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.
Child Care Home, Family
License required in 44 states
70th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
25th most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Family child care homes attend to children at the operator’s residence and perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing and overseeing play. This report looks at what is required to run a child care business out of one’s home only.Licensing
Forty-four states require a license for family child care homes. On average, these licenses require $79 in fees and 48 days of education and experience, making family child care home the 70th most burdensome occupation of the 102 studied. However, because most states license the occupation, it ranks as the 25th most widely and onerously licensed.
License requirements vary widely across states. North Carolina requires operators of child family care homes to dedicate about 401 days to education and experience (one year of child care experience, 36 hours of training and a four-credit-hour class). However, 21 states require fewer than 10 days of education or experience, and another nine require none at all. Similarly, fees range from $0 in Vermont to $300 in D.C.
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 | North Carolina | 44 | $105 | 401 | 4 credit hours | 1 years and 36 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 21 |
| 2 | New York | 44 | $25 | 369 | 1 years and 26 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| 3 | Nevada | 44 | $58 | 235 | 1000 clock hours and 11 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 21 | |
| 4 | Wyoming | 44 | $89 | 203 | 16 credit hours | 3 months | 0 | 12 | 18 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 44 | $135 | 189 | 6 months and 32 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 18 | |
| 6 | Mississippi | 44 | $160 | 170 | 24 credit hours | 13 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 21 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 44 | $41 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 18 | |
| 8 | Virginia | 44 | $39 | 92 | 3 months and 6 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 18 | |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 44 | $53 | 84 | 12 credit hours | 0 | 12 | 21 | |
| 10 | Washington | 44 | $42 | 70 | 10 credit hours | 0 | 12 | 21 | |
| 11 | New Hampshire | 44 | $35 | 42 | 6 credit hours | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| 12 | Alaska | 44 | $115 | 28 | 120 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 21 | |
| 13 | D C | 44 | $300 | 2 | 9 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 18 | |
| 14 | Ohio | 44 | $296 | 1 | 7 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 18 | |
| 15 | Georgia | 44 | $101 | 31 | 120 clock hours | 16 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 16 | Colorado | 44 | $43 | 3 | 16 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 17 | Rhode Island | 44 | $140 | 4 | 24 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 21 | |
| 18 | Texas | 44 | $76 | 7 | 1 clock hours | 30 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 21 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 44 | $68 | 21 | 3 credit hours | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| 20 | Michigan | 44 | $110 | 1 | 6 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 18 | |
| 21 | Alabama | 44 | $49 | 4 | 24 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 19 | |
| 22 | Kansas | 44 | $85 | 3 | 15 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 18 | |
| 23 | Arkansas | 44 | $50 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 21 | ||
| 24 | Maryland | 44 | $52 | 5 | 27 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 18 | |
| 25 | Kentucky | 44 | $80 | 1 | 6 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 18 | |
| 26 | Delaware | 44 | $65 | 2 | 12 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 18 | |
| 27 | Illinois | 44 | $27 | 4 | 21 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 18 | |
| 28 | Nebraska | 44 | $38 | 0 | 2 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 19 | |
| 29 | Vermont | 44 | $0 | 0 | 2 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 18 | |
| 30 | Florida | 44 | $70 | 8 | 35 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| 31 | California | 44 | $164 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 32 | Maine | 44 | $111 | 1 | 6 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| 33 | Tennessee | 44 | $100 | 1 | 4 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| 34 | Connecticut | 44 | $52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | ||
| 35 | Utah | 44 | $83 | 0 | 2.5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| 36 | Oregon | 44 | $78 | 1 | 5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| 37 | Minnesota | 44 | $65 | 1 | 4 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| 38 | Hawaii | 44 | $71 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 39 | New Mexico | 44 | $59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 40 | Montana | 44 | $37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 40 | West Virginia | 44 | $37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 42 | North Dakota | 44 | $20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 43 | Missouri | 44 | $13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 44 | Indiana | 44 | $52 | 1 | 7.5 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 0 |