Where is it easiest to open: Scheduled Freight Air Transportation
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FL | 53 | 23.6 | $88,851 | licence | State Pilot |
| CA | 40 | 32.6 | $52,698 | licence | Pest Control Aircraft Pilot Certificat |
| IL | 35 | 10.9 | $76,113 | not matched | — |
| NY | 23 | 25.3 | $41,654 | not matched | — |
| TX | 22 | 19.6 | $48,756 | not matched | — |
| GA | 17 | 18.6 | $42,883 | not matched | — |
| AK | 15 | 86.6 | $126,327 | licence | Aircraft Pilot |
| WA | 8 | 5.2 | $73,452 | not matched | — |
| MA | 6 | 5.8 | $31,914 | not matched | — |
| OH | 4 | 18.8 | $32,507 | not matched | — |
| OR | 3 | 38.7 | $22,362 | not matched | — |
| PA | 3 | 1.0 | $118,667 | not matched | — |
| SC | 3 | 19.7 | $62,220 | not matched | — |
| AZ | 3 | 8.3 | $75,240 | not matched | — |
| VA | 3 | 4.3 | $91,846 | exam | Branch Pilot; Branch Pilot, Limited |
| WI | 3 | 64.0 | $84,557 | not matched | — |
| NJ | 3 | 3.7 | $96,727 | not matched | — |
| HI | 3 | 136.0 | $74,061 | 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.