Where is it easiest to open: Secondary Smelting, Refining, and Alloying of Nonferrous Metal (except Copper and Aluminum)
9 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 | 7 | 52.9 | $88,116 | not matched | — |
| TX | 6 | 41.0 | $85,593 | not matched | — |
| RI | 6 | 22.8 | $86,394 | not matched | — |
| MA | 5 | 43.0 | $89,502 | not matched | — |
| NY | 4 | 15.8 | $51,730 | not matched | — |
| IL | 4 | 50.2 | $93,866 | not matched | — |
| AZ | 4 | 9.5 | $90,763 | not matched | — |
| PA | 4 | 46.2 | $74,978 | not matched | — |
| OH | 3 | 17.7 | $71,717 | licence | Weigher, Sampler, and Tester License |
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.