Tool · free, no account
Where is it easiest to open: Commercial Photography
49 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 27-4021” (soc) for Photographers. 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 | 872 | 2.8 | $62,344 | not matched | — |
| NY | 548 | 2.0 | $76,339 | not matched | — |
| FL | 450 | 2.4 | $44,887 | not matched | — |
| TX | 285 | 2.2 | $42,494 | not matched | — |
| IL | 208 | 4.4 | $50,805 | not matched | — |
| CO | 153 | 2.7 | $51,007 | not matched | — |
| WA | 120 | 2.8 | $59,722 | not matched | — |
| GA | 120 | 2.8 | $64,350 | not matched | — |
| MN | 117 | 2.2 | $52,873 | not matched | — |
| PA | 103 | 3.2 | $49,288 | not matched | — |
| OR | 100 | 3.3 | $57,275 | not matched | — |
| NC | 98 | 4.5 | $50,510 | licence | Photographer Privilege; Photographer's Agent Privilege |
| AZ | 91 | 3.4 | $43,174 | not matched | — |
| MA | 90 | 3.9 | $33,395 | not matched | — |
| UT | 83 | 2.0 | $32,963 | not matched | — |
| MI | 82 | 2.3 | $59,280 | not matched | — |
| OH | 75 | 3.7 | $60,839 | not matched | — |
| VA | 71 | 2.1 | $49,558 | not matched | — |
| NV | 62 | 3.3 | $53,480 | not matched | — |
| MD | 60 | 3.4 | $32,791 | not matched | — |
| MO | 58 | 3.0 | $61,636 | not matched | — |
| NJ | 56 | 2.9 | $55,782 | not matched | — |
| SC | 45 | 1.2 | $39,818 | not matched | — |
| WI | 43 | 4.4 | $34,734 | not matched | — |
| HI | 42 | 4.9 | $30,828 | not matched | — |
| IN | 41 | 4.0 | $35,248 | not matched | — |
| OK | 35 | 1.5 | $26,808 | not matched | — |
| TN | 27 | 2.1 | $50,035 | not matched | — |
| CT | 23 | 2.2 | $64,843 | not matched | — |
| NM | 23 | 1.4 | $41,667 | not matched | — |
| AL | 22 | 1.9 | $49,929 | not matched | — |
| NE | 21 | 1.3 | $42,179 | not matched | — |
| ME | 20 | 0.9 | $84,684 | not matched | — |
| KY | 20 | 1.9 | $29,256 | not matched | — |
| LA | 20 | 1.4 | $42,517 | not matched | — |
| KS | 18 | 2.4 | $32,932 | not matched | — |
| MT | 16 | 0.9 | $45,929 | not matched | — |
| ID | 15 | 2.3 | $64,676 | not matched | — |
| RI | 15 | 1.3 | $29,150 | not matched | — |
| AR | 13 | 3.8 | $82,440 | not matched | — |
| IA | 10 | 1.0 | $41,400 | not matched | — |
| DE | 9 | 2.2 | $26,600 | not matched | — |
| AK | 9 | 1.8 | $33,812 | not matched | — |
| DC | 8 | 1.0 | $60,000 | not matched | — |
| VT | 8 | 1.2 | $39,800 | not matched | — |
| WY | 7 | 0.7 | $33,000 | not matched | — |
| MS | 5 | 3.6 | $39,000 | not matched | — |
| SD | 4 | 1.8 | $37,286 | not matched | — |
| NH | 3 | 2.3 | $29,143 | 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.