California vs South Dakota
H-1B filing geography compared side-by-side. Volume, national share, top sponsoring employers and most-filed occupations. Built from the same DOL LCA data that drives every page on H1B Report.
Key metrics
National share is each state’s portion of total US H-1B filings.
| Metric | California | South Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| Total filings | 1,727,358▲ | 5,740 |
| National share % | 18.07%▲ | 0.06% |
| Rank nationally | #1▲ | #48 |
| Top sponsor | Google LLC | South Dakota State University |
| Top sponsor share | 4.6% | 14.9% |
| Top occupation | Software Developers | Software Developers |
Filings by fiscal year
Year-over-year H-1B demand in each state.
California
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| FY2010 | 63,120 |
| FY2011 | 65,699 |
| FY2012 | 76,412 |
| FY2013 | 83,865 |
| FY2014 | 98,525 |
| FY2015 | 115,758 |
| FY2016 | 119,754 |
| FY2017 | 119,409 |
| FY2018 | 128,477 |
| FY2019 | 16,784 |
| FY2020 | 116,018 |
| FY2021 | 177,848 |
| FY2022 | 123,097 |
| FY2023 | 123,478 |
| FY2024 | 102,108 |
| FY2025 | 110,926 |
| FY2026 | 86,080 |
South Dakota
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| FY2010 | 280 |
| FY2011 | 328 |
| FY2012 | 286 |
| FY2013 | 262 |
| FY2014 | 281 |
| FY2015 | 398 |
| FY2016 | 348 |
| FY2017 | 299 |
| FY2018 | 364 |
| FY2019 | 36 |
| FY2020 | 284 |
| FY2021 | 425 |
| FY2022 | 329 |
| FY2023 | 414 |
| FY2024 | 506 |
| FY2025 | 518 |
| FY2026 | 382 |
Top 5 sponsors — California
- 1Google LLC47,4704.6%
- 2INFOSYS LIMITED31,7633.1%
- 3Apple Inc.23,1722.2%
- 4Meta Platforms, Inc11,7681.1%
- 5Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.11,0691.1%
Top 5 sponsors — South Dakota
- 1South Dakota State University55514.9%
- 2TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITED41111.0%
- 3Sanford Clinic2677.2%
- 4Avera McKennan1804.8%
- 5Sioux Falls School District 49-51333.6%
Top 5 occupations — California
- 115-1252Software Developers590,102
- 215-1211Computer Systems Analysts107,957
- 315-1299Computer Occupations, All Other107,104
- 415-2051Data Scientists71,013
- 515-1253Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers70,860
Top 5 occupations — South Dakota
- 115-1252Software Developers646
- 229-1229Physicians, All Other486
- 315-1211Computer Systems Analysts392
- 415-1251Computer Programmers366
- 525-2021Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education228
Swap an entity
Replace either state above without losing the comparison. 2-way for now; 3+ comparison coming soon.
Swap A: California
Swap B: South Dakota
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