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Where is it easiest to open: Miscellaneous Intermediation
51 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 13-2052” (soc) for Personal Financial Advisors. 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 | 2,209 | 5.5 | $324,338 | licence | Investment Adviser Certificate; Professional Fiduciary License |
| TX | 1,815 | 3.9 | $185,705 | licence | SECURITIES DEALER/INVESTMENT ADVISOR |
| FL | 1,074 | 3.3 | $178,929 | licence | Central Registration Depository (CRD) |
| NY | 901 | 8.3 | $430,673 | not matched | — |
| CO | 419 | 2.5 | $181,911 | exam | Investment Advisory Representative |
| IL | 388 | 8.2 | $277,507 | licence | INVESTMENT ADVISOR REPRESENTATIVE |
| MA | 352 | 8.0 | $277,207 | exam | INSURANCE ADVISER; INVESTMENT ADVISER/REPRESENTATIVE |
| GA | 348 | 2.8 | $116,172 | exam | Investment Advisor |
| NC | 308 | 3.0 | $180,123 | exam | Investment Adviser; Investment Adviser Representative |
| AZ | 308 | 2.8 | $113,107 | licence | Fiduciary; Investment Adviser |
| NV | 294 | 2.1 | $91,389 | not matched | — |
| NJ | 260 | 3.8 | $181,603 | not matched | — |
| PA | 242 | 11.1 | $275,652 | not matched | — |
| WA | 221 | 5.0 | $264,258 | exam | Financial Planner; Investment Advisor |
| OK | 216 | 3.4 | $102,235 | licence | Investment Adviser; Investment Adviser Representative |
| UT | 210 | 4.8 | $95,633 | licence | SECURITIES-INVESTMENT ADVISER |
| OH | 204 | 4.2 | $199,721 | not matched | — |
| CT | 199 | 5.4 | $332,575 | not matched | — |
| DE | 177 | 2.0 | $140,856 | not matched | — |
| VA | 143 | 4.3 | $190,558 | not matched | — |
| MD | 141 | 6.4 | $239,924 | not matched | — |
| TN | 134 | 4.4 | $203,663 | not matched | — |
| MI | 126 | 12.0 | $103,085 | exam | Investment Advisor |
| MO | 122 | 2.5 | $166,611 | not matched | — |
| MN | 117 | 4.5 | $161,676 | licence | Financial Counselor or Planner; Investment Advisers and their Represen |
| OR | 104 | 2.7 | $73,093 | licence | Investment Adviser Representative |
| KS | 98 | 5.1 | $141,741 | exam | Investment Advisor |
| LA | 88 | 2.5 | $146,103 | not matched | — |
| WI | 83 | 2.9 | $104,941 | exam | INVESTMENT ADVISOR; INVESTMENT ADVISOR REPRESENTATIVE |
| IN | 76 | 3.2 | $124,905 | not matched | — |
| SC | 64 | 2.5 | $156,549 | not matched | — |
| DC | 58 | 8.2 | $320,582 | not matched | — |
| WY | 56 | 1.9 | $140,798 | not matched | — |
| AL | 55 | 1.6 | $93,067 | exam | Licensed Personal Financial Advisor |
| ID | 50 | 2.7 | $53,194 | exam | Securites Investment Advisors & Broker; Securities Sales Agents and Investment |
| AR | 50 | 3.7 | $223,584 | licence | Investment Advisor; Investment Advisor Representative |
| NE | 46 | 4.4 | $120,765 | licence | Investment Adviser; Investment Adviser Representative |
| IA | 42 | 2.9 | $59,789 | licence | Investment Advisor Representative |
| KY | 37 | 3.5 | $109,233 | licence | Securities-Investment Adviser Represen |
| NM | 35 | 1.7 | $100,450 | exam | Investment Advisers Representative |
| MS | 29 | 2.5 | $51,890 | not matched | — |
| RI | 27 | 2.0 | $99,593 | licence | Investment Adviser Representative (IAR |
| HI | 27 | 2.5 | $106,328 | not matched | — |
| SD | 26 | 1.2 | $68,300 | licence | Investment Adviser |
| ND | 25 | 3.8 | $103,116 | exam | Investment Advisor Representatives; Investment Advisors |
| NH | 21 | 6.0 | $131,712 | exam | Investment Adviser Agent |
| ME | 16 | 2.2 | $128,917 | exam | Investment Advisor |
| MT | 13 | 2.5 | $210,212 | not matched | — |
| WV | 11 | 1.2 | $77,308 | not matched | — |
| AK | 11 | 1.1 | $64,333 | licence | Investment Broker-Dealer and Related O |
| VT | 5 | 1.8 | $168,333 | exam | Insurance Consultant; Investment Advisor Representative |
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.