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 %
Amazon Development Center Us Inc	1,631	$133,414	92.88%
Rivian Automotive Llc	1,586	$126,264	91.84%
Gilead Sciences Inc	1,571	$117,479	93.29%
Advanced Micro Devices Inc	1,528	$135,107	90.84%
Cadence Design Systems Inc	1,520	$132,995	90.80%
Pinterest Inc	1,514	$134,608	95.34%
Etouch Systems Corporation	1,442	$86,313	91.21%
Lyft Inc	1,436	$133,653	91.00%
Emc Corporation	1,435	$107,882	90.94%
Waymo Llc	1,431	$140,273	92.98%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Bruno Farms Inc	15	$29,705	100.00%
John M Lasgoity	14	$22,555	100.00%
Sierra Farms Llc	14	$33,875	100.00%
Rancho Del Mar Inc	14	$28,169	100.00%
Gregory Livestock Co	14	$33,424	100.00%
St Romo Labor Force Llc	14	$32,270	100.00%
Valley Produce Harvesting Inc	14	$34,264	100.00%
Jc Harvesting Corporation	14	$36,014	100.00%
Sheep Company Llc	14	$27,506	100.00%
Millers Honey Farms Inc	14	$28,251	100.00%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Ellie Mae Inc	154	$118,383	42.08%
Veritas Technologies Llc	148	$119,998	41.34%
Pfs Llc	148	$24,008	41.34%
Informatica Corporation	144	$101,335	40.68%
Erp Erp Corp	143	$110,575	40.40%
Zendesk Inc	143	$122,189	40.86%
Confluent Inc	143	$155,910	41.69%
Affirm Inc	138	$119,490	40.71%
First Republic Bank	137	$138,865	41.39%
Tiktok Inc	134	$138,876	40.61%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Other Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing	124	$93,026	87.94%
Machinery Equipment And Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	122	$68,348	87.14%
Investment Banking And Securities Intermediation	119	$129,453	85.61%
Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing	119	$94,495	85.61%
Other Travel Arrangement And Reservation Services	119	$98,743	86.86%
Pension Funds	118	$114,628	86.76%
Motor And Generator Manufacturing	118	$107,691	86.76%
Motor Vehicle And Motor Vehicle Parts And Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	118	$67,222	86.76%
Piece Goods Notions And Other Dry Goods Merchant Wholesalers	116	$56,876	85.93%
Water Supply And Irrigation Systems	116	$79,388	85.93%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
General Freight Trucking Long Distance Truckload	43	$52,889	95.56%
Couriers And Express Delivery Services	43	$67,884	95.56%
Professional And Management Development Training	42	$84,493	93.33%
Printing	42	$68,847	93.33%
Business Service Centers	42	$63,411	93.33%
Wired And Wireless Telecommunications Carriers Except Satellite	41	$104,853	91.11%
Packaging And Labeling Services	41	$91,732	91.11%
Civic And Social Organizations	41	$71,839	93.18%
Snack And Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	41	$55,040	93.18%
Health Care And Social Assistance	40	$60,214	93.02%

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.