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 %
Denmark	49	$118,372	47.57%
Kazakhstan	49	$97,849	48.04%
Austria	48	$109,088	48.00%
Czech Republic	46	$95,827	46.94%
Guatemala	42	$59,878	42.86%
Zimbabwe	41	$73,220	42.71%
Ethiopia	39	$102,255	43.82%
Kenya	37	$91,925	43.02%
Ghana	36	$87,852	44.44%
Ecuador	34	$92,896	43.04%

Top Hiring Companies in California (All Years)

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Qualcomm Global Services Inc	28	$89,990	87.50%
Acerta Pharma Llc	28	$117,346	87.50%
Federal Home Loan Bank Of San Francisco	28	$142,010	87.50%
Lululemon Usa Inc	28	$121,517	87.50%
Deliverr Inc	28	$133,334	87.50%
Itamerica Inc	28	$108,361	87.50%
Invincible Tech Systems Inc	28	$106,000	87.50%
Mufg Bank Ltd	28	$124,842	87.50%
Cyphort Inc	28	$115,134	87.50%
Peel Technologies Inc	28	$123,166	87.50%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Wilshire United Methodist Church	2	$47,591	33.33%
Jae Electronics Inc	2	$125,195	33.33%
Mirrorplus Technologies Inc	2	$123,490	33.33%
First Imperial Trading Co	2	$120,256	33.33%
Sgs Testcom Inc	2	$76,565	33.33%
Pba Inc	2	$83,190	33.33%
Bling Bling Inc	2	$45,729	33.33%
La Noosha Inc	2	$29,557	33.33%
Asiana Airlines	2	$103,241	33.33%
Dci Llc Db In Ca As Dci Investment Management Llc	2	$112,757	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Search Detection Navigation Guidance Aeronautical And Nautical System And Instrument Manufacturing	423	$103,551	86.68%
Real Estate Property Managers	414	$82,860	85.19%
Religious Organizations	412	$47,429	84.95%
Solar Electric Power Generation	411	$94,024	84.92%
Research And Development In Nanotechnology	409	$112,807	86.29%
Teleproduction And Other Postproduction Services	404	$73,670	85.23%
Payroll Services	402	$115,238	84.99%
Activities Related To Real Estate	398	$79,335	84.86%
Other Specialized Design Services	394	$71,326	84.55%
Electrical Apparatus And Equipment Wiring Supplies And Related Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	394	$73,548	85.84%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
All Other Personal Services	146	$74,050	97.99%
Miscellaneous Intermediation	145	$114,317	97.97%
Hmo Medical Centers	144	$91,752	98.63%
Electric Power Distribution	144	$107,520	99.31%
Electrical Apparatus And Equipment Wiring Supplies And Related Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	144	$88,773	100.00%
Other Grocery And Related Products Merchant Wholesalers	143	$63,182	99.31%
Search Detection Navigation Guidance Aeronautical And Nautical System And Instrument Manufacturing	143	$104,898	99.31%
Other Heavy And Civil Engineering Construction	142	$84,140	99.30%
Advertising Public Relations And Related Services	142	$78,403	99.30%
Industrial Machinery And Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	142	$88,491	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.