Where is it easiest to open: Mattress Manufacturing
18 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 49-9099” (soc) for Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other. 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 | 47 | 38.2 | $53,821 | not matched | — |
| FL | 23 | 43.9 | $48,356 | not matched | — |
| TX | 22 | 58.9 | $60,263 | exam | FIRE EXTINGUISHER TECHNICIAN |
| AZ | 12 | 73.8 | $53,032 | not matched | — |
| IL | 9 | 42.6 | $60,945 | licence | FIRE EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTOR (CLASS A, B; FIRE EQUIPMENT EMPLOYEE (CLASS 1, 2, 3 |
| NC | 7 | 162.7 | $32,072 | exam | Fire Sprinkler Installation Contractor; Residential Fire Sprinkler Installatio |
| UT | 5 | 80.2 | $79,686 | not matched | — |
| OK | 4 | 54.0 | $42,551 | exam | Aboveground Storage Tank Installer; Aboveground Storage Tank Remover |
| GA | 4 | 18.8 | $33,307 | not matched | — |
| WA | 3 | 77.3 | $53,116 | not matched | — |
| CT | 3 | 115.7 | $43,219 | exam | Limited Geothermal Contractor |
| MA | 3 | 5.3 | $41,250 | not matched | — |
| MS | 3 | 48.3 | $41,883 | not matched | — |
| NJ | 3 | 2.3 | $46,571 | not matched | — |
| NY | 3 | 22.3 | $41,493 | not matched | — |
| OH | 3 | 29.7 | $87,079 | not matched | — |
| PA | 3 | 132.3 | $54,771 | not matched | — |
| AL | 3 | 31.0 | $42,978 | not matched | — |
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.