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.
Optician
License required in 22 states
11th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
63rd most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Opticians, also known as dispensing opticians, design, measure, fit and adapt lenses and frames for clients according to written optical prescriptions or specifications; assist clients with selecting frames; and measure customers for size of eyeglasses and coordinate frames with facial and eye measurements and optical prescription. They also prepare work orders for optical laboratories containing instructions for grinding and mounting lenses in frames; verify the exactness of finished lens spectacles; adjust frame and lens position to fit clients; and may shape or reshape frames.Licensing
Twenty two states require a license to work as an optician. On average, these laws force aspiring opticians to pay $449 in fees, demonstrate nearly two years (714 days) of education and experience, and pass around two exams—the 11th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied. However, because less than half of states license opticians, the occupation ranks as the 63rd most widely and onerously licensed.
While almost every state requires a minimum age of 18 years and at least a high school diploma, other license requirements vary greatly. (Duties also vary by state—see Appendix B for details.) Education and experience requirements vary from none in California and New Hampshire to more than three years (about 1,118 days) in Nevada. Similarly, exam requirements vary from none in New Hampshire to four in Connecticut, and fees range from $110 in New Hampshire to $943 in Florida.
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 | Nevada | 22 | $900 | 1118 | 2 years | 1 years and 100 clock hours | 3 | 12 | 18 |
| 2 | Arizona | 22 | $650 | 1095 | 3 years | 3 | 12 | 18 | |
| 3 | Arkansas | 22 | $260 | 1095 | 3 years | 2 | 12 | 21 | |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 22 | $255 | 1095 | 2 years | 1 years | 2 | 12 | 18 |
| 5 | North Carolina | 22 | $225 | 912 | 2 years | 6 months | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 6 | New Jersey | 22 | $420 | 851 | 2 years | 4 months | 2 | 12 | 17 |
| 7 | Florida | 22 | $943 | 731 | 6 clock hours and 2 years | 3 | 12 | 18 | |
| 8 | Connecticut | 22 | $650 | 730 | 2 years | 4 | 12 | 18 | |
| 9 | Tennessee | 22 | $758 | 730 | 2 years | 3 | 12 | 18 | |
| 10 | Massachusetts | 22 | $509 | 730 | 2 years | 3 | 12 | 18 | |
| 11 | Kentucky | 22 | $500 | 730 | 2 years | 3 | 12 | 18 | |
| 12 | South Carolina | 22 | $545 | 730 | 2 years | 2 | 12 | 18 | |
| 13 | Hawaii | 22 | $536 | 730 | 2 years | 2 | 12 | 18 | |
| 14 | Washington | 22 | $200 | 731 | 2 years and 4 clock hours | 3 | 12 | 18 | |
| 15 | Virginia | 22 | $350 | 730 | 2 years | 2 | 12 | 18 | |
| 16 | New York | 22 | $333 | 730 | 2 years | 2 | 12 | 18 | |
| 17 | Vermont | 22 | $325 | 730 | 2 years | 1 | 12 | 18 | |
| 18 | Ohio | 22 | $321 | 730 | 2 years | 1 | 12 | 18 | |
| 19 | Alaska | 22 | $550 | 420 | 1800 clock hours | 1 | 12 | 18 | |
| 20 | Georgia | 22 | $115 | 365 | 1 years | 3 | 12 | 18 | |
| 21 | California | 22 | $424 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 18 | ||
| 22 | New Hampshire | 22 | $110 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |