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.
Skin Care Specialist
License required in 50 states
56th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
9th most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Skin care specialists, also known as estheticians, aestheticians, spa technicians and facialists, among other titles, provide skin care treatments to face and body to enhance an individual’s appearance.Licensing
Forty-nine states and D.C. license skin care specialists; Connecticut is the only state that does not. On average, these laws require $175 in fees, 145 days of education and two exams—the 56th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied here. However, because almost all states license the occupation, it ranks as the ninth most widely and onerously licensed.
License requirements are somewhat uniform: 37 states require about 140 to 175 days (600 to 750 hours) of education, 36 require two exams, 38 require a minimum grade level, and 40 require a minimum age of between 16 and 18 years. However, there are some outliers. For example, four states require about 233 days (1,000 hours) of education, while Florida requires only about 61 (260 hours). Similarly, seven states require three exams, but Florida requires none. Fees also vary greatly, from $51 in Ohio to $450 in Alaska.
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 | Kentucky | 50 | $200 | 233 | 1000 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 18 | |
| 2 | Kansas | 50 | $195 | 233 | 1000 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 17 | |
| 3 | Alabama | 50 | $235 | 233 | 1000 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 4 | Georgia | 50 | $139 | 233 | 1000 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 17 | |
| 5 | Nevada | 50 | $145 | 210 | 900 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 18 | |
| 6 | Texas | 50 | $176 | 175 | 750 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 17 | |
| 7 | Missouri | 50 | $150 | 175 | 750 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 17 | |
| 8 | Louisiana | 50 | $100 | 175 | 750 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 9 | Illinois | 50 | $186 | 175 | 750 clock hours | 1 | 12 | 16 | |
| 10 | Washington | 50 | $210 | 175 | 750 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 17 | |
| 11 | Tennessee | 50 | $190 | 175 | 750 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 16 | |
| 12 | Indiana | 50 | $92 | 163 | 700 clock hours | 1 | 10 | 18 | |
| 13 | Montana | 50 | $254 | 152 | 650 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 18 | |
| 14 | Vermont | 50 | $360 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 3 | 12 | 18 | |
| 15 | New Mexico | 50 | $253 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 3 | 10 | 17 | |
| 16 | West Virginia | 50 | $159 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 3 | 12 | 18 | |
| 17 | Mississippi | 50 | $233 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 18 | |
| 18 | South Dakota | 50 | $80 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 3 | 12 | 18 | |
| 19 | Minnesota | 50 | $285 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 3 | 12 | 0 | |
| 20 | Delaware | 50 | $263 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 21 | Arizona | 50 | $247 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 22 | D C | 50 | $230 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 17 | |
| 23 | North Dakota | 50 | $205 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 3 | 12 | 0 | |
| 24 | Idaho | 50 | $186 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 17 | |
| 25 | New Jersey | 50 | $119 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 17 | |
| 26 | Maine | 50 | $148 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 17 | |
| 27 | California | 50 | $115 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 17 | |
| 28 | Arkansas | 50 | $125 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 29 | Rhode Island | 50 | $100 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 18 | |
| 30 | Wyoming | 50 | $123 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 31 | Maryland | 50 | $104 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 9 | 17 | |
| 32 | New Hampshire | 50 | $198 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 12 | 0 | |
| 33 | Ohio | 50 | $51 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 34 | Hawaii | 50 | $110 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 1 | 12 | 16 | |
| 35 | Oklahoma | 50 | $60 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 8 | 16 | |
| 36 | Nebraska | 50 | $78 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 1 | 12 | 17 | |
| 37 | Colorado | 50 | $177 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 16 | |
| 38 | Iowa | 50 | $118 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 1 | 12 | 0 | |
| 39 | New York | 50 | $70 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 17 | |
| 40 | Utah | 50 | $234 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 41 | Virginia | 50 | $175 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 42 | North Carolina | 50 | $168 | 140 | 600 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 43 | Oregon | 50 | $115 | 117 | 500 clock hours | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 44 | South Carolina | 50 | $175 | 105 | 450 clock hours | 2 | 10 | 16 | |
| 45 | Wisconsin | 50 | $391 | 105 | 450 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| 46 | Michigan | 50 | $200 | 93 | 400 clock hours | 2 | 9 | 17 | |
| 47 | Alaska | 50 | $450 | 82 | 350 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 48 | Pennsylvania | 50 | $110 | 70 | 300 clock hours | 1 | 10 | 16 | |
| 49 | Massachusetts | 50 | $188 | 70 | 300 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 50 | Florida | 50 | $70 | 61 | 260 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 16 |