Where is it easiest to open: Blind and Shade Manufacturing
10 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 | 33.3 | $63,443 | not matched | — |
| FL | 42 | 27.1 | $40,051 | not matched | — |
| TX | 25 | 35.9 | $46,017 | exam | FIRE EXTINGUISHER TECHNICIAN |
| IL | 11 | 5.2 | $66,632 | licence | FIRE EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTOR (CLASS A, B; FIRE EQUIPMENT EMPLOYEE (CLASS 1, 2, 3 |
| NY | 11 | 18.5 | $85,941 | not matched | — |
| IN | 7 | 28.4 | $43,276 | not matched | — |
| GA | 5 | 20.0 | $60,960 | not matched | — |
| AZ | 4 | 20.0 | $26,912 | not matched | — |
| DE | 3 | 6.0 | $50,500 | not matched | — |
| CO | 3 | 25.3 | $58,197 | 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.