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.
Travel Agency
License required in 7 states
94th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
86th most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Travel agencies plan and sell transportation and accommodations to customers. They determine destination, modes of transportation, travel dates, costs and accommodations required. This report looks at what is required to run one’s own travel agency only.Licensing
Seven states license travel agencies that do business within their borders. All states require a fee, ranging from $15 in Iowa to $375 in California, for an average of $211. California’s fees are relatively high because the state requires agencies to pay into a consumer restitution fund. Pennsylvania also sets a minimum age of 18 years. These requirements are the 94th most burdensome of the 102 occupations studied here. Because so few states license travel agencies, the occupation ranks as the 86th 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 | Pennsylvania | 7 | $350 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 2 | California | 7 | $375 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3 | Florida | 7 | $300 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4 | Washington | 7 | $202 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 5 | Nevada | 7 | $125 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 6 | Hawaii | 7 | $110 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 7 | Iowa | 7 | $15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |