	84.62%
Other General Government Support	11	$89,169	84.62%
Chemical Manufacturing	11	$77,671	84.62%
Voluntary Health Organizations	11	$70,378	84.62%
Construction And Mining Except Oil Well Machinery And Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	11	$91,372	84.62%
Other Grantmaking And Giving Services	11	$84,319	84.62%
Abrasive Product Manufacturing	10	$42,495	76.92%

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.