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 %
Software Developers, Applications	193,998	$113,139	89.21%
Computer Systems Analysts	104,772	$82,444	91.31%
Software Developers, Systems Software	58,151	$123,588	89.22%
Computer Programmers	52,515	$69,323	89.56%
Computer Occupations, All Other	51,521	$83,900	91.45%
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer	39,912	$119,022	90.94%
Accountants and Auditors	23,125	$69,041	91.77%
Computer and Information Systems Managers	19,359	$173,059	91.40%
Management Analysts	17,285	$90,027	91.40%
Electrical Engineers	16,250	$117,766	88.31%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse	2,366	$34,286	753.50%
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals	1,587	$30,893	510.29%
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop	714	$32,564	253.19%
Agricultural Equipment Operators	179	$35,796	68.58%
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	53	$44,467	20.54%
Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians	43	$45,492	17.20%
First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers	21	$48,882	9.29%
Agricultural Workers, All Other	13	$31,001	6.31%
Food Preparation Workers	8	$35,844	7.08%
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	8	$33,545	8.99%

Occupation	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Software Developers, Applications	26,507	$160,581	96.90%
Software Developers, Systems Software	15,563	$135,396	61.52%
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer	9,259	$111,482	219.88%
Computer Systems Analysts	6,744	$171,595	237.30%
Computer Occupations, All Other	3,491	$113,090	186.78%
Computer and Information Systems Managers	2,352	$165,802	148.96%
Accountants and Auditors	2,305	$123,676	162.21%
Statisticians	2,015	$82,718	149.70%
Sales Engineers	1,325	$118,264	104.83%
Marketing Managers	1,310	$141,709	107.73%

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 %
Sierra Leone	2	$65,707	50.00%
Guinea-bissau	2	$95,191	50.00%
Brunei	2	$80,101	50.00%
Montenegro	2	$69,139	66.67%
Liberia	1	$22,526	33.33%
Bhutan	1	$54,205	33.33%
Swaziland	1	$65,395	33.33%
Guinea	1	$103,459	33.33%
Malta	1	$47,278	33.33%
Cote D'ivoire	1	$123,885	33.33%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Sun Mar Rehabilitation Services Llc	28	$87,689	87.50%
Ulkasemi	28	$96,124	87.50%
Competitive Computer Information Technologies Inc	28	$82,009	87.50%
Umlaut Inc	28	$91,069	87.50%
Aditi Consulting Llc	28	$96,865	87.50%
Anagh Technologies Inc	28	$93,251	87.50%
Alert Enterprise Inc	28	$82,836	87.50%
Gss Infotech Inc	28	$71,808	87.50%
Uniwaysoft Group Inc	28	$64,222	87.50%
Truist Bank	28	$113,591	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Ica Communications Arts Llc	2	$46,426	33.33%
Fata Inc Tata Acupuncturedba	2	$32,864	33.33%
Always Better Care Home Health Provider	2	$44,512	33.33%
Peppinos Italian Family Restaurant Dba Peppinos Inc	2	$26,541	33.33%
Guasha Research Institute Corp	2	$29,973	33.33%
Barry Controls	2	$72,426	33.33%
Gabledon And Sons Construction Inc	2	$47,362	33.33%
Keystone Brokerage Consulting	2	$56,483	33.33%
Types Ezr Inc	2	$47,986	33.33%
Bell Microproducts	2	$70,304	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Nursing Care Facilities Skilled Nursing Facilities	821	$77,893	86.42%
Miscellaneous Intermediation	820	$111,443	86.41%
Architectural Engineering And Related Services	812	$78,645	88.84%
Media Representatives	799	$116,071	87.80%
All Other Miscellaneous Electrical Equipment And Component Manufacturing	785	$115,673	86.93%
Other Miscellaneous Durable Goods Merchant Wholesalers	778	$62,292	86.35%
Hotels Except Casino Hotels And Motels	761	$69,641	84.93%
Other Professional Scientific And Technical Services	691	$107,051	82.85%
Mortgage And Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	684	$101,812	86.69%
Travel Agencies	662	$82,795	85.53%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Medicinal And Botanical Manufacturing	232	$98,905	97.48%
Other Residential Care Facilities	225	$30,924	94.94%
Landscape Architectural Services	225	$61,539	96.98%
All Other Miscellaneous Electrical Equipment And Component Manufacturing	223	$120,702	99.11%
Child Care Services	217	$40,529	96.44%
Other Financial Investment Activities	214	$101,298	95.96%
Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing	214	$113,581	98.62%
Aircraft Manufacturing	210	$107,327	98.13%
Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing	209	$117,342	97.66%
Miscellaneous Financial Investment Activities	206	$109,769	98.10%

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.