Where is it easiest to open: Office Supplies (except Paper) Manufacturing
15 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 | 39 | 17.6 | $54,684 | not matched | — |
| IL | 14 | 25.9 | $69,390 | licence | FIRE EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTOR (CLASS A, B; FIRE EQUIPMENT EMPLOYEE (CLASS 1, 2, 3 |
| PA | 12 | 70.0 | $56,181 | not matched | — |
| NY | 11 | 15.2 | $54,120 | not matched | — |
| TX | 11 | 19.8 | $33,761 | exam | FIRE EXTINGUISHER TECHNICIAN |
| AZ | 5 | 8.2 | $28,317 | not matched | — |
| FL | 5 | 154.6 | $46,030 | not matched | — |
| UT | 5 | 3.4 | $42,353 | not matched | — |
| WA | 5 | 13.8 | $69,855 | not matched | — |
| NJ | 4 | 39.8 | $52,220 | not matched | — |
| NC | 3 | 8.0 | $49,333 | exam | Fire Sprinkler Installation Contractor; Residential Fire Sprinkler Installatio |
| OR | 3 | 22.3 | $48,672 | not matched | — |
| MA | 3 | 8.7 | $67,885 | not matched | — |
| CT | 3 | 9.3 | $52,679 | exam | Limited Geothermal Contractor |
| MO | 3 | 4.3 | $33,231 | 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.