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.
Midwife, Direct Entry
License required in 28 states
4th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
33rd most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Direct-entry midwives, or lay midwives, are non-nurses who provide prenatal care and childbirth assistance.Licensing
Twenty-eight states license direct-entry midwives. (In nine states, the occupation is or appears to be prohibited.) On average, licensed states require $1,383 in fees, more than three years (1,152 days) of education and experience, and around one exam—the fourth most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied. However, because direct-entry midwives are licensed by just over half of states, the occupation is the 33rd most widely and onerously licensed.
License requirements are fairly uniform across states: 20 states require three years of education, all require one or two exams, and 24 require a high school diploma. However, there is some variation. For example, Indiana requires over seven years of education and experience (about 2,695 days, or three years of midwife school plus observation of or participation in 80 births), while Texas requires only one year of education. Fees also vary greatly, from $822 in New York to $2,600 in Wyoming.
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 | Indiana | 28 | $1,000 | 2695 | 3 years | 80 births | 1 | 12 | 21 |
| 2 | New York | 28 | $822 | 2190 | 6 years | 1 | 0 | 21 | |
| 3 | Montana | 28 | $1,400 | 1295 | 3 years | 10 births | 1 | 12 | 21 |
| 4 | Colorado | 28 | $2,100 | 1195 | 3 years | 5 births | 1 | 12 | 19 |
| 5 | Washington | 28 | $1,674 | 1095 | 3 years | 2 | 12 | 21 | |
| 6 | Louisiana | 28 | $1,488 | 1095 | 3 years | 2 | 12 | 21 | |
| 7 | Arizona | 28 | $1,150 | 1095 | 3 years | 2 | 12 | 21 | |
| 8 | Maryland | 28 | $1,920 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 12 | 21 | |
| 9 | Wyoming | 28 | $2,600 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 12 | 0 | |
| 10 | Oregon | 28 | $1,650 | 1095 | 3 years | 2 | 12 | 0 | |
| 11 | Florida | 28 | $1,605 | 1095 | 3 years and 1 clock hours | 1 | 12 | 21 | |
| 12 | Delaware | 28 | $1,253 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 12 | 21 | |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 28 | $1,210 | 1095 | 3 years | 2 | 12 | 0 | |
| 14 | South Carolina | 28 | $1,200 | 1095 | 3 years | 2 | 12 | 0 | |
| 15 | Tennessee | 28 | $2,043 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 12 | 0 | |
| 16 | New Mexico | 28 | $1,120 | 1095 | 3 years | 2 | 12 | 0 | |
| 17 | Idaho | 28 | $2,000 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 12 | 0 | |
| 18 | Virginia | 28 | $1,277 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 12 | 0 | |
| 19 | Minnesota | 28 | $1,200 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 12 | 0 | |
| 20 | Utah | 28 | $1,100 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 12 | 0 | |
| 20 | Vermont | 28 | $1,100 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 12 | 0 | |
| 22 | South Dakota | 28 | $1,043 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 12 | 0 | |
| 23 | New Jersey | 28 | $1,210 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 24 | California | 28 | $1,249 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 25 | Rhode Island | 28 | $1,080 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 26 | Arkansas | 28 | $900 | 800 | 40 births | 2 | 12 | 0 | |
| 27 | Wisconsin | 28 | $1,085 | 730 | 2 years | 1 | 12 | 0 | |
| 28 | Texas | 28 | $1,235 | 365 | 1 years | 2 | 12 | 0 | |
| N/A | Alabama | 28 | Prohibited or appears to be prohibited | ||||||
| N/A | Georgia | 28 | Prohibited or appears to be prohibited | ||||||
| N/A | Illinois | 28 | Prohibited or appears to be prohibited | ||||||
| N/A | Iowa | 28 | Prohibited or appears to be prohibited | ||||||
| N/A | Kentucky | 28 | Prohibited or appears to be prohibited | ||||||
| N/A | Nebraska | 28 | Prohibited or appears to be prohibited | ||||||
| N/A | Nevada | 28 | Prohibited or appears to be prohibited | ||||||
| N/A | North Carolina | 28 | Prohibited or appears to be prohibited | ||||||
| N/A | North Dakota | 28 | Prohibited or appears to be prohibited | ||||||