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    [OC] Half of America's H-1B Jobs Are in Just 5 States
    Data

    [OC] Half of America’s H-1B Jobs Are in Just 5 States


    Full Analysis: Read here

    Posted by the_h1b_records

    View 38 Comments

    38 Comments

    1. the_h1b_records on

      **[OC]**

      **Tools:** Python (GeoPandas, Matplotlib)
      **Data Source:** US Department of Labor H-1B Labor Condition Application (LCA) Disclosure Data
      **Sample Size:** 809,050 H-1B visa records

      —

      **Key Findings:**

      **Top 5 States (52.0% of all H-1B jobs):**
      – 🔴 **California: 24.5%** — Nearly 1 in 4 H-1B workers
      – 🟠 **Texas: 11.2%**
      – 🟡 **New York: 8.3%**
      – 🟢 **New Jersey: 4.8%**
      – 🔵 **Washington: 3.2%**

      **The Other 44 States: 48.0%** — That’s right, 44 states combined have LESS than California alone.

      —

      **Mind-blowing stats:**
      – California has more H-1B workers than the bottom ~40 states combined
      – If you’re an H-1B holder, there’s a 1 in 4 chance you’re in California
      – The geographic concentration is primarily driven by Big Tech hubs (Silicon Valley, Seattle) and major metros (NYC, Houston, Austin)

      **Why this matters:**
      This extreme concentration creates unique policy challenges around housing costs, immigration processing centers, and regional economic dependency on H-1B labor.

      —

      **Methodology:** Analyzed public LCA disclosure data. Each H-1B petition requires employers to file an LCA specifying the job location. Percentages represent the distribution of approved LCA applications by state.

      **Data notes:**
      – This represents LCA filings, which can include renewals and transfers
      – Continental US only (excludes AK, HI)

      Happy to answer questions about the data or methodology!

    2. sarhoshamiral on

      Or the map of where head quarters and large campuses are for sectors that use H1B because talent doesnt exist in US despite what many claim it does.

    5. drsupermrcool on

      It is lopsided, but also worth noting these states have ~32% of the population (a more accurate metric on the 32% would be to get the civilian participation rate from each state multiplied by the pop of the state, compared to the country total civ part of 62% – 210m).

    9. Kumquat_of_Pain on

      Total population of those 5 states is 105 million. Is population is 342 million. 

      So per capita these are about 30% of the total population of the US.

    11. no_sight on

      Obviously?

      California, Texas, New York are the 3 most populous states. New Jersey has an oversized share from people living in New Jersey and working in NYC.

      Washington is here because of an oversized tech presence in the city with Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing.

    12. luxtabula on

      In NY/NJ that percentage is concentrated in a thin belt going from NYC to Philadelphia, spread through both tech and bio tech/pharmaceutical jobs.

    13. AEW_SuperFan on

      It’s where Fortune 500 companies are located. H1-B aren’t used by smaller companies.  Only large companies have lawyer teams to get these done.

    16. ratpH1nk on

      Would love to see it based on tech. Because I bet (at least) Texas, Cali and Washington as 90% tech. 100% short cut for cheap labor that is 100% being exploited.

    18. Connathon on

      I think is should be mandatory in this group to use per capita if dealing with people counts

    21. timelessblur on

      not surprised as a lot of tech jobs. One kicker about tech jobs is it is one of the fields that slaries on the job is high enough to not have to prove they tried to fine someone who does not require a visa first. It was funny as they always paid them just over that cap….. BTW I make more than they do so they were not even paying competitive wages.

    26. SarahAlicia on

      How to stop h1-b1 abuse:

      Not allowed to be used by contractors

      Not allowed to be used by amazon.

      That’s it. That will solve all the issues.

    27. Juls7243 on

      About 100 M people live in those states. Its not that abnormal as not all industries are located equally across a country. This is not surprising at all.

    29. Priddee on

      This isn’t very revolutionary or meaningful. H-B1 visas are mostly for Tech, Finance, Pharma/biotech and large multinational corps.

      Those 5 states are the hubs for those things.

    30. compoundblock666 on

      Can we ban all visa programs
      Legit all it does is underpay Americans and uncut small businesses trying to compete in any market.

      The company I work for aphix is using Visa workers and cut our hours during the buyout

      Half of all the workers left

    32. Kimuraflow on

      Is this just where the registered office is located? Mine will show up as Texas even though I live and work in another state

    34. Brown_Star on

      These are also some of the biggest tech job hubs in america. Nobody is hiring programmers for corn fields.

      Now, if america shifted focus back to science, math, and reading instead of faith based education, we might not need H-1b workers.

    35. fr0z3nf1r3 on

      Of those states, only Texas seems to want to get rid of their H-1B people.

      So maybe just make it a state issue

    37. SalsaForte on

      For non-US redittors.

      H-1B jobs are U.S.-based positions for foreign professionals in “specialty occupations” requiring highly specialized knowledge and at least a bachelor’s degree.

    38. Mehim222 on

      All volume maps are just population maps. This data could be shown in a % of total workforce which would make it easier to compare state to state who is relying more on H1B1