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.
Gaming Dealer
License required in 28 states
87th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
64th most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Gaming dealers, or card dealers, operate table games. They stand or sit behind a table and operate games of chance by dispensing the appropriate number of cards or blocks to players or operating other gaming equipment. They distribute winnings or collect players’ money or chips and may compare the house’s hand against players’ hands.Licensing
Twenty-eight states require a license to work as a gaming dealer. Every state except Connecticut requires a fee, which averages $174, and almost two-thirds of states (17) set a minimum age of either 18 or 21. No state requires any education or experience or exams. These requirements make the gaming dealer occupation the 87th most burdensome of the 102 occupations studied here. However, because gaming dealers are licensed by over half of states, the occupation ranks as the 64th most 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 | Pennsylvania | 28 | $350 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 2 | Massachusetts | 28 | $300 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 3 | California | 28 | $250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 3 | Illinois | 28 | $250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 3 | Indiana | 28 | $250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 3 | Ohio | 28 | $250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 7 | Arizona | 28 | $250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 8 | Maryland | 28 | $437 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 9 | Louisiana | 28 | $200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 9 | Michigan | 28 | $200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 11 | Colorado | 28 | $115 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 12 | South Dakota | 28 | $111 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 13 | West Virginia | 28 | $100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 14 | Missouri | 28 | $125 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 15 | Maine | 28 | $299 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 16 | Mississippi | 28 | $75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 16 | Nevada | 28 | $75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 16 | New Mexico | 28 | $75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 19 | Delaware | 28 | $269 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 20 | Iowa | 28 | $68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 21 | Washington | 28 | $219 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 22 | Florida | 28 | $159 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 23 | New York | 28 | $105 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 24 | Montana | 28 | $102 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 25 | New Jersey | 28 | $95 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 26 | New Hampshire | 28 | $80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 27 | Kansas | 28 | $60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 28 | Connecticut | 28 | $0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |