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.
Psychiatric Aide
License required in 1 states
14th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
97th most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Psychiatric aides assist mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed patients and work under the direction of nursing and medical staff.Licensing
Only one state, Missouri, requires a license to work as a psychiatric aide. Missouri requires two years (730 days) of experience in mental health, a high school diploma and a minimum age of 18 years. These requirements rank as the 14th most burdensome of the 102 occupations studied here. However, because only one state licenses psychiatric aides, the occupation ranks as the 97th 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 | Missouri | 1 | $0 | 730 | 2 years | 0 | 12 | 18 |