Where is it easiest to open: Fruit and Vegetable Retailers
49 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 | 488 | 5.4 | $29,667 | not matched | — |
| CA | 421 | 5.5 | $37,115 | not matched | — |
| FL | 302 | 5.4 | $32,831 | not matched | — |
| NJ | 244 | 6.7 | $40,785 | not matched | — |
| TX | 195 | 3.3 | $28,906 | not matched | — |
| PA | 147 | 9.3 | $32,844 | not matched | — |
| MA | 103 | 6.6 | $39,416 | exam | GAMING EMPLOYEE |
| WA | 97 | 6.1 | $38,197 | not matched | — |
| MI | 89 | 12.4 | $31,577 | exam | Horse Racing Occupational License |
| NC | 70 | 3.3 | $27,291 | licence | Amphibian and Reptile Possession permi; Cigarette Distributor |
| OH | 65 | 6.6 | $24,510 | not matched | — |
| IL | 61 | 11.9 | $40,759 | exam | INTERTRACK EMPLOYEE |
| SC | 59 | 2.9 | $25,680 | not matched | — |
| MD | 54 | 5.4 | $32,021 | not matched | — |
| AZ | 53 | 4.2 | $24,818 | not matched | — |
| OR | 52 | 3.0 | $36,248 | not matched | — |
| TN | 50 | 3.6 | $26,072 | not matched | — |
| GA | 50 | 4.7 | $29,927 | not matched | — |
| VA | 45 | 5.0 | $43,045 | not matched | — |
| CT | 42 | 4.0 | $36,707 | not matched | — |
| CO | 42 | 1.7 | $57,471 | licence | Marijuana Employee License; Meat Program-Custom Processing |
| NV | 41 | 3.5 | $32,717 | not matched | — |
| IN | 40 | 5.0 | $23,381 | exam | Occupational Riverboat Gambling Licens |
| AL | 30 | 5.2 | $18,710 | not matched | — |
| DE | 29 | 4.3 | $45,863 | not matched | — |
| MO | 25 | 5.3 | $28,684 | not matched | — |
| WI | 25 | 6.4 | $41,723 | not matched | — |
| OK | 24 | 3.8 | $18,500 | licence | Employee |
| UT | 22 | 3.8 | $18,262 | not matched | — |
| HI | 21 | 6.0 | $24,190 | not matched | — |
| NM | 21 | 3.6 | $29,707 | licence | Staff Permit Employees |
| MN | 21 | 3.8 | $18,900 | not matched | — |
| ME | 19 | 1.6 | $39,033 | not matched | — |
| ID | 16 | 2.9 | $42,021 | not matched | — |
| IA | 16 | 3.6 | $14,207 | not matched | — |
| RI | 13 | 7.5 | $44,724 | not matched | — |
| NH | 13 | 4.4 | $25,088 | not matched | — |
| LA | 13 | 11.0 | $31,930 | not matched | — |
| NE | 13 | 1.8 | $27,522 | not matched | — |
| WY | 12 | 1.8 | $53,955 | not matched | — |
| MS | 12 | 3.4 | $30,902 | not matched | — |
| AR | 11 | 4.0 | $16,773 | not matched | — |
| KS | 10 | 4.5 | $13,933 | licence | Level III Gaming Occupation |
| KY | 9 | 2.8 | $31,200 | not matched | — |
| DC | 8 | 2.4 | $40,526 | not matched | — |
| VT | 3 | 1.0 | $151,333 | not matched | — |
| WV | 3 | 3.7 | $23,455 | not matched | — |
| SD | 3 | 5.7 | $43,706 | not matched | — |
| MT | 3 | 3.7 | $64,909 | 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.