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.
Auctioneer
License required in 30 states
68th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
47th most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Auctioneers appraise and estimate the value of items, such as paintings, antiques, jewelry, cameras, musical instruments, machinery and fixtures for loan, insurance or sale purposes and may sell merchandise at auction.[c]Adapted from http://www.occupationalinfo.org/onet/49999a.html[/c]Licensing
Thirty states require a license to work as an auctioneer. On average, these laws cost aspiring auctioneers $278 in fees and 94 days in education and experience and require them to pass an exam—the 68th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied. However, because auctioneers are licensed by more than half of states, the occupation ranks as the 47th most widely and onerously licensed.
License requirements vary widely across states. Tennessee has the most burdensome requirements at about 756 days lost to education and experience (two years of experience as an apprentice and 110 hours of auction education), two exams, and $750 in fees. At the other end of the spectrum, Missouri requires only payment of a $52 fee. Fourteen states require education (between about seven and 140 days) and no experience, while 11 states require no education or experience at all.
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 | Tennessee | 30 | $750 | 756 | 110 clock hours | 2 years | 2 | 12 | 21 |
| 2 | Kentucky | 30 | $530 | 751 | 92 clock hours | 2 years | 2 | 12 | 18 |
| 3 | Alabama | 30 | $500 | 385 | 85 clock hours | 1 years | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| 4 | Ohio | 30 | $340 | 379 | 10 days | 1 years | 3 | 0 | 18 |
| 5 | West Virginia | 30 | $300 | 201 | 80 clock hours | 6 months | 3 | 0 | 18 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 30 | $270 | 140 | 20 credit hours | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Georgia | 30 | $420 | 19 | 80 clock hours | 1 | 12 | 18 | |
| 8 | North Carolina | 30 | $314 | 19 | 80 clock hours | 1 | 12 | 18 | |
| 9 | Texas | 30 | $155 | 19 | 80 clock hours | 1 | 12 | 18 | |
| 10 | Mississippi | 30 | $300 | 11 | 7.5 days | 1 | 12 | 18 | |
| 11 | Illinois | 30 | $271 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 18 | ||
| 12 | Florida | 30 | $550 | 19 | 80 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 13 | South Carolina | 30 | $435 | 19 | 80 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 14 | Rhode Island | 30 | $630 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 15 | New Hampshire | 30 | $275 | 19 | 80 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 16 | Arkansas | 30 | $339 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 17 | Massachusetts | 30 | $100 | 19 | 83 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 18 | Indiana | 30 | $105 | 19 | 80 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 19 | Louisiana | 30 | $300 | 7 | 5 days | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 20 | Virginia | 30 | $65 | 19 | 80 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 30 | $201 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 22 | North Dakota | 30 | $35 | 14 | 60 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| 23 | D C | 30 | $229 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 24 | Maine | 30 | $421 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 25 | Minnesota | 30 | $20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 26 | Vermont | 30 | $100 | 9 | 40 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 27 | Washington | 30 | $155 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 28 | Hawaii | 30 | $100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 29 | Delaware | 30 | $75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 30 | Missouri | 30 | $52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |