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 %
Logistics Managers 62 $105,785 84.93%
Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary 61 $75,030 85.92%
Reporters and Correspondents 61 $40,410 85.92%
Directors, Religious Activities and Education 60 $41,212 85.71%
Biochemical Engineers 60 $96,059 85.71%
Vocational Education Teachers, Postsecondary 60 $49,695 86.96%
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary 59 $65,022 85.51%
Law Teachers, Postsecondary 58 $79,641 84.06%
Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary 57 $67,759 83.82%
Dentists, All Other Specialists 56 $112,072 82.35%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary 11 $55,640 13.92%
Epidemiologists 11 $63,109 13.92%
Set and Exhibit Designers 11 $47,367 13.92%
Education Administrators, All Other 11 $58,281 14.10%
Photonics Engineers 11 $126,756 14.29%
First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers 11 $41,901 14.29%
Industrial Machinery Mechanics 11 $54,795 14.29%
Social and Human Service Assistants 11 $30,623 14.29%
Recreational Therapists 10 $62,311 12.99%
Surgeons 10 $136,635 12.99%
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 %
Motivity Labs Inc 32 $126,972 86.49%
Ziphq Inc 32 $172,266 86.49%
Macys Systems And Technology Inc 32 $137,484 86.49%
Friendly Franchisees Corporation 32 $59,264 86.49%
Phenomenex Inc 32 $61,870 86.49%
Meritek Electronics Corporation 32 $54,866 86.49%
Alpine Electronics Research Of America Inc 32 $67,689 86.49%
Welocalize Inc 32 $62,250 86.49%
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Llc 32 $90,961 86.49%
Azusa Pacific University 32 $63,589 86.49%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Parallax Volatility Advisers Lp 3 $157,075 42.86%
Michael H Lester Jd Cpa 3 $61,013 42.86%
Hs Hospitality Services 3 $35,609 42.86%
Botrista Technology Inc 3 $83,207 42.86%
Barefoot Networks 3 $142,751 42.86%
Usdm Life Sciences 3 $102,835 42.86%
Prime Pacific Islands Grill Inc 3 $37,031 42.86%
Mobileforming Llc 3 $99,050 42.86%
Nephila Advisors Llc 3 $131,373 42.86%
Enj Dining Group Inc 3 $28,351 42.86%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %

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