Where is it easiest to open: Used Car Dealers
50 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 49-3023” (soc) for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TX | 2,472 | 7.0 | $56,701 | not matched | — |
| FL | 2,104 | 5.1 | $55,947 | not matched | — |
| CA | 1,536 | 8.0 | $59,679 | not matched | — |
| NC | 1,109 | 6.2 | $53,754 | licence | Motor Club; Motor Vehicle Manufacturer Branch |
| PA | 1,011 | 5.8 | $49,999 | licence | Vehicle Manufacturer |
| OH | 915 | 6.4 | $51,411 | not matched | — |
| NY | 896 | 4.8 | $51,333 | not matched | — |
| VA | 871 | 6.3 | $54,548 | not matched | — |
| GA | 837 | 8.6 | $53,318 | not matched | — |
| MI | 759 | 5.3 | $52,176 | not matched | — |
| IN | 724 | 6.1 | $51,711 | not matched | — |
| TN | 689 | 6.7 | $58,809 | licence | AUTOMOBILE CLUB OR AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIAT |
| NJ | 658 | 5.0 | $55,217 | not matched | — |
| IL | 644 | 6.6 | $56,917 | licence | AUTOMOTIVE PARTS RECYCLER; REBUILDER |
| MA | 577 | 4.9 | $58,366 | not matched | — |
| MO | 564 | 5.9 | $53,206 | not matched | — |
| SC | 488 | 6.0 | $53,409 | not matched | — |
| AL | 481 | 6.3 | $50,555 | not matched | — |
| AZ | 434 | 16.9 | $68,045 | not matched | — |
| WA | 424 | 7.5 | $63,681 | not matched | — |
| WI | 392 | 6.0 | $57,101 | not matched | — |
| KY | 358 | 5.9 | $55,487 | not matched | — |
| MN | 356 | 4.9 | $56,869 | not matched | — |
| OK | 340 | 6.4 | $48,323 | not matched | — |
| CO | 335 | 10.8 | $71,364 | not matched | — |
| UT | 293 | 6.9 | $56,056 | not matched | — |
| AR | 290 | 6.6 | $44,419 | not matched | — |
| IA | 274 | 5.5 | $49,258 | not matched | — |
| OR | 269 | 5.8 | $59,036 | not matched | — |
| CT | 252 | 6.0 | $58,116 | not matched | — |
| MS | 249 | 5.8 | $50,346 | not matched | — |
| MD | 218 | 12.3 | $61,332 | not matched | — |
| KS | 215 | 6.8 | $54,695 | not matched | — |
| NE | 208 | 5.0 | $52,482 | not matched | — |
| LA | 187 | 5.9 | $52,978 | not matched | — |
| ID | 169 | 5.6 | $57,055 | not matched | — |
| ME | 166 | 4.6 | $51,630 | not matched | — |
| NH | 164 | 4.8 | $56,662 | not matched | — |
| NM | 161 | 5.5 | $55,117 | not matched | — |
| NV | 138 | 9.9 | $63,683 | not matched | — |
| WV | 105 | 6.0 | $56,291 | not matched | — |
| RI | 104 | 4.1 | $45,593 | not matched | — |
| MT | 84 | 3.9 | $64,157 | not matched | — |
| SD | 76 | 6.5 | $61,573 | not matched | — |
| DE | 71 | 7.2 | $54,612 | not matched | — |
| VT | 70 | 5.2 | $52,848 | not matched | — |
| ND | 51 | 5.2 | $53,303 | not matched | — |
| HI | 49 | 5.2 | $60,561 | not matched | — |
| WY | 41 | 4.0 | $48,741 | not matched | — |
| AK | 34 | 7.8 | $65,746 | 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.