Where is it easiest to open: Child and Youth Services
51 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 | 1,789 | 19.9 | $47,768 | not matched | — |
| NY | 1,064 | 24.2 | $44,884 | exam | Licensed Master Social Worker |
| TX | 1,010 | 12.7 | $44,432 | licence | SOCIAL WORKER |
| FL | 1,001 | 16.7 | $42,341 | exam | Certified Master Social Worker; School Social Worker (grades PK-12) |
| PA | 761 | 17.7 | $41,411 | exam | Licensed Social Worker |
| IL | 596 | 19.5 | $40,866 | exam | LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER; LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER |
| IN | 539 | 8.4 | $37,807 | exam | Temporary Social Worker Permit |
| OH | 529 | 12.5 | $45,336 | exam | Independent Social Worker; Social Worker |
| MA | 518 | 15.7 | $47,245 | exam | SOCIAL WORKER ASSISTANT; SOCIAL WORKER, LICENSED |
| GA | 472 | 9.0 | $50,945 | exam | Master Social Worker |
| MI | 409 | 12.2 | $39,780 | not matched | — |
| WA | 386 | 16.1 | $46,223 | not matched | — |
| NC | 384 | 12.8 | $42,790 | exam | Certified Master Social Worker; Certified Social Worker |
| NJ | 379 | 18.7 | $47,602 | exam | SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER; SOCIAL WORKER |
| VA | 355 | 11.3 | $35,971 | exam | Associate Social Worker/Social Worker ; Baccalaureate Social Worker License |
| TN | 349 | 11.6 | $38,822 | exam | LICENSED ADVANCED PRACTICE SOCIAL WORK; LICENSED BACCALAUREATE SOCIAL WORKER |
| WI | 326 | 15.7 | $34,671 | exam | SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER; SOCIAL WORKER |
| CO | 305 | 12.1 | $45,498 | exam | Licensed Social Worker; Provisional Social Worker |
| AZ | 300 | 19.0 | $44,036 | licence | Standard School Social Worker |
| MN | 260 | 11.1 | $45,750 | not matched | — |
| MD | 244 | 11.8 | $44,711 | licence | Juvenile Youth Supervisor |
| OR | 238 | 12.0 | $44,563 | licence | Baccalaureate Social Worker - Registra; Licensed Master's Social Worker (LMSW) |
| MO | 215 | 19.0 | $41,928 | exam | Child, Family, and School Social Worke |
| SC | 210 | 11.8 | $30,444 | licence | Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker; Licensed Independent Social Worker - A |
| AL | 177 | 9.1 | $35,709 | exam | Licensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW); Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) |
| KS | 176 | 17.0 | $41,428 | not matched | — |
| KY | 162 | 10.6 | $41,183 | exam | Certified Social Worker; Certified Social Worker (Master's Degr |
| LA | 161 | 11.8 | $38,663 | not matched | — |
| OK | 138 | 10.6 | $34,468 | exam | Master’s Social Worker, Licensed; Social Worker Associate, Licensed |
| CT | 137 | 19.6 | $38,262 | exam | Master's Level Social Worker; Master's Level Social Worker - Tempora |
| NV | 114 | 14.6 | $33,803 | not matched | — |
| NE | 108 | 16.7 | $38,046 | not matched | — |
| DC | 105 | 15.6 | $47,893 | not matched | — |
| UT | 104 | 12.6 | $48,564 | licence | CHILD, FAMILY, AND SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKE; SOCIAL SERVICE WORKER |
| NM | 102 | 12.6 | $41,544 | licence | Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (; Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) |
| HI | 98 | 11.4 | $46,450 | not matched | — |
| AR | 91 | 11.8 | $35,247 | exam | Licensed Master Social Worker |
| ID | 90 | 7.6 | $38,784 | exam | Masters Social Worker; Social Workers |
| WV | 90 | 10.5 | $35,088 | not matched | — |
| IA | 84 | 13.6 | $36,078 | not matched | — |
| ME | 79 | 10.6 | $43,294 | exam | Social Worker, Licensed; Social Worker, Licensed Clinical |
| DE | 78 | 12.1 | $34,758 | exam | School Social Worker |
| RI | 67 | 22.8 | $37,360 | exam | School Social Worker |
| NH | 54 | 19.3 | $49,565 | licence | School Social Worker |
| MS | 51 | 11.8 | $32,970 | not matched | — |
| VT | 49 | 13.7 | $39,235 | exam | Educator; Licensed Independent Clinical Social W |
| MT | 48 | 7.7 | $44,197 | exam | Board of Behavioral Health - Baccalaur; Board of Behavioral Health - Baccal So |
| WY | 32 | 6.5 | $37,469 | exam | CERTIFIED SOCIAL WORKER |
| ND | 24 | 14.2 | $33,478 | not matched | — |
| AK | 21 | 6.0 | $46,112 | not matched | — |
| SD | 18 | 20.3 | $30,276 | licence | Certified Social Worker; Certified Social Worker--Private or In |
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.