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Where is it easiest to open: Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TX | 19 | 92.8 | $106,152 | licence | ENGINEER, PROFESSIONAL; PODIATRIST |
| CA | 16 | 22.2 | $74,983 | licence | Engineer In Training (E.I.T.); General Engineering Contractor |
| IN | 10 | 89.4 | $86,028 | exam | Engineer Intern; Professional Engineer |
| IL | 6 | 35.3 | $69,547 | licence | ENGINEER, INTERN; ENGINEER, PROFESSIONAL |
| OK | 3 | 153.0 | $104,349 | licence | Engineer Intern |
| WI | 3 | 33.3 | $85,570 | licence | DESIGNER OF ENGINEERING SYSTEMS - HVAC; DESIGNER OF ENGINEERING SYSTEMS - Plum |
| NJ | 3 | 33.7 | $84,554 | exam | ENGINEER-IN-TRAINING; PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER |
| NY | 3 | 91.7 | $93,182 | exam | Professional Engineer |
| OH | 3 | 51.3 | $69,883 | licence | Professional Engineer; Professional Engineers and Surveyors |
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.