102 Lower-income Occupations
For its 2017 report License to Work, the Institute for Justice documented the requirements to get a license for 102 lower-income occupations across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Read more about the research methods.
State Profiles
For its 2017 report License to Work, the Institute for Justice documented the requirements to get a license for 102 lower-income occupations across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Read more about the research methods.
Select A State
What is Occupational Licensing?
An “occupational license” is, put simply, government permission to work in a particular field. To earn the license, an aspiring worker must clear various hurdles, such as earning a certain amount of education or training or passing an exam. In the 1950s, only one in 20 U.S. workers needed the government’s permission to pursue their chosen occupation. Today, that figure stands at almost one in four.
Animal Trainer
License required in 9 states
76th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
82nd most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Animal trainers train animals for riding, harness, security, performance, obedience or disability assistance. They accustom animals to human voice and contact and condition animals to respond to commands. They may train animals according to prescribed standards for show or competition or train animals to carry pack loads or work as part of a pack team. This report does not look at animal racing licenses.Licensing
Nine states require a license to work as an animal trainer. On average, these laws require $209 in fees, 122 days of experience and about one exam, the 76th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied. Because it is not licensed very widely, animal trainer ranks as the 82nd most widely and onerously licensed occupation.
License requirements vary widely across states, as do the type of licenses recorded here. Most licenses are for training hunting dogs and require only payment of a fee. However, California’s license is for training guide dogs for the blind and requires three years (1,095 days) of experience, two exams and $250 in fees. Similarly, Nevada’s license is for training security dogs and requires passage of two exams and more than $1,400 in fees—more than half of which pays for background checks.
License to Work
The data and information here come from IJ’s License to Work report, released in November 2017.
States Ranked by Average Licensing Burden for 102 Lower-Income Occupations
More Burdensome Less Burdensom
Based on data released in November 2017| Burden Rank | State | States Licensed | Fees | Estimated Calendar Days Lost | Education | Experience | Exams | Minimum Grade | Minimum Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 9 | $250 | 1095 | 3 years | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | Nevada | 9 | $1,408 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 3 | Wisconsin | 9 | $25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 4 | Connecticut | 9 | $50 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 5 | New Hampshire | 9 | $39 | 3 | 15 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | New York | 9 | $90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 7 | North Dakota | 9 | $10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 8 | Alabama | 9 | $5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 8 | Maryland | 9 | $5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |