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.
Taxi Driver/Chauffeur
License required in 16 states
69th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
76th most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs drive automobiles, vans or limousines to transport passengers and may occasionally carry cargo.Licensing
Sixteen states require a special driver’s license for taxi drivers or chauffeurs.1 On average, these laws cost aspiring taxi drivers and chauffeurs $47 in fees and 148 days in education and experience—the 69th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied here. Also, because relatively few states license taxi drivers and chauffeurs, the occupation ranks as the 76th most widely and onerously licensed.
License requirements vary greatly across states. For example, Tennessee requires two years (730 days) of driving experience, but nine states require no education or experience. Similarly, seven states require an exam, while nine do not. And while 14 states have an age requirement (D.C. and Maryland do not), it varies from 17 to 21 years. Fees range from $3 in Delaware to $275 in D.C.2
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 | Tennessee | 16 | $5 | 730 | 2 years | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 2 | D C | 16 | $275 | 365 | 1 years | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Indiana | 16 | $19 | 365 | 1 years | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 16 | $23 | 365 | 1 years | 0 | 0 | 21 | |
| 5 | Delaware | 16 | $3 | 366 | 6 clock hours | 1 years | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 6 | Maryland | 16 | $53 | 182 | 6 months | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Washington | 16 | $118 | 3 | 3 days | 1 | 0 | 21 | |
| 8 | Utah | 16 | $25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 9 | Louisiana | 16 | $55 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | ||
| 10 | Michigan | 16 | $35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 11 | New Jersey | 16 | $51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
| 12 | Iowa | 16 | $40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 13 | Missouri | 16 | $18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 14 | Georgia | 16 | $15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 15 | Connecticut | 16 | $12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 16 | New York | 16 | $0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |