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 %
South Africa	126	$1,506,303	47.01%
Romania	116	$103,817	45.31%
Greece	111	$108,048	44.40%
Venezuela	111	$92,241	46.06%
Sri Lanka	104	$89,876	44.83%
Jordan	100	$87,306	45.45%
Belarus	100	$107,700	45.66%
New Zealand	92	$106,312	42.99%
Mongolia	82	$69,472	41.62%
Belgium	78	$108,805	41.94%

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 %
Natural Gas Distribution	37	$92,440	84.09%
Other Support Activities For Air Transportation	37	$83,607	84.09%
Executive Search Services	37	$77,518	84.09%
All Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing	37	$84,306	84.09%
Ornamental And Architectural Metal Work Manufacturing	37	$59,124	84.09%
Hair Nail And Skin Care Services	37	$71,545	84.09%
Tire Manufacturing	37	$69,252	86.05%
Textile And Fabric Finishing Mills	37	$63,324	86.05%
Commercial Air Rail And Water Transportation Equipment Rental And Leasing	37	$106,641	86.05%
Soil Preparation Planting And Cultivating	36	$80,739	83.72%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Exterminating And Pest Control Services	14	$51,097	82.35%
Coastal And Great Lakes Freight Transportation	14	$130,263	82.35%
Rubber Product Manufacturing	14	$62,843	87.50%
Dairy Product Manufacturing	14	$81,083	87.50%
Roasted Nuts And Peanut Butter Manufacturing	14	$64,747	87.50%
Custom Compounding Of Purchased Resins	14	$68,226	87.50%
Specialized Freight Except Used Goods Trucking Long Distance	14	$44,026	87.50%
Nonupholstered Wood Household Furniture Manufacturing	14	$47,201	87.50%
Private Mail Centers	14	$81,183	87.50%
Advertising Material Distribution Services	13	$109,458	81.25%

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.