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 %
Argentina	184	$97,628	48.94%
Egypt	177	$103,627	47.07%
Poland	166	$103,964	44.50%
Nigeria	166	$98,283	47.84%
Lebanon	153	$73,241	46.36%
Sweden	153	$112,421	47.22%
Colombia	145	$87,526	46.18%
Netherlands	142	$113,166	48.80%
Armenia	130	$71,951	46.76%
Chile	126	$103,454	46.32%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Amazon Development Center Us Inc	1,631	$133,414	92.88%
Rivian Automotive Llc	1,586	$126,264	91.84%
Gilead Sciences Inc	1,571	$117,479	93.29%
Advanced Micro Devices Inc	1,528	$135,107	90.84%
Cadence Design Systems Inc	1,520	$132,995	90.80%
Pinterest Inc	1,514	$134,608	95.34%
Etouch Systems Corporation	1,442	$86,313	91.21%
Lyft Inc	1,436	$133,653	91.00%
Emc Corporation	1,435	$107,882	90.94%
Waymo Llc	1,431	$140,273	92.98%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Bruno Farms Inc	15	$29,705	100.00%
John M Lasgoity	14	$22,555	100.00%
Sierra Farms Llc	14	$33,875	100.00%
Rancho Del Mar Inc	14	$28,169	100.00%
Gregory Livestock Co	14	$33,424	100.00%
St Romo Labor Force Llc	14	$32,270	100.00%
Valley Produce Harvesting Inc	14	$34,264	100.00%
Jc Harvesting Corporation	14	$36,014	100.00%
Sheep Company Llc	14	$27,506	100.00%
Millers Honey Farms Inc	14	$28,251	100.00%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Ellie Mae Inc	154	$118,383	42.08%
Veritas Technologies Llc	148	$119,998	41.34%
Pfs Llc	148	$24,008	41.34%
Informatica Corporation	144	$101,335	40.68%
Erp Erp Corp	143	$110,575	40.40%
Zendesk Inc	143	$122,189	40.86%
Confluent Inc	143	$155,910	41.69%
Affirm Inc	138	$119,490	40.71%
First Republic Bank	137	$138,865	41.39%
Tiktok Inc	134	$138,876	40.61%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Distilleries	19	$67,763	86.36%
Food Health Supplement Retailers	19	$72,838	86.36%
Hydroelectric Power Generation	19	$91,224	86.36%
Other Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers	19	$63,895	86.36%
Mining Machinery And Equipment Manufacturing	19	$91,169	86.36%
Cosmetics Beauty Supplies And Perfume Retailers	19	$82,827	86.36%
Fluid Power Pump And Motor Manufacturing	19	$116,655	90.48%
General Freight Trucking Long Distance Less Than Truckload	19	$111,994	90.48%
Support Activities For Animal Production	19	$64,939	90.48%
Roasted Nuts And Peanut Butter Manufacturing	18	$76,895	85.71%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Wood Container And Pallet Manufacturing	7	$131,171	87.50%
Grain And Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers	7	$130,253	87.50%
Apiculture	7	$40,952	87.50%
Administration Of Housing Programs Urban Planning And Community Development	7	$98,316	87.50%
Tortilla Manufacturing	7	$66,723	87.50%
Other Wood Product Manufacturing	6	$61,256	75.00%
Pottery Ceramics And Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing	6	$67,097	75.00%
Power Driven Handtool Manufacturing	6	$71,892	75.00%
Fluid Power Cylinder And Actuator Manufacturing	6	$111,925	75.00%
Investigation And Personal Background Check Services	6	$70,148	75.00%

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.