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.
Florist
License required in 1 states
92nd most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
102nd most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Florists or floral designers design, cut and arrange live, dried or artificial flowers and foliage.Licensing
Only one state, Louisiana, requires a license to work as a florist. Louisiana requires fees totaling $189 as well as an exam. These requirements rank as the 92nd most burdensome of the 102 occupations studied here. And because florists are licensed by only one state, the occupation ranks as the least widely and onerously licensed.
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 | Louisiana | 1 | $189 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |