Where is it easiest to open: Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
47 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 53-2011” (soc) for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers. 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 | 219 | 220.6 | $110,210 | licence | Pest Control Aircraft Pilot Certificat |
| FL | 172 | 221.2 | $96,374 | licence | State Pilot |
| NY | 128 | 250.5 | $102,144 | not matched | — |
| TX | 111 | 608.8 | $113,293 | not matched | — |
| IL | 60 | 517.3 | $94,763 | not matched | — |
| VA | 52 | 263.1 | $98,122 | exam | Branch Pilot; Branch Pilot, Limited |
| WA | 48 | 325.4 | $85,532 | not matched | — |
| AK | 46 | 62.2 | $109,296 | licence | Aircraft Pilot |
| MA | 42 | 260.9 | $88,729 | not matched | — |
| PA | 39 | 274.9 | $92,418 | not matched | — |
| HI | 34 | 253.6 | $75,676 | not matched | — |
| GA | 33 | 1570.2 | $107,757 | not matched | — |
| MI | 33 | 311.6 | $125,040 | not matched | — |
| CO | 31 | 778.5 | $113,703 | not matched | — |
| NC | 31 | 524.7 | $94,478 | exam | Aerial Pesticide Applicator (Contracto; Aerial Pesticide Applicator (Pilot) |
| AZ | 28 | 493.8 | $94,337 | not matched | — |
| NJ | 27 | 581.1 | $109,093 | not matched | — |
| NV | 25 | 315.7 | $95,677 | not matched | — |
| SC | 25 | 44.0 | $40,490 | not matched | — |
| MN | 23 | 474.3 | $112,437 | not matched | — |
| IN | 23 | 99.1 | $65,631 | not matched | — |
| WI | 22 | 89.9 | $67,108 | not matched | — |
| OH | 20 | 182.8 | $85,024 | not matched | — |
| MO | 20 | 118.7 | $70,531 | not matched | — |
| KY | 20 | 139.8 | $66,583 | not matched | — |
| LA | 20 | 49.5 | $49,908 | not matched | — |
| TN | 20 | 112.8 | $129,882 | not matched | — |
| OR | 18 | 236.2 | $103,609 | not matched | — |
| MT | 15 | 22.5 | $45,435 | licence | Pilots and Flight Engineers |
| OK | 15 | 338.0 | $97,603 | exam | Commercial Pilot; Vintage & Experimental Aircraft Pilot- |
| AL | 14 | 24.8 | $50,476 | exam | Licensed Airline Pilot |
| UT | 14 | 780.1 | $94,512 | licence | AIRCRAFT PILOT - FLIGHT ENGINEER |
| DC | 12 | 29.7 | $149,851 | exam | Airline Transport Pilot; Airmen Certification |
| ID | 10 | 121.9 | $81,393 | not matched | — |
| IA | 9 | 68.7 | $33,969 | not matched | — |
| MD | 9 | 566.4 | $96,736 | not matched | — |
| AR | 8 | 54.9 | $50,651 | not matched | — |
| CT | 7 | 65.6 | $52,510 | not matched | — |
| ME | 7 | 29.6 | $31,357 | not matched | — |
| NE | 6 | 64.8 | $31,645 | licence | Aircraft Pilot or Flight Instructor |
| NM | 6 | 50.3 | $54,132 | not matched | — |
| KS | 5 | 11.2 | $47,339 | exam | Airline Pilot/Co-Pilot/Flight Engineer; Commercial Pilot |
| NH | 4 | 33.8 | $46,941 | not matched | — |
| VT | 4 | 35.0 | $26,236 | not matched | — |
| RI | 4 | 62.2 | $50,482 | not matched | — |
| SD | 3 | 27.0 | $27,185 | not matched | — |
| ND | 3 | 32.7 | $23,724 | 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.