Where is it easiest to open: Support Activities for Coal Mining
7 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 47-1011” (soc) for First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WV | 24 | 46.4 | $98,783 | not matched | — |
| PA | 19 | 17.5 | $87,572 | licence | Asbestos Supervisor |
| KY | 15 | 57.4 | $76,129 | exam | Assistant Mine Foreman; Certified Surface Miner |
| VA | 9 | 34.9 | $73,424 | not matched | — |
| OH | 3 | 2.0 | $33,500 | not matched | — |
| AL | 3 | 16.3 | $108,714 | not matched | — |
| TX | 3 | 1.3 | $78,000 | not matched | — |
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.