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 %
Geneticists 114 $74,340 86.36%
Sustainability Specialists 114 $80,905 86.36%
Child, Family, and School Social Workers 113 $47,884 86.26%
Special Education Teachers, Middle School 113 $55,819 86.92%
Political Scientists 112 $66,815 87.50%
Nurse Practitioners 110 $103,317 86.61%
History Teachers, Postsecondary 108 $62,877 85.71%
Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists 107 $56,730 85.60%
Music Directors and Composers 104 $44,483 85.95%
Obstetricians and Gynecologists 103 $183,688 85.83%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologists 20 $7,312,983 19.80%
Billing and Posting Clerks 20 $36,266 20.00%
Industrial Engineering Technicians 20 $55,348 20.00%
Mechanical Engineering Technicians 19 $63,601 19.00%
Order Clerks 19 $29,764 19.00%
Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary 19 $62,098 19.19%
Dental Assistants 19 $34,208 19.39%
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers 18 $81,992 18.37%
Machinists 18 $38,490 18.56%
Medical Records and Health Information Technicians 18 $45,130 18.56%
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 %
Sidley Austin Us Llp 27 $144,210 87.10%
User Testing Inc 27 $121,478 87.10%
Dynata Llc 27 $107,350 87.10%
Open Philanthropy Project 27 $93,791 87.10%
Bayone Solutions 27 $105,728 87.10%
Gridx Inc 27 $81,913 87.10%
Hart Howerton Ltd 27 $71,360 87.10%
Choi Kim Park Llp 27 $52,563 87.10%
Buro Happold Consulting Engineers Inc 27 $74,839 87.10%
Childrens Hospital Of Orange County 27 $88,200 87.10%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Clarifi Inc 2 $56,285 33.33%
Wang Chou Accountancy Corp 2 $74,579 33.33%
Technip Usa 2 $121,326 33.33%
Super Bell Jewelry Co Inc 2 $87,495 33.33%
Ivey Engineering 2 $102,471 33.33%
Platinum Group Of Companies Inc 2 $107,952 33.33%
Ace Industries Inc 2 $73,965 33.33%
Teamf1 Inc 2 $123,937 33.33%
Yusen Logistics Americas Inc 2 $65,255 33.33%
Naito Corp 2 $105,654 33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Greenhouse Nursery And Floriculture Production 104 $37,501 100.00%
Soil Preparation Planting And Cultivating 90 $30,617 100.00%
Crop Production 83 $35,077 100.00%
Other Crop Farming 61 $36,313 100.00%
Support Activities For Agriculture And Forestry 59 $35,754 100.00%
Agriculture Forestry Fishing And Hunting 58 $34,656 100.00%
Cattle Ranching And Farming 57 $33,065 100.00%
All Other Miscellaneous Crop Farming 46 $25,623 100.00%
Beef Cattle Ranching And Farming 44 $33,573 100.00%
Nursery And Tree Production 41 $38,577 100.00%

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.

State Avg Wage