Where is it easiest to open: Fruit and Vegetable Canning
26 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 51-9061” (soc) for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 93 | 72.6 | $75,408 | not matched | — |
| OR | 36 | 22.4 | $44,524 | not matched | — |
| TX | 32 | 37.7 | $53,770 | not matched | — |
| NY | 27 | 53.2 | $56,156 | not matched | — |
| FL | 24 | 106.0 | $72,867 | not matched | — |
| WI | 22 | 97.2 | $63,974 | not matched | — |
| PA | 17 | 69.5 | $46,029 | not matched | — |
| MI | 16 | 41.3 | $59,384 | not matched | — |
| WA | 14 | 105.0 | $64,425 | not matched | — |
| OH | 11 | 47.6 | $61,017 | licence | Weigher, Sampler, and Tester License |
| NJ | 9 | 78.2 | $55,439 | not matched | — |
| HI | 8 | 11.9 | $52,442 | not matched | — |
| NM | 7 | 15.4 | $49,222 | not matched | — |
| CO | 6 | 39.2 | $60,791 | exam | Certified Weigher's License; Egg Seller |
| IL | 6 | 127.5 | $80,030 | not matched | — |
| AZ | 6 | 26.2 | $51,363 | not matched | — |
| NV | 5 | 6.4 | $32,781 | not matched | — |
| NC | 4 | 33.2 | $73,135 | exam | Antifreeze Registration; Livestock Market |
| GA | 3 | 7.3 | $32,909 | not matched | — |
| KY | 3 | 65.7 | $94,147 | not matched | — |
| MO | 3 | 16.0 | $34,958 | not matched | — |
| LA | 3 | 16.3 | $3,408 | exam | Measurer- Sampler, Dairy Products |
| NE | 3 | 0.3 | $39,000 | not matched | — |
| RI | 3 | 16.3 | $35,143 | not matched | — |
| UT | 3 | 11.3 | $46,382 | not matched | — |
| VT | 3 | 8.7 | $26,462 | licence | Weights and Measures Dealer/Repairer |
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.