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 %
Forescout Technologies Inc	28	$115,242	87.50%
Persistent Telecom Solutions Inc	28	$82,655	87.50%
City Of Sacramento	28	$85,379	87.50%
Fictiv Inc	28	$127,661	87.50%
Lyra Health Inc	28	$146,848	87.50%
Crosscircles Inc	28	$62,455	87.50%
Kairos Technologies Inc	28	$93,667	87.50%
Quadrant Resource Llc	28	$102,798	87.50%
Infosemantics Inc	28	$70,485	87.50%
Djo Llc	28	$98,419	90.32%

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Company	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Central Farm Inc	2	$44,658	33.33%
Good Stuff Restaurant	2	$24,190	33.33%
Jc Bc Inc Dba Hama Restaurant	2	$28,829	33.33%
American Bureau Of Shipping	2	$83,273	33.33%
Leucadia Pizzaria Italian Restaurant	2	$23,837	33.33%
Pacific Asian Consortium In Employment Pace	2	$0	33.33%
Integrated Healthcare Medical Group Inc	2	$40,508	33.33%
Surveying Drafting Services Inc	2	$57,491	33.33%
La Piccola Scuola Italiana Di San Francisco	2	$46,260	33.33%
Mesriani Associates A Plc	2	$46,176	33.33%

Top Industries in California (All Years)

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Pharmacy Benefit Management And Other Third Party Administration Of Insurance And Pension Funds	244	$114,715	87.14%
Motor Vehicle Electrical And Electronic Equipment Manufacturing	243	$113,361	87.41%
Apparel Accessories And Other Apparel Manufacturing	240	$70,421	86.64%
All Other Schools And Instruction	233	$53,634	84.42%
Administration Of Education Programs	228	$72,436	85.07%
Small Electrical Appliance Manufacturing	224	$114,635	85.17%
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing	223	$113,674	85.44%
Other Motion Picture And Video Industries	222	$74,626	87.40%
Grantmaking Foundations	221	$77,662	87.01%
Couriers And Express Delivery Services	220	$74,829	86.96%

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %

Industry	# of Jobs	Avg Wage	Approval %
Construction	79	$69,853	96.34%
Direct Life Insurance Carriers	77	$108,083	95.06%
Language Schools	77	$58,740	96.25%
Power Distribution And Specialty Transformer Manufacturing	77	$102,827	96.25%
Automobile Dealers	77	$108,054	97.47%
Brick Stone And Related Construction Material Merchant Wholesalers	76	$75,861	96.20%
All Other Legal Services	75	$83,873	94.94%
Drycleaning And Laundry Services Except Coin Operated	73	$32,786	92.41%
Automotive Body Paint And Interior Repair And Maintenance	73	$49,355	94.81%
Other Aircraft Parts And Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing	73	$84,522	94.81%

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.