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.
Taxidermist
License required in 28 states
100th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
69th most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Taxidermists prepare, stuff and mount skins of animals in lifelike form.[c]Adapted from https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/training/find-licenses.aspx?keyword=27-1012.00&direct=0&ajax=occ&location=99&licenseid=17-232&detail=true&ES=Y&detail=true[/c]Licensing
Twenty-eight states require taxidermists to have a license. Every state charges a fee—ranging from $12 in Mississippi and North Carolina to $250 in Washington ($78 on average)—and none requires any education or experience. Only two states require any exams: Maine requires two, while Maryland requires one. The average requirements for taxidermist are the 100th most burdensome of the 102 occupations studied here. However, because more than half of states license taxidermists, the occupation ranks as the 69th 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 | Maine | 28 | $177 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2 | Washington | 28 | $250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3 | Maryland | 28 | $50 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4 | Alaska | 28 | $200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 5 | Arizona | 28 | $150 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 5 | Georgia | 28 | $150 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 5 | Kentucky | 28 | $150 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 8 | Tennessee | 28 | $122 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 9 | Connecticut | 28 | $105 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 10 | Oregon | 28 | $104 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 11 | Michigan | 28 | $100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 11 | Pennsylvania | 28 | $100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 13 | Wyoming | 28 | $67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 14 | Montana | 28 | $50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 14 | New Hampshire | 28 | $50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 14 | Wisconsin | 28 | $50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 17 | Minnesota | 28 | $44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 17 | Nevada | 28 | $44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 19 | Idaho | 28 | $40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 19 | Virginia | 28 | $40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 21 | Missouri | 28 | $30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 22 | Illinois | 28 | $26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 23 | North Dakota | 28 | $25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 24 | Iowa | 28 | $18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 25 | Indiana | 28 | $15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 25 | South Dakota | 28 | $15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 27 | Mississippi | 28 | $12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 28 | North Carolina | 28 | $12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |