H1B Jobs in Sacramento CA: 2025 Salary & Sponsor Guide
Sacramento, California's state capital, is an emerging H1B market anchored by government IT contractors, UC Davis health science research, and a growing tech ecosystem. While smaller than the Bay Area and Los Angeles, Sacramento offers lower cost of living with California wages. Over 3,500 annual H1B petitions. Median wage is $105,000.
Top H1B Employers in Sacramento
- • UC Davis Health, 400+ annual petitions (cap-exempt)
- • UC Davis (University), 350+ petitions (cap-exempt)
- • Sutter Health, 280+ petitions
- • Dignity Health, 240+ petitions
- • Deloitte (state government contracts), 200+ petitions
- • Accenture (state IT), 180+ petitions
- • Intel (Folsom campus), 170+ petitions
- • Apple (Elk Grove operations), 150+ petitions
- • SolarCity/Tesla Energy, 130+ petitions
- • VSP Vision Care, 120+ petitions
Top H1B Job Roles in Sacramento
- • Research Scientist (UC Davis): $80,000–$130,000
- • Healthcare IT Engineer: $95,000–$148,000
- • State Government IT Consultant: $90,000–$140,000
- • Software Engineer (Intel Folsom): $105,000–$162,000
- • Data Scientist: $100,000–$158,000
- • Registered Nurse (Sutter/Dignity): $90,000–$125,000
- • Environmental Engineer: $85,000–$135,000
Where H1B Workers Live in Sacramento
Sacramento H1B workers live in midtown/East Sacramento near UC Davis Medical Center, Folsom (near Intel campus), Elk Grove (suburban, family-friendly), and Roseville/Rocklin in Placer County near several tech employers. Sacramento offers housing costs roughly 40–50% below San Francisco while remaining a 2-hour drive from the Bay Area for networking.
Tips for H1B Job Seekers in Sacramento
- → UC Davis and UC Davis Health are cap-exempt employers filing 700+ H1B petitions combined annually, no lottery, file year-round
- → Intel Folsom campus (Sacramento area) sponsors software and hardware engineers in a lower-cost-of-living California location vs Bay Area
- → State of California government IT contractors (Deloitte, Accenture) sponsor H1B for enterprise systems and IT modernization projects
- → Sacramento is 2 hours from Silicon Valley, many H1B workers use it as an affordable base while networked into Bay Area opportunities
- → Sutter Health and Dignity Health sponsor nurses, pharmacists, and healthcare IT professionals
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sacramento good for H1B jobs?
Sacramento is a mid-tier H1B market with specific strengths: UC Davis research (cap-exempt), state government IT contracting, and healthcare. Lower cost of living than Bay Area while still in California makes it attractive for H1B workers priced out of San Francisco.
Is UC Davis a cap-exempt H1B employer?
Yes. Both University of California Davis (main campus) and UC Davis Health are cap-exempt employers. Combined, they file 700+ H1B petitions annually for research scientists, postdoctoral fellows, clinical researchers, and faculty.
Does Intel have H1B jobs in Sacramento?
Yes. Intel Folsom campus (Sacramento metro) is an active H1B sponsoring location for software engineers, validation engineers, and platform architects. Folsom hosts Intel PC Client Group engineering teams.
What is the H1B prevailing wage in Sacramento?
Sacramento prevailing wages: software engineers $97,000–$152,000, healthcare IT $90,000–$142,000, research scientists $78,000–$128,000. About 20–30% below San Francisco but significantly lower housing costs.
Can H1B workers in Sacramento commute to Silicon Valley?
Technically yes, but it is not practical for regular commuting (120 miles). However, Sacramento serves as an affordable home base for H1B workers who make occasional trips to Bay Area for interviews, networking, or quarterly team meetings while working remotely for a Bay Area employer.
Find H1B Jobs in Sacramento
Browse open H1B sponsorship positions from employers actively hiring in Sacramento, California.
Browse H1B JobsDOL H-1B Filing Data for Sacramento, CA
Certified Labor Condition Application records from the US Department of Labor, broken out by occupation and by industry. Each page reports median offered wage, filing volume, and the employers sponsoring most in that category.
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