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 %
Regulatory Affairs Managers	229	$153,362	85.77%
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School	228	$59,303	85.39%
Pharmacists	227	$124,045	85.34%
Film and Video Editors	224	$50,810	85.50%
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education	222	$33,200	85.38%
Engineering Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other	221	$55,578	85.66%
Architectural Drafters	220	$55,984	85.94%
Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products	218	$61,048	86.51%
Energy Engineers	213	$94,852	85.89%
Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists	209	$73,424	85.66%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Education Administrators, Postsecondary	34	$86,504	24.29%
Communications Teachers, Postsecondary	34	$62,317	24.64%
Medical Secretaries	33	$36,249	24.09%
First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers	33	$41,808	24.44%
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers	33	$33,664	24.44%
Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks	33	$47,538	25.38%
Healthcare Social Workers	33	$48,589	25.38%
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals	32	$24,824	25.00%
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	31	$55,839	24.80%
Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors	30	$99,283	24.00%

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 %
Lessors Of Other Real Estate Property	40	$67,126	83.33%
Automotive Parts Accessories And Tire Retailers	40	$78,656	83.33%
Book Publishers	39	$124,584	81.25%
Drafting Services	39	$63,028	81.25%
Trust Fiduciary And Custody Activities	39	$105,985	81.25%
Major Household Appliance Manufacturing	39	$98,744	82.98%
Crude Petroleum Extraction	39	$129,725	82.98%
Prefabricated Metal Building And Component Manufacturing	39	$82,888	84.78%
Residential Mental Health And Substance Abuse Facilities	38	$56,679	82.61%
General Automotive Repair	38	$103,780	84.44%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Bakeries And Tortilla Manufacturing	16	$47,362	88.89%
Electric Bulk Power Transmission And Control	16	$101,006	88.89%
Convention And Trade Show Organizers	16	$47,953	88.89%
Security Guards And Patrol Services	15	$69,579	83.33%
Welding And Soldering Equipment Manufacturing	15	$68,994	83.33%
Paper And Paper Product Merchant Wholesalers	15	$73,780	83.33%
Other Gambling Industries	15	$113,354	88.24%
Steel Product Manufacturing From Purchased Steel	15	$85,847	88.24%
Breweries	15	$91,257	88.24%
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation	15	$90,925	88.24%

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.