Map Shows States With Most H-1B Visas Approved Per American Worker
TO Newsweek evaluation of federal knowledge exhibits stark variations throughout US states in H‑1B visa approvals relative to inhabitants, with some states issuing much more approvals per resident than others.
The knowledge—within the map and tables under—exhibits how the H-1B visa program, utilized by US employers to rent international staff in specialty occupations, stays closely concentrated in sure states, typically these with giant expertise, finance, or analysis sectors.
New Jersey, Virginia, and Massachusetts lead the nation in H-1B visa approvals per capita, whereas a number of Southern and rural states rank among the many lowest, in line with a brand new state-by-state evaluation.
The findings as President Donald Trump has pushed stricter limits on authorized immigration pathways, including the H-1B program, amid considerations amongst some voters that American staff are being displaced by international labor.
Why It Matters
Trump launched a number of modifications geared toward reshaping the H-1B program, together with efforts to switch the standard lottery with a wage-weighted choice system favoring what officers described because the “most skilled and highest-paid” staff.
The administration additionally imposed a $100,000 charge on sure new H-1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025, considerably rising prices for some employers utilizing this system.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is conducting an ongoing fraud crackdown, rising web site visits, tightening employer documentation necessities, and scrutinizing third-party worksite preparations.
Supporters mentioned the measures helped shield US wages and reduce abuse of the system, whereas critics argue they made it harder for employers to fill specialized roles and risked pushing expertise overseas.
Most H-1B Approvals Per US Voter: Top 15
New Jersey topped the record, with about 3.44 H-1B approvals per 1,000 voting-age residents, adopted carefully by Virginia (3.42) and Massachusetts (2.49). Other high-ranking jurisdictions included the District of Columbia (2.24), California (2.19), Rhode Island (1.95), Maryland (1.83), Illinois (1.65), New York (1.61), and Washington (1.50).
Fewest H-1Bs Per US Worker: Top 15
At the opposite finish of the spectrum, Puerto Rico recorded the bottom price by a large margin at 0.02 approvals per 1,000 residents, adopted by Hawaii (0.13), Montana (0.14), Mississippi (0.16), Alabama (0.20), Maine (0.21), Oklahoma (0.21), West Virginia (0.22), Louisiana (0.24), and Nevada (0.25).
The evaluation is predicated on USCIS H‑1B Employer Data Hub figures for complete visa approvals by petitioner placement in FY 2025, mixed with the US Census Bureau’s 2024 estimates of the voting-age inhabitants.
To standardize comparisons throughout states with vastly completely different inhabitants sizes, complete approvals had been divided by every state’s voting-age inhabitants and expressed because the variety of approvals per 1,000 residents.
This method supplies a per-capita measure of how concentrated H-1B approvals are in every state, slightly than relying solely on uncooked totals, that are dominated by giant states comparable to California, Texas and New York.
California nonetheless recorded the very best complete variety of approvals at greater than 86,000, adopted by Texas and New York, however its per-capita price positioned it fifth total, behind smaller however extra concentrated states comparable to New Jersey and Virginia.
Most H-1Bs Per US Worker: Map
USCIS Spokesman Zach Kahler beforehand mentioned in an announcement, “American workers must come first. The $100,000 H-1B fee sends a clear message: we are prioritizing hiring American talent before hiring foreign labor.”
Under Project Firewall, the Department of Labor mentioned it launched almost 200 investigations into companies suspected of abusing the H-1B program and added 4 employers to its record of disqualified H-1B sponsors. The division additionally mentioned 4 employers had been on their H-1B disqualified record as of May 4, 2026.
Under Labor Department guidelines, employers discovered to be willful violators can face random investigations for as much as 5 years and could be barred from approval of H-1B petition.
“Employers fully complying with the law might avoid the program because worksite visits and government inquiries are too cumbersome,” Sam Peak, coverage supervisor on the Economic Innovation Group, beforehand instructed Newsweek.
