Where is it easiest to open: Masonry Contractors
51 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY | 1,525 | 6.6 | $76,581 | not matched | — |
| FL | 1,392 | 7.1 | $45,142 | exam | Certified Solar Contractor; Certified Utility & Excavation Contrac |
| CA | 1,281 | 11.0 | $58,718 | licence | Pile Driving/Pressure Foundation Jacki; Solar Contractor |
| PA | 1,036 | 6.1 | $64,705 | licence | Asbestos Supervisor |
| TX | 820 | 14.5 | $57,174 | not matched | — |
| IL | 814 | 5.0 | $89,917 | licence | FOREMAN; GENERAL SURFACE SUPERVISOR |
| NJ | 712 | 5.7 | $57,314 | not matched | — |
| OH | 647 | 5.8 | $67,170 | not matched | — |
| MA | 627 | 5.5 | $89,613 | not matched | — |
| NC | 620 | 7.5 | $54,323 | licence | Mining |
| MI | 524 | 7.0 | $73,897 | not matched | — |
| VA | 501 | 8.1 | $55,545 | not matched | — |
| MN | 461 | 5.2 | $93,443 | not matched | — |
| CO | 404 | 8.0 | $63,357 | not matched | — |
| WI | 377 | 5.7 | $69,084 | licence | UTILITY CONTRACTOR |
| MO | 356 | 8.9 | $58,084 | not matched | — |
| MD | 339 | 13.7 | $62,728 | not matched | — |
| IN | 339 | 7.2 | $58,002 | not matched | — |
| UT | 338 | 9.4 | $49,966 | not matched | — |
| WA | 335 | 6.5 | $76,155 | licence | Mining Engineer |
| AZ | 334 | 14.9 | $54,643 | not matched | — |
| GA | 313 | 4.9 | $67,672 | exam | Utility Contractor; Utility Foreman |
| CT | 289 | 4.4 | $80,802 | exam | Electrical Limited Solar Contractor; Electrical Limited Solar Journeyperson |
| OR | 227 | 6.1 | $58,975 | licence | Apprentice Plumber (Speciality), Solar |
| ID | 206 | 4.9 | $46,597 | not matched | — |
| SC | 193 | 5.7 | $51,590 | not matched | — |
| TN | 189 | 14.0 | $59,188 | not matched | — |
| KS | 155 | 8.5 | $50,566 | not matched | — |
| KY | 143 | 6.7 | $51,344 | exam | Assistant Mine Foreman; Certified Surface Miner |
| ME | 138 | 4.0 | $57,272 | not matched | — |
| IA | 122 | 7.7 | $64,036 | not matched | — |
| OK | 122 | 6.1 | $56,201 | licence | Mine Fire Boss (Underground); Mine Foreman (Underground) |
| NV | 118 | 34.4 | $48,951 | not matched | — |
| RI | 113 | 4.4 | $73,024 | not matched | — |
| AL | 104 | 15.7 | $61,810 | not matched | — |
| NE | 103 | 6.5 | $64,272 | licence | Mining & Mineral Engineer |
| NH | 99 | 5.5 | $62,662 | not matched | — |
| MT | 97 | 5.3 | $58,578 | licence | Surface Coal Mining Blasters |
| VT | 84 | 3.1 | $56,140 | exam | Asbestos Supervisor; Contractor, Residential |
| AR | 82 | 7.8 | $50,413 | not matched | — |
| LA | 81 | 7.8 | $59,057 | not matched | — |
| NM | 74 | 12.3 | $39,625 | not matched | — |
| DE | 63 | 7.5 | $62,461 | not matched | — |
| HI | 57 | 7.1 | $60,649 | not matched | — |
| WV | 46 | 4.9 | $47,338 | not matched | — |
| WY | 45 | 5.0 | $56,665 | not matched | — |
| SD | 40 | 6.6 | $62,408 | not matched | — |
| ND | 33 | 5.1 | $54,018 | not matched | — |
| AK | 20 | 1.6 | $76,281 | licence | Engineer- Chemical, Civil, Electrical, |
| MS | 19 | 5.3 | $38,480 | not matched | — |
| DC | 7 | 15.4 | $61,185 | 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.