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 %
Advertising and Promotions Managers	439	$90,438	84.91%
Mathematicians	439	$94,141	86.93%
Automotive Engineers	430	$123,850	89.21%
Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors	424	$47,583	88.70%
Urban and Regional Planners	417	$73,783	88.16%
Mechatronics Engineers	414	$118,422	87.90%
Computer User Support Specialists	402	$60,438	85.90%
Photonics Engineers	396	$129,211	86.09%
Psychiatrists	378	$201,260	82.35%
Paralegals and Legal Assistants	376	$55,714	83.19%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products	64	$60,118	36.57%
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	64	$58,071	37.43%
Training and Development Specialists	59	$67,320	35.33%
Producers and Directors	58	$87,889	35.15%
Music Directors and Composers	58	$46,582	35.15%
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products	58	$83,918	35.37%
Customer Service Representatives	58	$36,731	35.37%
Dishwashers	55	$23,482	33.54%
Cashiers	53	$24,505	32.52%
Treasurers and Controllers	52	$99,512	32.10%

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 %
Lenovo United States Inc	29	$113,302	85.29%
Qbe Americas Inc	29	$96,200	85.29%
El Camino Hospital	29	$122,209	85.29%
Cercacor Laboratories Inc	29	$97,406	87.88%
Harman International Industries Inc	29	$138,011	87.88%
Ubiquiti Networks Inc	29	$115,882	87.88%
Dpp Tech Inc	29	$118,210	87.88%
Okcoin Usa Inc	29	$111,672	87.88%
Pjt Partners Holdings Lp	29	$104,818	87.88%
Ampcus Inc	29	$88,749	87.88%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Precise Fit Limited One Llc	2	$96,034	33.33%
Infospectrum Inc	2	$84,063	33.33%
Fakouri Electrical Engineering Inc	2	$46,759	33.33%
Calypto Design Systems Inc	2	$114,223	33.33%
Cargill Incorporated	2	$109,044	33.33%
Solarmer Energy Inc	2	$71,448	33.33%
Risa Technologies Llc	2	$81,786	33.33%
Beauty Hair Trading Inc	2	$66,602	33.33%
Business Semantics Inc	2	$73,299	33.33%
Arya Group Inc	2	$75,608	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Other Building Material Dealers	8	$77,548	88.89%
Nonchocolate Confectionery Manufacturing	8	$63,365	88.89%
Other Rubber Product Manufacturing	8	$83,905	88.89%
Abrasive Product Manufacturing	8	$78,772	88.89%
Fluid Milk Manufacturing	8	$66,555	88.89%
Geothermal Electric Power Generation	8	$102,831	88.89%
Sugar And Confectionery Product Manufacturing	8	$48,771	88.89%
Paperboard Mills	7	$84,403	77.78%
Fats And Oils Refining And Blending	7	$99,834	77.78%
Residential Intellectual And Developmental Disability Mental Health And Substance Abuse Facilities	7	$67,455	77.78%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Ambulatory Health Care Services	2	$62,723	50.00%
Poultry And Poultry Product Merchant Wholesalers	2	$113,475	50.00%
Other Personal Services	2	$48,308	50.00%
Rolling Mill And Other Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing	2	$80,777	50.00%
Flour Milling	2	$88,546	50.00%
Skiing Facilities	2	$88,868	50.00%
Petroleum And Petroleum Products Merchant Wholesalers	2	$67,715	50.00%
Noncitrus Fruit And Tree Nut Farming	2	$69,233	50.00%
Aluminum Foundries Except Die Casting	2	$32,032	50.00%
Petroleum Lubricating Oil And Grease Manufacturing	2	$89,835	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.