Tool · free, no account
Where is it easiest to open: Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
18 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 | 45 | 30.5 | $86,933 | licence | Engineer In Training (E.I.T.); General Engineering Contractor |
| MI | 20 | 22.1 | $89,537 | exam | Engineer, Licensed Professional; Stationary Engineer |
| TX | 16 | 23.3 | $83,713 | licence | ENGINEER, PROFESSIONAL; PODIATRIST |
| WI | 12 | 96.2 | $89,117 | licence | DESIGNER OF ENGINEERING SYSTEMS - HVAC; DESIGNER OF ENGINEERING SYSTEMS - Plum |
| OH | 12 | 49.8 | $103,353 | licence | Professional Engineer; Professional Engineers and Surveyors |
| PA | 11 | 16.2 | $100,056 | exam | Professional Engineer |
| IL | 11 | 48.8 | $101,838 | licence | ENGINEER, INTERN; ENGINEER, PROFESSIONAL |
| NY | 10 | 29.5 | $64,420 | exam | Professional Engineer |
| MN | 8 | 96.9 | $99,076 | licence | Engineer-In-Training; Professional Engineer |
| MO | 7 | 24.1 | $76,888 | licence | Engineer Intern; Professional Engineer |
| GA | 7 | 121.3 | $88,942 | exam | Engineer In-Training; Professional Engineer |
| OR | 6 | 4.5 | $41,704 | licence | Engineer, Licensed Professional |
| NJ | 5 | 8.8 | $67,523 | exam | ENGINEER-IN-TRAINING; PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER |
| FL | 3 | 15.3 | $52,239 | licence | Engineering Intern; Professional Engineer |
| ID | 3 | 50.3 | $62,007 | exam | Engineer; Engineer Intern |
| LA | 3 | 63.7 | $84,895 | exam | Engineer, Professional |
| UT | 3 | 10.0 | $43,167 | licence | PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER |
| WA | 3 | 24.0 | $102,528 | licence | Engineer; Mechanical Engineer |
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.