Where is it easiest to open: Footwear Manufacturing
8 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 51-6042” (soc) for Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders. 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 | 19 | 11.2 | $81,396 | not matched | — |
| TX | 12 | 77.6 | $37,569 | not matched | — |
| NY | 7 | 2.4 | $48,529 | not matched | — |
| FL | 5 | 3.0 | $61,267 | not matched | — |
| OR | 4 | 61.2 | $77,257 | not matched | — |
| MA | 3 | 123.7 | $59,776 | not matched | — |
| ME | 3 | 30.7 | $38,620 | not matched | — |
| WA | 3 | 57.7 | $46,503 | 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.