Where is it easiest to open: Ship Building and Repairing
19 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 17-2121” (soc) for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FL | 49 | 73.6 | $68,387 | licence | Engineering Intern; Professional Engineer |
| LA | 48 | 74.6 | $65,286 | exam | Engineer, Professional |
| VA | 39 | 741.0 | $79,444 | not matched | — |
| CA | 37 | 229.9 | $70,856 | licence | Engineer In Training (E.I.T.); General Engineering Contractor |
| WA | 36 | 52.9 | $82,039 | licence | Engineer; Ship Design Engineer |
| TX | 35 | 48.1 | $73,958 | licence | ENGINEER, PROFESSIONAL |
| AL | 24 | 169.3 | $65,939 | exam | Licensed Professional Engineer |
| MA | 12 | 23.8 | $76,332 | exam | ENGINEER-IN-TRAINING; ENGINEER, PROFESSIONAL |
| ME | 10 | 12.1 | $61,174 | exam | Engineer, Professional (All Discipline |
| HI | 8 | 63.0 | $83,423 | exam | Engineer |
| OR | 7 | 160.4 | $93,460 | licence | Engineer, Licensed Professional |
| MS | 5 | 2584.0 | $71,278 | exam | Engineer Intern; Professional Engineer |
| AK | 5 | 10.8 | $50,130 | not matched | — |
| MD | 4 | 34.2 | $77,307 | licence | ENGINEER IN TRAINING; PE FIRM CORPORATION |
| SC | 4 | 93.8 | $99,256 | licence | Engineer Construction Manager; Engineering and Land Surveying |
| NJ | 3 | 491.0 | $66,758 | exam | ENGINEER-IN-TRAINING; PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER |
| PA | 3 | 22.3 | $75,806 | exam | Professional Engineer |
| NY | 3 | 17.3 | $70,538 | exam | Professional Engineer |
| RI | 3 | 46.3 | $68,683 | exam | Engineer, Professional |
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.