Where is it easiest to open: Pottery, Ceramics, and Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
20 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 53-3032” (soc) for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers. 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 | 56 | 12.4 | $56,030 | licence | Commercial Driver License |
| TX | 22 | 11.2 | $50,134 | exam | TOW TRUCK OPERATOR |
| NC | 17 | 12.8 | $56,899 | exam | Classified Drivers License (Non-commer; Commercial Driver License (Class A, B |
| PA | 16 | 13.6 | $61,447 | not matched | — |
| OR | 11 | 3.3 | $27,278 | licence | Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Truck Eq; School Bus Driver Certificate |
| OH | 11 | 8.2 | $38,478 | exam | Commercial Drivers License (CDL) |
| FL | 11 | 3.5 | $54,949 | exam | Teaching Driver Education |
| NY | 10 | 8.2 | $103,427 | exam | Bus Driver; Certified Examiner - Bus Driver |
| AZ | 9 | 15.1 | $40,537 | licence | Commercial Driver (CDL) |
| UT | 9 | 2.9 | $85,269 | licence | DRIVER - HEAVY TRUCK & TRACTOR TRAILER |
| NM | 8 | 4.9 | $47,641 | exam | Commercial Vehicle Drivers License |
| CO | 7 | 147.7 | $82,364 | exam | Commercial Drivers License (CDL) |
| MN | 7 | 21.4 | $47,127 | licence | Commercial Driver's License (CDL); Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Haza |
| MA | 7 | 43.4 | $68,536 | exam | BUS DRIVER; COMMERCIAL DRIVERS |
| MD | 7 | 4.6 | $30,000 | licence | BUS DRIVER, SCHOOL; BUS DRIVER, TRANSIT AND INTERCITY |
| TN | 4 | 11.8 | $32,553 | exam | COMMERCIAL DRIVER |
| VT | 4 | 5.2 | $32,048 | exam | Commercial Driver |
| WA | 3 | 8.7 | $25,692 | exam | Commercial Driver |
| ME | 3 | 3.3 | $30,200 | exam | Commercial Drivers License (CDL); Driver Education Instructor, School |
| NJ | 3 | 0.3 | $256,000 | exam | BUS DRIVER; HARNESS RACE DRIVER |
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.