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 %
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technicians	207	$52,949	86.61%
Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners	202	$49,240	84.52%
Legal Support Workers, All Other	200	$54,865	85.84%
Writers and Authors	196	$60,990	84.85%
Logistics Engineers	196	$92,440	85.22%
Astronomers	189	$69,267	83.26%
Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary	185	$67,320	84.09%
Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors	183	$90,157	84.33%
Transportation Engineers	181	$93,176	86.60%
Dietitians and Nutritionists	181	$60,866	86.60%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors	30	$99,283	24.00%
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	29	$59,593	23.58%
Training and Development Managers	29	$129,383	23.58%
Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary	28	$62,789	22.95%
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse	28	$19,319	22.95%
Lodging Managers	28	$70,699	22.95%
Painters, Construction and Maintenance	28	$36,840	22.95%
Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers	27	$58,692	22.13%
Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary	27	$55,767	22.31%
Bakers	27	$31,171	22.50%

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 %
General Line Grocery Merchant Wholesalers	144	$58,800	87.80%
Lessors Of Nonresidential Buildings Except Miniwarehouses	143	$103,008	88.27%
Toy And Hobby Goods And Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	143	$73,436	88.27%
Postproduction Services And Other Motion Picture And Video Industries	143	$71,531	88.82%
Media Streaming Distribution Services Social Networks And Other Media Networks And Content Providers	143	$137,106	89.38%
Other Sound Recording Industries	142	$123,233	88.75%
Air Conditioning And Warm Air Heating Equipment And Commercial And Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing	141	$95,876	88.68%
Tour Operators	139	$56,897	87.42%
Psychiatric And Substance Abuse Hospitals	139	$123,986	87.42%
Outpatient Mental Health And Substance Abuse Centers	137	$59,113	87.82%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing	49	$80,923	92.45%
Residential Property Managers	49	$76,654	94.23%
Metal And Mineral Except Petroleum Merchant Wholesalers	48	$61,226	92.31%
Book Periodical And Newspaper Merchant Wholesalers	46	$111,858	88.46%
Cut And Sew Apparel Contractors	46	$44,822	90.20%
Indoor And Outdoor Display Advertising	46	$113,028	92.00%
Hardware And Plumbing And Heating Equipment And Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	46	$61,865	93.88%
Commercial And Industrial Machinery And Equipment Except Automotive And Electronic Repair And Maintenance	45	$59,391	91.84%
Automotive Repair And Maintenance	45	$43,399	91.84%
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing	45	$97,429	91.84%

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.