H-1B Visa Jobs in California
California has 683,105 certified H-1B filings from FY 2020–2026, ranking #1 of 52 U.S. states by filing volume. The median H-1B salary in California is $143,395, which is 14% above the national H-1B median of $126,302. The largest sponsor is GOOGLE, and the busiest metro is San Francisco, CA.
H-1B salary range in California
Salary percentiles across 683,105 certified filings. The middle 50% of H-1B workers in California earn between $110,200 and $178,000.
- 10th percentile
- $85,000
- 25th percentile
- $110,200
- Median
- $143,395
- 75th percentile
- $178,000
- 90th percentile
- $211,637
Annual H-1B filings in California
Certified LCA filings per fiscal year. FY 2020: 106,863 · FY 2026: 78,465.
Top H-1B sponsors in California
GOOGLE leads with 47,439 certified filings at a $169,000 median. Each row links to the full employer profile.
| Rank | Employer | Filings | Median salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 47,439 | $169,000 | |
| 2 | APPLE | 24,841 | $173,701 |
| 3 | AMAZON | 23,274 | $167,425 |
| 4 | META | 17,524 | $198,940 |
| 5 | MICROSOFT | 12,149 | $167,440 |
| 6 | QUALCOMM | 11,255 | $126,880 |
| 7 | EY | 8,440 | $130,000 |
| 8 | TESLA | 8,064 | $150,000 |
| 9 | COGNIZANT | 7,855 | $110,011 |
| 10 | WALMART | 7,735 | $153,301 |
| 11 | INTEL | 7,077 | $130,517 |
| 12 | NVIDIA | 5,944 | $177,405 |
| 13 | INFOSYS | 5,927 | $110,926 |
| 14 | CISCO | 5,497 | $147,800 |
| 15 | 5,232 | $172,900 |
Top H-1B metros in California
San Francisco, CA is the busiest metro with 82,299 certified filings. Each row links to a city page with employer and salary detail.
| Rank | City | Filings | Median salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | 82,299 | $156,959 |
| 2 | San Jose, CA | 68,049 | $150,000 |
| 3 | Sunnyvale, CA | 66,395 | $159,000 |
| 4 | Mountain View, CA | 46,128 | $168,000 |
| 5 | Santa Clara, CA | 42,640 | $155,000 |
| 6 | San Diego, CA | 31,948 | $121,000 |
| 7 | Los Angeles, CA | 23,427 | $102,000 |
| 8 | Menlo Park, CA | 22,122 | $185,000 |
| 9 | Palo Alto, CA | 21,976 | $165,000 |
| 10 | Cupertino, CA | 20,438 | $170,700 |
| 11 | Irvine, CA | 18,107 | $114,754 |
| 12 | Fremont, CA | 17,938 | $134,784 |
| 13 | Pleasanton, CA | 10,635 | $131,498 |
| 14 | Milpitas, CA | 8,230 | $137,669 |
| 15 | Foster City, CA | 7,452 | $139,776 |
Top H-1B job titles in California
Software Engineer is the most common H-1B role in the state with 106,807 filings. Job-title pages link to national salary data for the same role.
| Rank | Job title | Filings | Median salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Software Engineer | 106,807 | $165,780 |
| 2 | Senior Software Engineer | 29,096 | $165,496 |
| 3 | Software Developer | 14,719 | $119,122 |
| 4 | Research Scientist | 11,521 | $134,500 |
| 5 | Staff Software Engineer | 10,118 | $183,310 |
| 6 | Data Scientist | 9,176 | $155,000 |
| 7 | Software Engineer II | 8,715 | $161,600 |
| 8 | Architect | 8,528 | $130,000 |
| 9 | Product Manager | 7,809 | $167,000 |
| 10 | QA Engineer | 7,323 | $116,480 |
| 11 | Consultant | 6,434 | $115,066 |
| 12 | Project Manager | 6,329 | $121,306 |
| 13 | Program Manager | 6,057 | $160,701 |
| 14 | Accountant | 5,803 | $93,000 |
| 15 | Software Engineer III | 5,233 | $155,000 |
Wage level distribution in California
DOL prevailing wage levels. Level I is entry-level; Level IV is expert-level. A state skewed higher on this scale typically reflects more senior hiring or higher-complexity roles.
Frequently asked questions
How many H-1B visas are issued in California?
California has 683,105 certified H-1B labor condition applications from FY 2020–2026. It ranks #1 of 52 U.S. states by H-1B filing volume.
What is the average H-1B salary in California?
The median H-1B salary in California is $143,395, 14% above the national median of $126,302. The middle 50% of filings fall between $110,200 and $178,000, and the 90th percentile reaches $211,637.
Which companies sponsor the most H-1B workers in California?
GOOGLE is the top sponsor with 47,439 filings at a $169,000 median. Other leading employers include APPLE, AMAZON, META, MICROSOFT.
What are the busiest H-1B cities in California?
San Francisco, CA leads with 82,299 filings, followed by San Jose, CA, Sunnyvale, CA, Mountain View, CA.