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Where is it easiest to open: Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing
26 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 17-2141” (soc) for Mechanical Engineers. 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 | 78 | 36.4 | $67,753 | licence | Engineer In Training (E.I.T.); General Engineering Contractor |
| IA | 39 | 204.5 | $94,373 | not matched | — |
| PA | 37 | 39.5 | $72,606 | exam | Professional Engineer |
| NE | 27 | 64.6 | $83,221 | licence | Engineer, Professional; Mechanical Engineer |
| MN | 22 | 43.1 | $71,013 | licence | Engineer-In-Training; Professional Engineer |
| KS | 20 | 152.5 | $63,843 | exam | Professional Engineer |
| TX | 19 | 16.9 | $47,502 | licence | ENGINEER, PROFESSIONAL; PODIATRIST |
| FL | 17 | 11.8 | $72,955 | licence | Engineering Intern; Professional Engineer |
| SD | 15 | 35.5 | $61,923 | licence | Engineer, Professional |
| WA | 14 | 19.2 | $56,152 | licence | Engineer; Mechanical Engineer |
| IL | 14 | 362.1 | $87,911 | licence | ENGINEER, INTERN; ENGINEER, PROFESSIONAL |
| OR | 13 | 38.6 | $64,926 | licence | Engineer, Licensed Professional |
| WI | 11 | 279.5 | $92,511 | licence | DESIGNER OF ENGINEERING SYSTEMS - HVAC; DESIGNER OF ENGINEERING SYSTEMS - Plum |
| MI | 11 | 19.8 | $52,651 | exam | Engineer, Licensed Professional; Stationary Engineer |
| ID | 10 | 28.1 | $59,491 | exam | Engineer; Engineer Intern |
| NY | 8 | 52.9 | $67,712 | exam | Professional Engineer |
| ND | 8 | 178.8 | $91,707 | exam | Engineers |
| OH | 7 | 108.0 | $109,021 | licence | Professional Engineer; Professional Engineers and Surveyors |
| IN | 6 | 57.5 | $70,310 | exam | Engineer Intern; Professional Engineer |
| AZ | 5 | 12.8 | $100,750 | licence | Engineer/Mechanical |
| GA | 4 | 52.5 | $68,519 | exam | Engineer In-Training; Professional Engineer |
| CO | 4 | 41.2 | $66,661 | exam | Engineer Intern; Professional Engineer |
| OK | 3 | 8.3 | $46,400 | licence | Engineer Intern |
| TN | 3 | 22.0 | $46,939 | exam | ENGINEER INTERNS; PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER |
| AR | 3 | 21.3 | $44,797 | exam | Engineer Intern; Professional Engineer |
| NM | 3 | 11.0 | $38,939 | exam | Engineering Intern Certification; Professional Engineers |
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.