Where is it easiest to open: Other Residential Care Facilities
49 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 21-1021” (soc) for Child, Family, and School Social Workers. 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 | 717 | 19.0 | $48,763 | not matched | — |
| MN | 452 | 11.0 | $35,141 | not matched | — |
| FL | 406 | 12.4 | $43,535 | exam | Certified Master Social Worker; School Social Worker (grades PK-12) |
| NY | 284 | 37.2 | $52,519 | exam | Licensed Master Social Worker |
| AZ | 193 | 14.1 | $38,340 | licence | Standard School Social Worker |
| NJ | 191 | 13.8 | $44,885 | exam | SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER; SOCIAL WORKER |
| OH | 188 | 22.2 | $41,367 | exam | Independent Social Worker; Social Worker |
| MI | 186 | 17.4 | $37,262 | not matched | — |
| PA | 184 | 22.6 | $42,044 | exam | Licensed Social Worker |
| TX | 166 | 33.0 | $46,923 | licence | SOCIAL WORKER |
| WI | 164 | 10.9 | $36,696 | exam | SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER; SOCIAL WORKER |
| MA | 161 | 24.1 | $49,893 | exam | SOCIAL WORKER ASSISTANT; SOCIAL WORKER, LICENSED |
| IL | 159 | 22.7 | $49,235 | exam | LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER; LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER |
| MD | 142 | 14.2 | $43,760 | licence | Juvenile Youth Supervisor |
| SC | 115 | 14.6 | $31,952 | licence | Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker; Licensed Independent Social Worker - A |
| NC | 101 | 15.2 | $35,873 | exam | Certified Master Social Worker; Certified Social Worker |
| GA | 92 | 20.4 | $42,059 | exam | Master Social Worker |
| CT | 82 | 33.8 | $44,504 | exam | Master's Level Social Worker; Master's Level Social Worker - Tempora |
| WA | 79 | 11.9 | $46,783 | not matched | — |
| OR | 74 | 13.1 | $46,346 | licence | Baccalaureate Social Worker - Registra; Licensed Master's Social Worker (LMSW) |
| WV | 65 | 16.6 | $34,316 | not matched | — |
| MO | 58 | 30.3 | $37,773 | exam | Child, Family, and School Social Worke |
| VA | 58 | 18.3 | $49,141 | exam | Associate Social Worker/Social Worker ; Baccalaureate Social Worker License |
| AL | 56 | 14.8 | $33,329 | exam | Licensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW); Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) |
| KY | 47 | 24.4 | $39,221 | exam | Certified Social Worker; Certified Social Worker (Master's Degr |
| KS | 46 | 14.7 | $33,476 | not matched | — |
| UT | 44 | 24.2 | $40,019 | licence | CHILD, FAMILY, AND SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKE; SOCIAL SERVICE WORKER |
| TN | 41 | 22.5 | $39,962 | exam | LICENSED ADVANCED PRACTICE SOCIAL WORK; LICENSED BACCALAUREATE SOCIAL WORKER |
| ME | 39 | 18.9 | $52,635 | exam | Social Worker, Licensed; Social Worker, Licensed Clinical |
| CO | 38 | 13.7 | $48,650 | exam | Licensed Social Worker; Provisional Social Worker |
| MT | 38 | 24.6 | $36,161 | exam | Board of Behavioral Health - Baccalaur; Board of Behavioral Health - Baccal So |
| NV | 34 | 12.6 | $51,364 | not matched | — |
| IA | 32 | 12.5 | $41,619 | not matched | — |
| OK | 30 | 22.7 | $36,959 | exam | Master’s Social Worker, Licensed; Social Worker Associate, Licensed |
| IN | 29 | 25.3 | $31,592 | exam | Temporary Social Worker Permit |
| LA | 24 | 31.1 | $36,213 | not matched | — |
| AK | 21 | 12.1 | $38,181 | not matched | — |
| DC | 21 | 26.1 | $59,182 | not matched | — |
| ID | 18 | 23.1 | $29,581 | exam | Masters Social Worker; Social Workers |
| RI | 17 | 29.7 | $47,255 | exam | School Social Worker |
| NH | 15 | 20.9 | $46,303 | licence | School Social Worker |
| AR | 15 | 14.3 | $42,023 | exam | Licensed Master Social Worker |
| VT | 13 | 10.2 | $49,250 | exam | Educator; Licensed Independent Clinical Social W |
| NE | 13 | 130.2 | $54,595 | not matched | — |
| NM | 10 | 13.3 | $38,451 | licence | Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (; Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) |
| HI | 10 | 11.0 | $38,936 | not matched | — |
| MS | 9 | 20.1 | $39,088 | not matched | — |
| ND | 9 | 26.1 | $40,268 | not matched | — |
| DE | 7 | 15.1 | $33,906 | exam | School Social Worker |
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.