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.
Vegetation Pesticide Applicator
License required in 51 states
63rd most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
10th most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Vegetation pesticide applicators mix or apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or insecticides through sprays, dusts, vapors, soil incorporation or chemical application on trees, shrubs, lawns or botanical crops. This report looks at what is required to run one’s own vegetation pesticide business only.Licensing
All 50 states and D.C. license vegetation pesticide applicators. On average, these laws require $259 in fees, 134 days of education and experience, and three exams—the 63rd most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied here. However, because vegetation pesticide applicators are licensed everywhere, the occupation ranks as the 10th most widely and onerously licensed.
License requirements vary across states. For example, while 31 states require no education or experience, four states—Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Tennessee—require two years (730 days) of experience. Maine, New Hampshire and New York require between six and eight exams, while Alabama and Florida require only one each. Fees also vary greatly, from $0 in Mississippi to $3,000 in New York.
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 | Hawaii | 51 | $355 | 730 | 2 years | 3 | 0 | 18 | |
| 2 | Tennessee | 51 | $325 | 730 | 2 years | 3 | 0 | 18 | |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 51 | $450 | 730 | 2 years | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| 4 | Delaware | 51 | $55 | 730 | 2 years | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Florida | 51 | $760 | 533 | 24 credit hours | 1 years | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 6 | New York | 51 | $3,000 | 380 | 66 clock hours | 1 years | 8 | 0 | 17 |
| 7 | Arizona | 51 | $645 | 449 | 12 credit hours | 1 years | 4 | 0 | 18 |
| 8 | Maryland | 51 | $75 | 365 | 1 years | 4 | 0 | 18 | |
| 9 | Virginia | 51 | $120 | 365 | 1 years | 3 | 0 | 18 | |
| 10 | Texas | 51 | $678 | 379 | 28 clock hours | 1 years and 40 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | West Virginia | 51 | $90 | 365 | 1 years | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | D C | 51 | $135 | 365 | 1 years | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13 | Nevada | 51 | $450 | 294 | 16 credit hours | 6 months | 3 | 0 | 18 |
| 14 | Mississippi | 51 | $0 | 210 | 30 credit hours | 3 | 0 | 18 | |
| 15 | Colorado | 51 | $576 | 121 | 4 months | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16 | New Jersey | 51 | $230 | 29 | 4 clock hours | 120 clock hours | 4 | 0 | 18 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | 51 | $45 | 4 | 24 clock hours | 6 | 0 | 18 | |
| 18 | Arkansas | 51 | $700 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 19 | Wyoming | 51 | $25 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 16 | ||
| 20 | Kansas | 51 | $180 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 21 | Pennsylvania | 51 | $155 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 22 | New Mexico | 51 | $240 | 28 | 4 credit hours | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 23 | Connecticut | 51 | $400 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 24 | Maine | 51 | $195 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 25 | Oregon | 51 | $264 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 26 | Idaho | 51 | $90 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 27 | Michigan | 51 | $75 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 28 | North Dakota | 51 | $65 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 29 | Wisconsin | 51 | $199 | 2 | 2 days | 2 | 0 | 16 | |
| 30 | Ohio | 51 | $70 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 31 | Missouri | 51 | $150 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 32 | North Carolina | 51 | $145 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 33 | South Carolina | 51 | $100 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 34 | Louisiana | 51 | $45 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 34 | Rhode Island | 51 | $45 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 36 | Utah | 51 | $140 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | ||
| 37 | Alaska | 51 | $25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 38 | Nebraska | 51 | $90 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | ||
| 39 | Oklahoma | 51 | $200 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 40 | Illinois | 51 | $60 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 41 | Kentucky | 51 | $55 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 42 | Indiana | 51 | $90 | 3 | 16 clock hours | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 43 | Vermont | 51 | $105 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 44 | Iowa | 51 | $75 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 45 | California | 51 | $340 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 46 | Washington | 51 | $240 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 47 | Georgia | 51 | $190 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 48 | Minnesota | 51 | $75 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 49 | Montana | 51 | $55 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 50 | South Dakota | 51 | $25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 51 | Alabama | 51 | $295 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |