uscis_h1b_county_year
USCIS H-1B petition approval and denial counts aggregated to county and fiscal year. One row per county per fiscal year. Source is the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub (FY2009-2023), geocoded from employer city to county via ZIP crosswalk.
tier aadmin_record
overview
overview
~25,895 county-year rows (county x fiscal_year, only county-years with H-1B activity).
current vintage — FY2026 Q1
history — FY2009-present (matches base table)
provenance
source & licensing
authority
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
dataset
USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, aggregated (FY2009-FY2026 Q1)
license
Public domain (U.S. Federal Government work)
citation
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DHS. H-1B Employer Data Hub, aggregated to county x fiscal year, FY2009-FY2026 Q1.
schema
fields
| name | type | definition |
|---|---|---|
| country_id | string | ISO alpha-2 country code (always 'US' for domestic tables). |
| county_idkey | string | 5-character FIPS code identifying the county.Joins dim.counties on county_id. |
| fiscal_yearkey | int64 | Federal fiscal year of the observation (Oct–Sep cycle). |
| h1b_continuing_approvals | int64 · count | Extension petitions approved for workers already holding H-1B status. Higher values reflect a larger incumbent H-1B workforce retained in the county. |
| h1b_continuing_denials | int64 · count | Extension petitions denied for existing H-1B holders. Higher values may indicate increased scrutiny or eligibility issues among the incumbent H-1B workforce. |
| h1b_initial_approval_rate | float64 · share (0–1) | Fraction of new H-1B petitions approved, computed as h1b_initial_approvals / (h1b_initial_approvals + h1b_initial_denials). Values closer to 1 indicate a higher acceptance rate for incoming H-1B filings. |
| h1b_initial_approvals | int64 · count | New H-1B petitions approved, combining first-time cap-subject and cap-exempt filings. Higher values indicate greater inbound skilled-worker demand in the county for that fiscal year. |
| h1b_initial_denials | int64 · count | New H-1B petitions denied by USCIS, covering both first-time and cap-exempt filings. Higher values indicate a larger share of incoming applicants turned away. |
| h1b_total_approvals | int64 · count | Total H-1B petitions approved in the fiscal year, calculated as h1b_initial_approvals + h1b_continuing_approvals. Higher values indicate a larger overall approved H-1B presence in the county. |
| h1b_unique_employers | int64 · count | Number of distinct employers filing at least one H-1B petition (initial or continuing) in the county during the fiscal year. Higher values indicate a broader employer base sponsoring H-1B workers. |
| state_id | string | 2-character FIPS code identifying the state.Joins dim.states on state_id. |
relationships
joins
primary key
county_id, fiscal_year
common joins
dim.geographies on county_id
dol_lca_h1b_county_year on (county_id, fiscal_year)
economy_industry_employment_county_year_naics for sectoral context
usage
how to use this table
method
Aggregated from uscis_h1b_datahub by county x fiscal year, geocoded employer city -> ZIP -> county. Approvals and denials summed; rates computed at aggregate level.
do not use for
Same caveats as base; FY2020 decision-counting basis change applies.
known issues
Inherits FY2020 decision-counting change. ZIP-based geocoding misattributes campus-employer worksites.
last updated · May 5, 2026