A Newsweek analysis of federal data shows stark differences across U.S. states in H‑1B visa approvals relative to population, with some states issuing far more approvals per resident than others.
The data—in the map and tables below—shows how the H‑1B visa program, used by U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations, remains heavily concentrated in certain states, often those with large technology, finance, or research sectors.
New Jersey, Virginia, and Massachusetts lead the nation in H‑1B visa approvals per capita, while several Southern and rural states rank among the lowest, according to a new state-by-state analysis.
The findings come as President Donald Trump has pushed stricter limits on legal immigration pathways, including the H‑1B program, amid concerns among some voters that American workers are being displaced by foreign labor.
Why It Matters
Trump introduced several changes aimed at reshaping the H-1B program, including efforts to replace the traditional lottery with a wage-weighted selection system favoring what officials described as the “most skilled and highest-paid” workers.
The administration also imposed a $100,000 fee on certain new H-1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025, significantly increasing costs for some employers using the program.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is conducting an ongoing fraud crackdown, increasing site visits, tightening employer documentation requirements, and scrutinizing third-party worksite arrangements.
Supporters said the measures helped protect U.S. wages and reduce abuse of the system, while critics argue they made it harder for employers to fill specialized roles and risked pushing talent abroad.
Most H-1B Approvals Per US Voter: Top 15
New Jersey topped the list, with about 3.44 H‑1B approvals per 1,000 voting-age residents, followed closely 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 other end of the spectrum, Puerto Rico recorded the lowest rate by a wide margin at 0.02 approvals per 1,000 residents, followed 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 analysis is based on USCIS H‑1B Employer Data Hub figures for total visa approvals by petitioner location in FY 2025, combined with the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 estimates of the voting-age population.
To standardize comparisons across states with vastly different population sizes, total approvals were divided by each state’s voting-age population and expressed as the number of approvals per 1,000 residents.
This approach provides a per-capita measure of how concentrated H‑1B approvals are in each state, rather than relying solely on raw totals, which are dominated by large states such as California, Texas and New York.
California still recorded the highest total number of approvals at more than 86,000, followed by Texas and New York, but its per-capita rate placed it fifth overall, behind smaller but more concentrated states such as New Jersey and Virginia.
Most H-1Bs Per US Worker: Map
USCIS Spokesman Zach Kahler previously said in a statement, “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 said it launched nearly 200 investigations into companies suspected of abusing the H-1B program and added four employers to its list of disqualified H-1B sponsors. The department also said four employers were on its H-1B disqualified list as of May 4, 2026.
Under Labor Department rules, employers found to be willful violators can face random investigations for up to five years and can 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, policy manager at the Economic Innovation Group, previously told Newsweek.
