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.
Manicurist
License required in 50 states
60th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
13th most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Manicurists and pedicurists, also known as nail technicians, clean and shape customers’ fingernails and toenails and may polish or decorate nails.Licensing
Forty-nine states and D.C. require a license to work as a manicurist; Connecticut is the only state that does not. On average, these laws force aspiring manicurists to pay $172 in fees, complete 91 days of education and pass two exams—the 60th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied. However, because manicurists are licensed so widely, the occupation ranks as the 13th most widely and onerously licensed.
License requirements vary widely across states. For example, the most burdensome state, Alabama, requires about 175 days (750 hours) of education, while the least burdensome state, Massachusetts, requires only about 23 days (100 hours). Exam requirements also vary, from zero exams in Florida to three in seven other states. Similarly, three states (Alaska, Vermont and Wisconsin) require over $350 in fees, but nine states require less than $100.
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 | Alabama | 50 | $235 | 175 | 750 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 2 | Arizona | 50 | $247 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 3 | Tennessee | 50 | $190 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 16 | |
| 4 | Texas | 50 | $176 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 17 | |
| 5 | Nevada | 50 | $145 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 18 | |
| 6 | Kentucky | 50 | $100 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 16 | |
| 7 | Arkansas | 50 | $125 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 50 | $60 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 8 | 16 | |
| 9 | Washington | 50 | $210 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 17 | |
| 10 | Colorado | 50 | $177 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 16 | |
| 11 | Oregon | 50 | $90 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | Georgia | 50 | $139 | 123 | 525 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 17 | |
| 13 | Louisiana | 50 | $75 | 117 | 500 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 14 | Vermont | 50 | $360 | 93 | 400 clock hours | 3 | 12 | 18 | |
| 15 | Indiana | 50 | $92 | 105 | 450 clock hours | 1 | 8 | 18 | |
| 16 | New Mexico | 50 | $253 | 93 | 400 clock hours | 3 | 10 | 17 | |
| 17 | West Virginia | 50 | $159 | 93 | 400 clock hours | 3 | 12 | 18 | |
| 18 | Montana | 50 | $254 | 93 | 400 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 18 | |
| 19 | South Dakota | 50 | $80 | 93 | 400 clock hours | 3 | 12 | 18 | |
| 20 | Idaho | 50 | $186 | 93 | 400 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 17 | |
| 21 | Michigan | 50 | $200 | 93 | 400 clock hours | 2 | 9 | 17 | |
| 22 | Missouri | 50 | $150 | 93 | 400 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 17 | |
| 23 | Wyoming | 50 | $123 | 93 | 400 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 24 | California | 50 | $110 | 93 | 400 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 17 | |
| 25 | Mississippi | 50 | $233 | 82 | 350 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 17 | |
| 26 | Minnesota | 50 | $285 | 82 | 350 clock hours | 3 | 12 | 0 | |
| 27 | Kansas | 50 | $195 | 82 | 350 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 17 | |
| 28 | D C | 50 | $230 | 82 | 350 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 18 | |
| 29 | Hawaii | 50 | $110 | 82 | 350 clock hours | 1 | 12 | 16 | |
| 30 | North Dakota | 50 | $205 | 82 | 350 clock hours | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 31 | Illinois | 50 | $210 | 82 | 350 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 16 | |
| 32 | Delaware | 50 | $267 | 70 | 300 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 33 | New Jersey | 50 | $169 | 70 | 300 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 17 | |
| 34 | South Carolina | 50 | $175 | 70 | 300 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 35 | Rhode Island | 50 | $100 | 70 | 300 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 18 | |
| 36 | Wisconsin | 50 | $391 | 70 | 300 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| 37 | Iowa | 50 | $118 | 76 | 325 clock hours | 1 | 12 | 0 | |
| 38 | New Hampshire | 50 | $198 | 70 | 300 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 0 | |
| 39 | Nebraska | 50 | $78 | 70 | 300 clock hours | 1 | 12 | 17 | |
| 40 | Utah | 50 | $234 | 70 | 300 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 41 | North Carolina | 50 | $168 | 70 | 300 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 42 | Maryland | 50 | $104 | 58 | 250 clock hours | 2 | 9 | 17 | |
| 43 | New York | 50 | $70 | 58 | 250 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 17 | |
| 44 | Alaska | 50 | $390 | 58 | 250 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 45 | Maine | 50 | $148 | 47 | 200 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 17 | |
| 46 | Ohio | 50 | $51 | 47 | 200 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 47 | Florida | 50 | $70 | 56 | 240 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 16 | |
| 48 | Pennsylvania | 50 | $110 | 47 | 200 clock hours | 1 | 10 | 16 | |
| 49 | Virginia | 50 | $175 | 35 | 150 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 50 | Massachusetts | 50 | $188 | 23 | 100 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 0 |