Where is it easiest to open: Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly
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 | 3,744 | 16.6 | $40,207 | licence | Licensed Vocational Nurse |
| WA | 1,816 | 11.9 | $40,051 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse; Practical Nurse |
| FL | 1,406 | 24.9 | $33,108 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse |
| OR | 1,085 | 16.2 | $36,857 | licence | Nurses, Licensed Practical |
| WI | 972 | 18.5 | $29,702 | exam | LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE; NURSES AIDE |
| TX | 867 | 32.4 | $31,240 | licence | NURSE, LICENSED VOCATIONAL (LVN) |
| MI | 862 | 23.0 | $31,642 | exam | Nurse Aide, Certified (C.N.A.); Nurse, Licensed Practical (L.P.N.) |
| AZ | 748 | 18.4 | $36,898 | licence | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| MN | 575 | 24.9 | $33,372 | licence | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| PA | 562 | 37.0 | $34,078 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse |
| NY | 537 | 46.3 | $38,229 | exam | Certified Nurse Aide; Licensed Practical Nurse |
| NC | 512 | 34.0 | $30,946 | exam | Nurse Aide II; Practical Nurse |
| GA | 463 | 28.6 | $32,551 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse |
| CO | 398 | 25.6 | $35,505 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse; Nurse Aide |
| IL | 369 | 42.6 | $35,966 | exam | NURSE, LICENSED PRACTICAL |
| MD | 345 | 24.1 | $35,901 | not matched | — |
| MO | 343 | 24.5 | $33,059 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse |
| OH | 335 | 34.7 | $33,382 | licence | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN); State Tested Nurse Aide |
| VA | 295 | 39.8 | $36,440 | exam | Nurse Aide, Certified; Nurse Aide, Certified Advanced |
| TN | 257 | 33.1 | $36,182 | exam | LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE |
| MA | 241 | 50.7 | $38,749 | exam | NURSE AIDE; NURSE, LICENSED PRACTICAL (LPN) |
| NJ | 217 | 46.4 | $43,895 | exam | LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE (LPN); NURSE AIDE |
| NV | 191 | 15.0 | $32,592 | not matched | — |
| AK | 186 | 6.3 | $36,472 | licence | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN); Nurse Aide |
| ID | 177 | 25.3 | $31,815 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| SC | 170 | 32.5 | $29,422 | licence | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN); LPN Temporary License |
| CT | 170 | 36.4 | $40,309 | licence | Licensed Practical Nurse; Licensed Practical Nurse - Temporary |
| KS | 150 | 33.7 | $30,697 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| AL | 139 | 29.9 | $27,473 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| IN | 135 | 37.0 | $34,857 | exam | Certified Nurse's Aide; Licensed Practical Nurse |
| UT | 131 | 39.3 | $29,154 | licence | LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE |
| ME | 113 | 31.9 | $35,077 | exam | Nurse, Licensed Practical |
| KY | 104 | 35.8 | $34,615 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse |
| LA | 104 | 31.8 | $30,234 | exam | Nurse, Licensed Practical (LPN) |
| NM | 96 | 25.6 | $31,315 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse |
| NH | 89 | 26.3 | $39,783 | exam | Nurse, Licensed Practical (LPN) |
| NE | 86 | 46.6 | $31,202 | licence | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN); Nurse Aide |
| OK | 84 | 36.9 | $35,472 | exam | Multistate (MSL) Registered Nurse (RN); Nurse, Licensed Practical |
| MS | 77 | 27.7 | $28,320 | exam | Expanded Role LPN Intravenous Therapy; Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| MT | 75 | 22.4 | $32,003 | exam | Nursing - Licensed Practical Nurse |
| IA | 71 | 39.6 | $28,235 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| AR | 53 | 24.5 | $33,141 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) |
| SD | 49 | 37.9 | $32,487 | licence | Nurse, Licensed Practical; Nurses Aide |
| HI | 41 | 14.1 | $39,337 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse; Nurse Aide |
| VT | 33 | 28.5 | $36,081 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurse |
| RI | 33 | 42.2 | $37,522 | exam | Nurse, Licensed Practical |
| ND | 31 | 47.8 | $38,495 | exam | Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) |
| WV | 24 | 24.7 | $30,831 | not matched | — |
| WY | 22 | 24.0 | $30,280 | exam | LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE |
| DC | 19 | 24.1 | $47,476 | exam | NURSE, PRACTICAL |
| DE | 16 | 46.9 | $47,541 | exam | Multistate License - RN or LPN; Nurse, Licensed Practical |
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.