Where is it easiest to open: Hardware Manufacturing
18 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 | 43 | 50.9 | $59,406 | not matched | — |
| IL | 30 | 22.1 | $67,737 | not matched | — |
| CT | 17 | 123.9 | $86,828 | licence | Milk Examiner; Operator Of Weighing & Measuring Devic |
| NY | 15 | 61.1 | $73,276 | not matched | — |
| MI | 13 | 17.2 | $74,789 | not matched | — |
| MA | 11 | 26.6 | $62,833 | not matched | — |
| PA | 11 | 71.3 | $87,504 | not matched | — |
| FL | 10 | 40.4 | $48,869 | not matched | — |
| OH | 8 | 117.4 | $75,055 | licence | Weigher, Sampler, and Tester License |
| WA | 8 | 19.1 | $99,405 | not matched | — |
| AZ | 6 | 6.5 | $54,256 | not matched | — |
| WI | 6 | 87.5 | $54,910 | not matched | — |
| IN | 4 | 63.2 | $49,360 | not matched | — |
| NV | 4 | 18.5 | $39,770 | not matched | — |
| OR | 3 | 6.0 | $55,278 | not matched | — |
| MN | 3 | 163.0 | $46,476 | licence | Bulk Milk Hauler & Sampler License |
| TX | 3 | 34.7 | $41,000 | not matched | — |
| UT | 3 | 21.7 | $49,938 | 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.