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 %
Climate Change Analysts 34 $85,334 82.93%
Environmental Engineering Technicians 34 $58,254 82.93%
Video Game Designers 33 $92,723 80.49%
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary 33 $74,707 80.49%
Financial Managers, Branch or Department 33 $137,990 82.50%
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors 32 $38,833 82.05%
Copy Writers 32 $65,849 84.21%
Producers 31 $82,957 81.58%
Archivists 29 $52,696 78.38%
Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health 29 $47,352 78.38%
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Occupation # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Commercial Pilots 8 $72,754 11.94%
Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other 8 $80,972 11.94%
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers 8 $40,235 11.94%
Automotive Body and Related Repairers 8 $43,612 11.94%
Logistics Analysts 8 $63,521 11.94%
Survey Researchers 7 $43,202 10.45%
Petroleum Engineers 7 $103,676 10.61%
Logistics Engineers 7 $100,011 10.61%
Chemical Technicians 7 $43,029 10.61%
Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians 7 $79,230 10.77%
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 %
Belgium 78 $108,805 43.58%
United States Of America 71 $1,093,106 42.26%
Bulgaria 68 $95,088 44.16%
Portugal 64 $107,430 42.11%
Switzerland 55 $2,684,021 39.29%
El Salvador 55 $53,574 40.15%
Hungary 53 $98,983 44.92%
Serbia 51 $101,501 45.13%
Costa Rica 51 $104,307 45.13%
Finland 49 $109,962 44.55%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Mh Sub I Llc 169 $71,467 88.48%
Infinity Methods Corp 169 $74,041 88.48%
Upwork Inc 169 $136,563 88.48%
Deckers Outdoor Corporation 169 $101,894 88.48%
Expedia Inc 168 $122,800 87.96%
Fanatics Retail Group Fulfillment Inc 168 $125,280 88.42%
California State University San Bernardino 168 $57,050 88.42%
Beckman Coulter Inc 168 $103,570 88.42%
San Diego State University 168 $91,466 88.42%
Platinum Empire Group Inc 167 $63,851 87.89%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Mesa View Produce Inc 1 $22,877 100.00%
Altman Specialty Plants Llc Ca Lm 1 $33,384 100.00%
Defty Family Trust 1 $41,080 100.00%
Kathy Calzada 1 $22,392 100.00%
John Muller 1 $19,204 100.00%
Foothill Packing Inc Sa 22 1 $41,080 100.00%
Market Demand Corp Mdc523a 1 $38,792 100.00%
Pine Ridge Winery Llc Dba Seghesio Family Vineyard 1 $21,299 100.00%
Galen K Miyamoto 1 $38,792 100.00%
Cubiburu Livestock Incjohn Or Florence Cubiburu 1 $17,070 100.00%
Company # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Plus Management Inc 13 $51,703 32.50%
Energy Recovery Inc 13 $137,000 33.33%
Intertrust Technologies Corporation 13 $134,206 33.33%
International School Of The Peninsula 13 $61,101 33.33%
Sharethis Inc 13 $122,211 33.33%
Qbe Americas Inc 13 $107,512 33.33%
Candor Ps 13 $101,328 33.33%
Shibram Banerjeeinc Dba Pacific Data Integrators 13 $98,907 33.33%
Rapid Precision Mfg Inc 13 $66,846 33.33%
Edgemine Inc 13 $40,178 33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Custom Computer Programming Services 328,913 $94,835 91.21%
Computer Systems Design Services 121,832 $116,724 89.70%
Electronic Computer Manufacturing 37,523 $142,016 95.44%
Computer Systems Design And Related Services 34,399 $108,216 89.27%
Other Computer Related Services 30,473 $99,261 87.04%
Colleges Universities And Professional Schools 28,127 $71,811 80.45%
Computing Infrastructure Providers Data Processing Web Hosting And Related Services 26,488 $136,777 92.89%
Semiconductor And Other Electronic Component Manufacturing 21,436 $116,803 90.15%
Semiconductor And Related Device Manufacturing 20,987 $117,887 88.28%
Engineering Services 20,720 $89,583 88.39%
Industry # of Jobs Avg Wage Approval %
Farm Labor Contractors And Crew Leaders 1,804 $33,453 100.00%
Sheep Farming 1,164 $29,844 100.00%
Support Activities For Crop Production 557 $35,723 100.00%
Apiculture 463 $34,353 100.00%
Other Vegetable Except Potato And Melon Farming 322 $34,093 100.00%
Strawberry Farming 238 $31,453 100.00%
Noncitrus Fruit And Tree Nut Farming 188 $34,068 100.00%
Vegetable And Melon Farming 174 $35,597 100.00%
Grape Vineyards 158 $34,478 100.00%
Fruit And Tree Nut Farming 115 $35,908 100.00%

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