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Where is it easiest to open: Crude Petroleum Extraction
26 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 17-2171” (soc) for Petroleum Engineers. A blank gate means NO RECORD MATCHED, which is not the same as no licence.
| State | Operators | Avg staff | Pay / employee | Gate | Licence titles matched |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TX | 1,418 | 21.7 | $232,287 | licence | ENGINEER, PROFESSIONAL; PODIATRIST |
| OK | 599 | 11.4 | $214,711 | licence | Engineer Intern |
| KS | 228 | 4.1 | $73,210 | exam | Professional Engineer |
| LA | 173 | 19.0 | $145,218 | exam | Engineer, Professional |
| CO | 170 | 21.6 | $227,996 | exam | Engineer Intern; Professional Engineer |
| IL | 99 | 3.7 | $54,804 | licence | ENGINEER, INTERN; ENGINEER, PROFESSIONAL |
| CA | 96 | 41.6 | $171,494 | licence | Engineer In Training (E.I.T.); General Engineering Contractor |
| NM | 83 | 32.8 | $152,554 | exam | Engineering Intern Certification; Professional Engineers |
| WY | 72 | 7.8 | $157,504 | exam | ENGINEER |
| OH | 62 | 4.3 | $56,993 | licence | Professional Engineer; Professional Engineers and Surveyors |
| ND | 48 | 35.4 | $183,722 | exam | Engineers |
| WV | 44 | 5.1 | $85,116 | not matched | — |
| MT | 43 | 7.1 | $142,010 | licence | Prof Eng Prof Land Surveyors - Enginee; Prof Eng Prof Land Surveyors - Enginee |
| PA | 42 | 14.0 | $115,182 | exam | Professional Engineer |
| AR | 39 | 3.6 | $65,942 | exam | Engineer Intern; Professional Engineer |
| MS | 34 | 8.2 | $110,393 | exam | Engineer Intern; Professional Engineer |
| UT | 22 | 16.0 | $196,184 | licence | PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER |
| MI | 20 | 8.6 | $97,000 | exam | Engineer, Licensed Professional; Stationary Engineer |
| AK | 17 | 89.9 | $243,387 | licence | Engineer- Chemical, Civil, Electrical, |
| KY | 13 | 4.5 | $57,241 | exam | Hoist Engineer; Professional Engineer |
| NY | 13 | 8.3 | $115,259 | exam | Professional Engineer |
| IN | 12 | 4.5 | $73,519 | exam | Engineer Intern; Professional Engineer |
| NV | 9 | 4.8 | $101,581 | not matched | — |
| AL | 8 | 3.8 | $176,033 | exam | Licensed Professional Engineer |
| AZ | 3 | 1.0 | $26,667 | licence | Engineer/Petroleum |
| NE | 3 | 5.3 | $93,938 | licence | Engineer, Professional; Petroleum Engineer |
Axes are shown side by side and deliberately NOT collapsed into a ranking. A composite would be a score with no measured interval, and an unmeasured score is the thing this product exists to argue against. A high licence gate is a cost to enter and a moat once cleared — which of those matters more is the operator's call, not ours.
Licence data courtesy of CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. Free to read, no account, always — a condition of the data licence as well as our own position.