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 %
Optometrists	56	$105,540	83.58%
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks	56	$37,588	87.50%
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects	56	$92,731	87.50%
Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School	55	$92,928	85.94%
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	55	$51,506	87.30%
Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers	55	$68,925	87.30%
Fundraisers	53	$59,847	84.13%
Orthotists and Prosthetists	53	$59,569	84.13%
Compensation and Benefits Managers	51	$146,709	82.26%
Physician Assistants	51	$101,518	83.61%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	10	$85,473	13.16%
Audio and Video Equipment Technicians	10	$48,345	13.16%
Recreational Therapists	10	$62,311	13.16%
Surgeons	10	$136,635	13.16%
Teacher Assistants	10	$32,752	13.33%
Child, Family, and School Social Workers	10	$49,032	13.33%
Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors	10	$46,530	13.33%
Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary	10	$61,924	13.33%
Regulatory Affairs Specialists	10	$76,263	13.51%
Civil Engineering Technicians	10	$64,305	13.70%

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 %
Newport Corporation	28	$94,955	87.50%
Ssc Technologies Inc	28	$114,270	87.50%
Lumos Labs Inc	28	$113,435	87.50%
Liveaction Inc	28	$101,904	87.50%
Bankruptcy Management Solutions Inc	28	$90,581	87.50%
Ibrain Technologies Inc	28	$90,607	87.50%
Expensify Inc	28	$101,679	87.50%
Icertis Inc	28	$128,346	87.50%
Interdigital Communications Inc	28	$124,460	87.50%
Denali Therapeutics Inc	28	$124,195	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Original Wireless Inc	2	$64,646	33.33%
Quorum Consulting Inc	2	$64,771	33.33%
Pentair Water Pool And Spa Inc	2	$102,721	33.33%
Ayuda Group Llc	2	$66,300	33.33%
Dereks Bistro Inc	2	$39,187	33.33%
Nextg Networks Inc	2	$80,871	33.33%
Multi Cable Inc	2	$58,302	33.33%
Homak Enterprises Inc	2	$54,881	33.33%
Cj Tech America Inc	2	$89,170	33.33%
I Many Inc	2	$111,977	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Tax Preparation Services	394	$64,777	87.17%
Activities Related To Credit Intermediation	393	$145,954	87.72%
All Other Electrical Equipment And Component Manufacturing	393	$122,529	87.72%
Industrial Machinery And Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	390	$93,659	88.64%
Electrical Contractors And Other Wiring Installation Contractors	389	$89,300	88.81%
Other Financial Vehicles	389	$110,851	89.02%
Professional Employer Organizations	388	$109,380	89.40%
Automobile And Other Motor Vehicle Merchant Wholesalers	381	$79,434	87.79%
Insurance Carriers	377	$95,344	87.07%
Other Individual And Family Services	371	$60,389	85.68%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Household Appliances Electric Housewares And Consumer Electronics Merchant Wholesalers	141	$85,548	99.30%
Instrument Manufacturing For Measuring And Testing Electricity And Electrical Signals	140	$106,731	98.59%
General Freight Trucking Local	138	$60,698	97.87%
Landscaping Services	138	$839,547	98.57%
Wineries	137	$90,195	99.28%
Sporting And Recreational Goods And Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	132	$65,981	95.65%
Other Specialized Design Services	129	$72,005	94.16%
Piece Goods Notions And Other Dry Goods Merchant Wholesalers	129	$69,066	97.73%
Residential Intellectual And Developmental Disability Facilities	129	$35,909	100.00%
Real Estate Credit	126	$74,040	97.67%

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.