Where is it easiest to open: Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers)
51 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 41-1011” (soc) for First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY | 8,319 | 21.2 | $30,515 | not matched | — |
| CA | 8,044 | 39.0 | $38,008 | not matched | — |
| FL | 3,833 | 58.8 | $28,471 | not matched | — |
| TX | 3,572 | 67.3 | $30,389 | not matched | — |
| IL | 2,607 | 37.0 | $31,330 | exam | INTERTRACK EMPLOYEE |
| PA | 2,537 | 48.5 | $24,733 | not matched | — |
| NJ | 2,405 | 32.5 | $33,655 | not matched | — |
| NC | 1,989 | 60.0 | $25,384 | licence | Amphibian and Reptile Possession permi; Cigarette Distributor |
| OH | 1,879 | 45.0 | $26,925 | not matched | — |
| GA | 1,702 | 53.6 | $27,301 | not matched | — |
| MI | 1,674 | 33.4 | $28,352 | exam | Horse Racing Occupational License |
| WA | 1,583 | 39.0 | $37,801 | not matched | — |
| VA | 1,427 | 51.8 | $29,589 | not matched | — |
| MA | 1,348 | 64.4 | $29,532 | exam | GAMING EMPLOYEE |
| MD | 1,256 | 43.2 | $31,763 | not matched | — |
| TN | 1,051 | 49.8 | $27,801 | not matched | — |
| MN | 966 | 51.8 | $26,413 | not matched | — |
| WI | 963 | 51.3 | $24,944 | not matched | — |
| IN | 927 | 37.5 | $27,760 | exam | Occupational Riverboat Gambling Licens |
| SC | 902 | 56.4 | $24,110 | not matched | — |
| MO | 882 | 47.9 | $24,490 | not matched | — |
| LA | 861 | 42.0 | $25,362 | not matched | — |
| AZ | 800 | 65.2 | $33,900 | not matched | — |
| CT | 767 | 47.5 | $31,614 | not matched | — |
| AL | 764 | 46.0 | $26,866 | not matched | — |
| OR | 747 | 47.6 | $34,330 | not matched | — |
| CO | 744 | 58.8 | $39,506 | licence | Marijuana Employee License; Meat Program-Custom Processing |
| KY | 665 | 37.6 | $28,686 | not matched | — |
| IA | 568 | 77.2 | $18,573 | not matched | — |
| OK | 449 | 42.6 | $27,264 | licence | Employee |
| AR | 417 | 42.9 | $25,251 | not matched | — |
| KS | 406 | 52.3 | $26,052 | licence | Level III Gaming Occupation |
| UT | 398 | 62.0 | $29,208 | not matched | — |
| NE | 365 | 55.1 | $20,884 | not matched | — |
| MS | 364 | 40.9 | $24,792 | not matched | — |
| ME | 357 | 51.1 | $27,914 | not matched | — |
| NV | 354 | 63.5 | $34,556 | not matched | — |
| HI | 272 | 43.0 | $35,290 | not matched | — |
| ID | 256 | 50.3 | $31,467 | not matched | — |
| NH | 240 | 86.6 | $26,293 | not matched | — |
| NM | 235 | 58.3 | $30,946 | licence | Staff Permit Employees |
| WV | 226 | 36.9 | $26,308 | not matched | — |
| MT | 219 | 41.7 | $31,512 | not matched | — |
| VT | 218 | 40.3 | $28,680 | not matched | — |
| RI | 204 | 51.2 | $30,656 | not matched | — |
| AK | 195 | 29.6 | $32,982 | not matched | — |
| DE | 174 | 47.9 | $29,768 | not matched | — |
| DC | 169 | 37.6 | $33,707 | not matched | — |
| SD | 138 | 51.3 | $20,105 | not matched | — |
| ND | 127 | 37.5 | $24,695 | not matched | — |
| WY | 88 | 44.0 | $34,623 | 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.