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.
Wildlife Control Operator
License required in 23 states
88th most burdensome licensing requirements among moderate-income occupations
74th most heavily regulated occupation among moderate-income occupations
What They Do
Wildlife control operators take or trap, transport, and release wildlife when it becomes a nuisance, destroys property or threatens public safety.[c]Adapted from http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/28635.html[/c]Licensing
Twenty-three states require a license to work as a wildlife control operator. On average, these laws require $68 in fees and about one exam—the 88th most burdensome requirements of the 102 occupations studied here. Because about half of states license wildlife control operators, the occupation ranks as the 74th most widely and onerously licensed.
While most states (19) require one written exam, Iowa requires two: a written exam and an in-person interview with a representative of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Alaska, Nevada and New Hampshire require no exams. Additionally, while 15 states require no education or experience, eight require anywhere from one to 16 hours of education. Fees range from $0 in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas and Virginia to $250 in Connecticut and Nevada.
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 | Oklahoma | 23 | $75 | 3 | 16 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 2 | Washington | 23 | $50 | 2 | 10 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 3 | Louisiana | 23 | $40 | 2 | 10 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 4 | Connecticut | 23 | $250 | 1 | 8.5 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Kansas | 23 | $0 | 1 | 8 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 16 | |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 23 | $136 | 1 | 1 days | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 23 | $101 | 1 | 6 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | D C | 23 | $50 | 0 | 1 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
| 9 | Iowa | 23 | $25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 10 | Kentucky | 23 | $100 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 11 | West Virginia | 23 | $50 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 12 | Georgia | 23 | $35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 13 | Rhode Island | 23 | $10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 14 | Illinois | 23 | $0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 15 | Nevada | 23 | $250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 16 | Oregon | 23 | $85 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 17 | Pennsylvania | 23 | $75 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 18 | Alaska | 23 | $100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 19 | Maryland | 23 | $50 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 19 | New York | 23 | $50 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 21 | Ohio | 23 | $40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 22 | Indiana | 23 | $0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 22 | Virginia | 23 | $0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |