Where is it easiest to open: Sign Manufacturing
50 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 | 599 | 9.8 | $62,602 | not matched | — |
| TX | 534 | 12.2 | $54,769 | exam | FIRE EXTINGUISHER TECHNICIAN |
| FL | 449 | 8.3 | $53,743 | not matched | — |
| NY | 286 | 7.9 | $62,899 | not matched | — |
| IL | 196 | 19.4 | $55,968 | licence | FIRE EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTOR (CLASS A, B; FIRE EQUIPMENT EMPLOYEE (CLASS 1, 2, 3 |
| PA | 189 | 16.8 | $67,549 | not matched | — |
| OH | 180 | 19.4 | $60,626 | not matched | — |
| GA | 169 | 14.5 | $63,391 | not matched | — |
| NC | 148 | 12.7 | $52,351 | exam | Fire Sprinkler Installation Contractor; Residential Fire Sprinkler Installatio |
| MI | 146 | 12.0 | $60,957 | not matched | — |
| NJ | 144 | 15.0 | $65,475 | not matched | — |
| WA | 129 | 10.3 | $58,885 | not matched | — |
| CO | 118 | 11.3 | $61,808 | not matched | — |
| AZ | 109 | 11.5 | $64,882 | not matched | — |
| MA | 99 | 13.8 | $65,179 | not matched | — |
| IN | 93 | 12.4 | $57,628 | not matched | — |
| MO | 90 | 11.9 | $53,132 | not matched | — |
| WI | 90 | 21.7 | $71,904 | exam | ABOVEGROUND TANK SYSTEM INSTALLER; AUTOMATIC FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEM APPREN |
| OR | 85 | 13.7 | $52,373 | not matched | — |
| SC | 84 | 14.7 | $52,518 | not matched | — |
| VA | 84 | 17.5 | $68,396 | not matched | — |
| TN | 82 | 12.1 | $56,172 | exam | FIRE EXTINGUISHER SPECIALIST; FIRE EXTINGUISHER TECHNICIAN |
| MN | 78 | 15.8 | $61,860 | licence | Lake Service Provider (LSP); Placing in Service Permit |
| NV | 72 | 16.5 | $64,286 | not matched | — |
| CT | 70 | 8.2 | $57,370 | exam | Limited Geothermal Contractor |
| UT | 70 | 25.1 | $65,816 | not matched | — |
| AL | 66 | 15.2 | $53,381 | not matched | — |
| MD | 66 | 14.5 | $62,490 | not matched | — |
| LA | 48 | 11.7 | $41,873 | exam | Fire Extinguisher Contractor/ Technici |
| OK | 41 | 9.6 | $52,557 | exam | Aboveground Storage Tank Installer; Aboveground Storage Tank Remover |
| KY | 37 | 10.6 | $58,529 | licence | Kentucky Fire Prevention Contractor - ; Kentucky Fire Prevention Contractor - |
| KS | 36 | 16.3 | $52,625 | not matched | — |
| ID | 28 | 17.2 | $56,004 | not matched | — |
| NH | 27 | 5.3 | $64,951 | not matched | — |
| IA | 26 | 12.5 | $55,391 | not matched | — |
| AR | 24 | 13.2 | $47,006 | exam | Portable Fire Extinguisher Technician; Portable/Fixed Apprentice Permits |
| NE | 24 | 12.8 | $48,404 | not matched | — |
| MT | 23 | 4.9 | $55,796 | not matched | — |
| NM | 20 | 8.8 | $51,574 | not matched | — |
| ME | 20 | 9.7 | $52,211 | not matched | — |
| MS | 16 | 13.2 | $55,161 | not matched | — |
| HI | 16 | 4.6 | $54,630 | not matched | — |
| RI | 15 | 18.7 | $73,096 | licence | Fire Extinguisher Installer/Servicer |
| SD | 15 | 59.6 | $54,158 | not matched | — |
| DE | 12 | 6.3 | $63,592 | not matched | — |
| AK | 12 | 7.8 | $49,613 | not matched | — |
| ND | 11 | 13.5 | $57,463 | not matched | — |
| WY | 6 | 4.7 | $41,679 | not matched | — |
| VT | 3 | 5.0 | $42,467 | exam | Chemical Suppression Systems; Fire Sprinkler Installer, Domestic |
| WV | 3 | 9.0 | $48,889 | 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.