Where is it easiest to open: Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)
51 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 29-2061” (soc) for Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses. 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 | 1,936 | 73.1 | $49,669 | licence | Licensed Vocational Nurse |
| TX | 1,435 | 68.2 | $39,140 | licence | NURSE, LICENSED VOCATIONAL (LVN) |
| FL | 1,026 | 78.5 | $42,606 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse |
| OH | 933 | 82.5 | $38,892 | licence | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN); State Tested Nurse Aide |
| IL | 749 | 84.9 | $44,127 | exam | NURSE, LICENSED PRACTICAL |
| NY | 706 | 140.5 | $56,892 | exam | Certified Nurse Aide; Licensed Practical Nurse |
| PA | 631 | 91.9 | $42,841 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse |
| NJ | 535 | 95.2 | $49,328 | exam | LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE (LPN); NURSE AIDE |
| MO | 475 | 67.2 | $39,986 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse |
| IN | 470 | 87.0 | $41,749 | exam | Certified Nurse's Aide; Licensed Practical Nurse |
| MA | 426 | 94.1 | $52,046 | exam | NURSE AIDE; NURSE, LICENSED PRACTICAL (LPN) |
| NC | 425 | 70.8 | $44,711 | exam | Nurse Aide II; Practical Nurse |
| MI | 408 | 82.9 | $43,458 | exam | Nurse Aide, Certified (C.N.A.); Nurse, Licensed Practical (L.P.N.) |
| MN | 380 | 62.8 | $42,905 | licence | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| WA | 369 | 48.6 | $54,706 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse; Practical Nurse |
| WI | 344 | 70.3 | $39,506 | exam | LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE; NURSES AIDE |
| GA | 341 | 66.2 | $43,930 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse |
| MD | 329 | 72.4 | $48,260 | not matched | — |
| IA | 267 | 64.4 | $39,584 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| OK | 264 | 60.4 | $35,830 | exam | Multistate (MSL) Registered Nurse (RN); Nurse, Licensed Practical |
| TN | 255 | 87.3 | $44,037 | exam | LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE |
| LA | 251 | 80.5 | $38,653 | exam | Nurse, Licensed Practical (LPN) |
| VA | 248 | 74.7 | $47,347 | exam | Nurse Aide, Certified; Nurse Aide, Certified Advanced |
| AZ | 240 | 75.8 | $44,531 | licence | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| CT | 235 | 121.0 | $47,024 | licence | Licensed Practical Nurse; Licensed Practical Nurse - Temporary |
| CO | 228 | 81.5 | $46,999 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse; Nurse Aide |
| OR | 221 | 56.0 | $51,304 | licence | Nurses, Licensed Practical |
| KY | 210 | 74.8 | $41,185 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse |
| KS | 196 | 54.6 | $39,873 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| AR | 192 | 71.0 | $38,452 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| SC | 179 | 86.3 | $44,025 | licence | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN); LPN Temporary License |
| AL | 174 | 93.9 | $40,783 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| MS | 130 | 73.1 | $39,070 | exam | Expanded Role LPN Intravenous Therapy; Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| UT | 115 | 74.8 | $39,629 | licence | LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE |
| NH | 101 | 57.8 | $45,268 | exam | Nurse, Licensed Practical (LPN) |
| NE | 98 | 83.7 | $38,695 | licence | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN); Nurse Aide |
| ME | 94 | 65.7 | $42,242 | exam | Nurse, Licensed Practical |
| WV | 88 | 71.9 | $40,713 | not matched | — |
| RI | 86 | 95.4 | $50,308 | exam | Nurse, Licensed Practical |
| NV | 81 | 100.1 | $46,864 | not matched | — |
| ID | 76 | 72.1 | $41,147 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| DE | 59 | 92.9 | $46,172 | exam | Multistate License - RN or LPN; Nurse, Licensed Practical |
| HI | 56 | 84.3 | $46,292 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse; Nurse Aide |
| SD | 52 | 56.1 | $40,593 | licence | Nurse, Licensed Practical; Nurses Aide |
| NM | 46 | 74.7 | $44,822 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse |
| VT | 43 | 58.7 | $45,739 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse |
| MT | 39 | 61.1 | $46,128 | exam | Nursing - Licensed Practical Nurse |
| ND | 28 | 127.6 | $41,967 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) |
| WY | 20 | 68.6 | $45,265 | exam | LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE |
| DC | 16 | 114.8 | $57,721 | exam | NURSE, PRACTICAL |
| AK | 11 | 89.4 | $45,300 | licence | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN); Nurse Aide |
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.