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 Occupational Licensing
License required in 37 states
7th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
Average Fee for License:$1821
What They Do
Direct-entry midwives, or lay midwives, are non-nurses who provide prenatal care and childbirth assistance.
Midwife, Direct Entry Licensing Overview
Thirty-seven states (more than half of states) require a licence to work as a Midwife, Direct Entry. On average, these laws require $1821 in fees, 892 days of education and about 1 exam. Midwife, Direct Entry Licenses have the 7th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied. Fees for a license exceed $1000 in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
Where is a Midwife, Direct Entry the most regulated?
Out of the 37 states that require an occupational license, an occupational license for a Midwife, Direct Entry has the highest burden in Indiana. Indiana requires $1300 in fees, 1 exams, 80 births experience, and 2 years education.
Where is a Midwife, Direct Entry the least regulated?
Out of the 37 states that require an occupational license, an occupational license for a Midwife, Direct Entry has the lowest burden in New Jersey. New Jersey requires $1610 in fees, 1 exams, no experience, and 2 years education.
Where is a Midwife, Direct Entry license the most expensive?
An occupational license for a Midwife, Direct Entry costs the most in Alaska. Alaska requires $5600 in fees, 1 exams, 1 year experience, and 2 years education.
Where is a Midwife, Direct Entry license the least expensive?
An occupational license for a Midwife, Direct Entry costs the least in New York. New York requires $822 in fees, 1 exams, no experience, and 6 years education.
Where does it take the longest to obtain a Midwife, Direct Entry license?
An occupational license for a Midwife, Direct Entry takes the longest to obtain in Indiana. It takes 2330 days (6 years and 20 days). Indiana requires $1300 in fees, 1 exams, 80 births experience, and 2 years education.
Where is it fastest to obtain a Midwife, Direct Entry license?
An occupational license for a Midwife, Direct Entry takes the least time to obtain in Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming (730 days).
What states require exams for a Midwife, Direct Entry license?
To obtain an occupational license for a Midwife, Direct Entry there is at least one exam required in: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming. Washington requires 3 exams.
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.
States Ranked by Average Licensing Burden for 102 Lower-Income Occupations
More Burdensome Less Burdensome
Based on data released in November 2022| Burden Rank | State | Occupations Licensed | Fees | Estimated Calendar Days Lost | Education | Experience | Exams | Minimum Grade | Minimum Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Alaska | 64 | $5,600 | 1095 | 2 years | 1 years | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 15 | Alabama | 63 | $2,100 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 21 |
| 12 | Arkansas | 72 | $1,100 | 800 | None | 40 births | 2 | 12 | 21 |
| 13 | Arizona | 68 | $1,450 | 730 | 2 years | None | 2 | 12 | 21 |
| 9 | California | 75 | $1,449 | 1095 | 3 years | None | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Colorado | 34 | $1,600 | 830 | 2 years | 5 births | 1 | 12 | 19 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | 61 | $1,300 | 1095 | 3 years | None | 1 | 12 | 21 |
| 18 | Delaware | 42 | $1,582 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 21 |
| 6 | Florida | 55 | $1,805 | 1095 | 3 years | None | 1 | 12 | 21 |
| 28 | Hawaii | 64 | $2,130 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 27 | Idaho | 66 | $2,300 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 22 | Illinois | 41 | $1,300 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 21 |
| 1 | Indiana | 37 | $1,300 | 2330 | 2 years | 80 births | 1 | 12 | 21 |
| 24 | Kentucky | 38 | $2,351 | 731 | 2 years & 3 clock hours | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 17 | Louisiana | 77 | $1,796 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 21 |
| 14 | Maryland | 58 | $2,231 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 21 |
| 30 | Maine | 46 | $1,596 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 29 | Michigan | 48 | $1,783 | 730 | 2 clock hours & 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 32 | Minnesota | 35 | $1,500 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 10 | Montana | 32 | $2,400 | 930 | 2 years | 10 births | 1 | 12 | 21 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | 37 | $1,430 | 730 | 2 years | None | 2 | 12 | 0 |
| 37 | New Jersey | 54 | $1,610 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 21 | New Mexico | 66 | $1,370 | 730 | 2 years | None | 2 | 12 | 0 |
| 2 | New York | 41 | $822 | 2190 | 6 years | None | 1 | 0 | 21 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 42 | $2,300 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 5 | Oregon | 69 | $1,950 | 1095 | 3 years | None | 2 | 12 | 0 |
| 35 | Rhode Island | 70 | $1,380 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 7 | South Carolina | 60 | $1,500 | 1095 | 2 years | 1 years | 2 | 12 | 0 |
| 26 | South Dakota | 32 | $2,343 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 25 | Tennessee | 69 | $2,345 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 20 | Texas | 38 | $1,420 | 730 | 2 years | None | 2 | 12 | 0 |
| 33 | Utah | 64 | $1,400 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 31 | Virginia | 72 | $1,577 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 33 | Vermont | 31 | $1,400 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 4 | Washington | 76 | $1,996 | 1095 | 3 years | None | 3 | 12 | 21 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | 42 | $1,359 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 23 | Wyoming | 26 | $2,500 | 730 | 2 years | None | 1 | 12 | 0 |
License to Work
The data and information here come from IJ’s License to Work report, released in November 2022.
View Report