| Metropolitan area | Total H-1B visa approvals | H-1B visa approvals per 100 workers | Average salary for H-1B visa approvals | % of H-1B visa approvals with an advanced degree | % of H-1B visa approvals with a U.S. advanced degree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | 247,900 | 2.501 | $80,000 | 47% | 13% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 74,000 | 2.126 | $77,100 | 43% | 12% |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 64,800 | 2.000 | $73,900 | 45% | 12% |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 38,300 | 1.482 | $88,100 | 61% | 20% |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | 37,800 | 31.847 | $82,600 | 23% | 1% |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 34,300 | 1.125 | $84,800 | 52% | 15% |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | 29,900 | 0.613 | $82,200 | 42% | 9% |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 28,900 | 0.917 | $81,900 | 59% | 20% |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 28,500 | 1.014 | $74,600 | 53% | 14% |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 22,200 | 2.210 | $88,800 | 53% | 15% |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 14,700 | 0.502 | $70,600 | 38% | 13% |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 13,900 | 0.682 | $72,300 | 47% | 9% |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 11,300 | 4.128 | $84,700 | 48% | 6% |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | 11,300 | 0.466 | $90,500 | 51% | 15% |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 10,800 | 0.756 | $82,600 | 55% | 17% |
| Trenton, NJ | 9,500 | 4.857 | $83,300 | 53% | 13% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 9,000 | 0.137 | $75,200 | 48% | 17% |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | 8,300 | 0.820 | $85,600 | 62% | 22% |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 7,400 | 0.505 | $77,100 | 62% | 19% |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 6,600 | 0.546 | $83,700 | 57% | 16% |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | 6,300 | 1.350 | $100,200 | 60% | 20% |
| Richmond, VA | 5,800 | 0.898 | $86,500 | 60% | 14% |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 5,200 | 0.267 | $98,100 | 51% | 17% |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 4,900 | 0.785 | $81,500 | 58% | 17% |
| Worcester, MA-CT | 4,800 | 1.403 | $79,100 | 64% | 23% |
| Raleigh, NC | 4,400 | 0.703 | $79,600 | 63% | 19% |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 4,400 | 0.367 | $82,800 | 55% | 16% |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 3,600 | 0.305 | $76,200 | 51% | 15% |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | 3,400 | 0.492 | $90,100 | 64% | 18% |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 2,900 | 1.003 | $73,800 | 53% | 18% |
| Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 2,700 | 0.296 | $86,500 | 59% | 17% |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 2,600 | 0.246 | $78,900 | 50% | 13% |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | 2,300 | 0.107 | $97,100 | 69% | 22% |
| Jacksonville, FL | 2,000 | 0.282 | $78,500 | 52% | 14% |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 1,900 | 0.100 | $90,500 | 62% | 20% |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 1,900 | 0.298 | $79,600 | 60% | 13% |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | 1,900 | 0.127 | $91,300 | 55% | 14% |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 1,900 | 0.126 | $84,700 | 51% | 13% |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | 1,800 | 0.117 | $86,600 | 67% | 28% |
| Columbus, OH | 1,800 | 0.176 | $72,500 | 61% | 18% |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 1,700 | 0.272 | $77,700 | 69% | 22% |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY | 1,600 | 0.286 | $89,900 | 62% | 21% |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO | 1,500 | 0.632 | $91,600 | 55% | 17% |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 1,500 | 0.137 | $70,200 | 57% | 13% |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI | 1,500 | 0.179 | $84,800 | 46% | 11% |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 1,400 | 0.126 | $76,500 | 63% | 19% |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 1,300 | 0.312 | $75,400 | 61% | 19% |
| Rochester, NY | 1,300 | 0.244 | $72,200 | 57% | 18% |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | 1,300 | 1.111 | $78,200 | 53% | 14% |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 1,200 | 0.275 | $82,100 | 65% | 23% |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | 1,200 | 0.983 | $81,200 | 65% | 15% |
| Baton Rouge, LA | 1,200 | 0.300 | $71,500 | 51% | 16% |
| Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA | 1,200 | 0.112 | $87,800 | 68% | 21% |
| New Haven-Milford, CT | 1,200 | 0.362 | $79,800 | 66% | 23% |
| Ann Arbor, MI | 1,000 | 0.538 | $68,500 | 64% | 25% |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 1,000 | 0.167 | $70,600 | 61% | 23% |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 1,000 | 0.147 | $72,800 | 64% | 27% |
| Tulsa, OK | 900 | 0.188 | $74,300 | 63% | 24% |
| Charlottesville, VA | 900 | 0.768 | $49,500 | 58% | 10% |
| Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | 800 | 0.240 | $67,600 | 62% | 17% |
| Gainesville, FL | 800 | 0.592 | $71,600 | 67% | 27% |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | 800 | 0.209 | $80,500 | 63% | 24% |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC | 700 | 0.088 | $73,300 | 59% | 24% |
| Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA | 700 | 0.144 | $90,400 | 61% | 18% |
| Birmingham-Hoover, AL | 700 | 0.124 | $80,900 | 62% | 22% |
| Erie, PA | 700 | 0.480 | $89,100 | 75% | 21% |
| Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC | 600 | 0.158 | $84,800 | 59% | 18% |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN | 600 | 0.064 | $71,700 | 57% | 21% |
Note: Includes only metropolitan areas with a minimum of 600 total H-1B visa approvals in fiscal years 2010-2016. H-1B visa approvals and average salary rounded to the nearest 100. H-1B visa approvals rate per 100 workers was calculated using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics annual average civilian force data. Advanced degree is defined as having a master’s, professional or doctorate degree. U.S. advanced degree is defined as having received an advanced degree from a U.S. college or university. H-1B visa approvals subject to annual cap account for nearly all (99.9%) approvals in this analysis. Approvals data (obtained through a public records request) do not distinguish between approvals for initial and continuing employment.
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data on H-1B visa approvals, received via Freedom of Information Act request on Nov. 17, 2017. Interactive includes data for fiscal years 2010-2016. Data on average monthly civilian labor force by metropolitan area for calendar years 2010-2016 from Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Tables on educational institutions by school type
Table on metro area total population estimates
