Where is it easiest to open: Siding Contractors
50 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WA | 616 | 4.9 | $65,389 | licence | Mining Engineer |
| FL | 610 | 4.2 | $50,354 | exam | Certified Solar Contractor; Certified Utility & Excavation Contrac |
| NY | 448 | 3.5 | $55,556 | not matched | — |
| IL | 441 | 3.6 | $64,500 | licence | FOREMAN; GENERAL SURFACE SUPERVISOR |
| MN | 399 | 3.8 | $69,024 | not matched | — |
| NC | 341 | 4.1 | $53,036 | licence | Mining |
| WI | 315 | 4.9 | $58,014 | licence | UTILITY CONTRACTOR |
| CA | 292 | 8.2 | $61,451 | licence | Pile Driving/Pressure Foundation Jacki; Solar Contractor |
| PA | 267 | 5.2 | $62,771 | licence | Asbestos Supervisor |
| NJ | 257 | 3.4 | $58,868 | not matched | — |
| OR | 246 | 7.5 | $63,640 | licence | Apprentice Plumber (Speciality), Solar |
| TX | 240 | 6.7 | $70,321 | not matched | — |
| VA | 231 | 4.3 | $58,892 | not matched | — |
| MA | 228 | 3.1 | $63,113 | not matched | — |
| OH | 225 | 4.5 | $61,057 | not matched | — |
| ID | 223 | 4.4 | $42,964 | not matched | — |
| MI | 214 | 5.9 | $71,233 | not matched | — |
| MO | 211 | 4.9 | $57,885 | not matched | — |
| CO | 187 | 3.7 | $60,747 | not matched | — |
| UT | 177 | 7.8 | $48,730 | not matched | — |
| GA | 177 | 6.1 | $69,711 | exam | Utility Contractor; Utility Foreman |
| IN | 141 | 3.9 | $50,313 | not matched | — |
| NE | 136 | 3.3 | $48,298 | licence | Mining & Mineral Engineer |
| SC | 135 | 5.3 | $55,124 | not matched | — |
| TN | 118 | 5.6 | $67,700 | not matched | — |
| IA | 111 | 3.8 | $65,297 | not matched | — |
| MT | 101 | 2.8 | $51,371 | licence | Surface Coal Mining Blasters |
| MD | 101 | 4.0 | $64,240 | not matched | — |
| KS | 71 | 4.4 | $56,205 | not matched | — |
| AL | 70 | 4.1 | $65,249 | not matched | — |
| CT | 63 | 4.3 | $75,266 | exam | Electrical Limited Solar Contractor; Electrical Limited Solar Journeyperson |
| AR | 62 | 3.5 | $57,553 | not matched | — |
| OK | 57 | 4.3 | $66,032 | licence | Mine Fire Boss (Underground); Mine Foreman (Underground) |
| SD | 57 | 3.6 | $57,415 | not matched | — |
| LA | 57 | 3.3 | $47,011 | not matched | — |
| NH | 56 | 3.9 | $56,579 | not matched | — |
| KY | 55 | 5.7 | $57,631 | exam | Assistant Mine Foreman; Certified Surface Miner |
| ND | 53 | 6.2 | $65,620 | not matched | — |
| RI | 39 | 3.6 | $68,899 | not matched | — |
| DE | 35 | 3.2 | $56,814 | not matched | — |
| ME | 27 | 3.4 | $65,088 | not matched | — |
| AK | 24 | 4.0 | $75,389 | licence | Engineer- Chemical, Civil, Electrical, |
| AZ | 23 | 7.8 | $65,428 | not matched | — |
| WY | 19 | 8.7 | $51,078 | not matched | — |
| NV | 17 | 35.6 | $21,055 | not matched | — |
| VT | 15 | 2.3 | $96,088 | exam | Asbestos Supervisor; Contractor, Residential |
| MS | 13 | 3.3 | $40,488 | not matched | — |
| WV | 12 | 5.2 | $37,242 | not matched | — |
| HI | 9 | 6.3 | $94,965 | not matched | — |
| NM | 5 | 11.0 | $33,345 | 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.