Tool · free, no account
Where is it easiest to open: Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing
11 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 | 28 | 31.1 | $70,752 | licence | Engineer In Training (E.I.T.); General Engineering Contractor |
| TX | 9 | 16.9 | $75,059 | licence | ENGINEER, PROFESSIONAL; PODIATRIST |
| PA | 7 | 59.4 | $63,863 | exam | Professional Engineer |
| OK | 5 | 47.6 | $83,941 | licence | Engineer Intern |
| IL | 5 | 26.6 | $80,241 | licence | ENGINEER, INTERN; ENGINEER, PROFESSIONAL |
| MA | 5 | 39.8 | $61,266 | exam | ENGINEER-IN-TRAINING; ENGINEER, PROFESSIONAL |
| UT | 4 | 23.5 | $89,351 | licence | PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER |
| OH | 4 | 47.5 | $79,489 | licence | Professional Engineer; Professional Engineers and Surveyors |
| IN | 3 | 9.3 | $37,536 | exam | Engineer Intern; Professional Engineer |
| CT | 3 | 103.3 | $107,552 | exam | Engineer-in-training; Professional Engineer |
| AZ | 3 | 76.7 | $105,174 | licence | Engineer/Mechanical |
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.