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.
Slot Supervisor
License required in 28 states
82nd most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
62nd most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Slot supervisors or slot key persons supervise and coordinate activities of slot machine workers to provide service to patrons, handle and settle players’ complaints, and verify and report payoff jackpots. This report looks at the requirements for supervisors or key employees only, not those for the slot machine technicians working under them.Licensing
Twenty-eight states require a license to work as a slot supervisor. On average, these laws require a fee of $467. In addition, about two-thirds of states (19) set a minimum age of either 18 or 21. These requirements make the slot supervisor occupation the 82nd most burdensome of the 102 occupations studied here. However, because slot supervisors are licensed by over half of states, the occupation ranks as the 62nd most widely and onerously licensed.
License fees vary greatly across states, from $0 in Connecticut to $3,150 in California. Nine states have fees totaling $500 or more (five states have fees totaling $1,000 or more). Fees are so high because some states—including California, Colorado and Massachusetts—require large initial deposits ($2,400, $1,000 and $1,000, respectively) for background checks. After completing the background check, the state returns anything remaining of the deposit.
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 | California | 28 | $3,150 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 2 | Colorado | 28 | $1,275 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 3 | Illinois | 28 | $1,050 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 4 | Missouri | 28 | $1,100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 5 | Massachusetts | 28 | $1,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 6 | Michigan | 28 | $750 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 7 | Ohio | 28 | $500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 8 | Louisiana | 28 | $200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 28 | $350 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 10 | South Dakota | 28 | $111 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 11 | Indiana | 28 | $100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 11 | West Virginia | 28 | $100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 13 | Florida | 28 | $89 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 14 | Arkansas | 28 | $75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 14 | Mississippi | 28 | $75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 14 | Nevada | 28 | $75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 14 | New Mexico | 28 | $75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 18 | Arizona | 28 | $250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 19 | Iowa | 28 | $68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 20 | New Jersey | 28 | $750 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 21 | Delaware | 28 | $569 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 22 | Maryland | 28 | $437 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 23 | Rhode Island | 28 | $300 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 24 | Maine | 28 | $299 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 25 | Oklahoma | 28 | $166 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 26 | New York | 28 | $105 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 27 | Kansas | 28 | $60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 28 | Connecticut | 28 | $0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |