Where is it easiest to open: Community Food 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 | 425 | 15.2 | $56,010 | not matched | — |
| NY | 227 | 14.3 | $50,148 | exam | Licensed Master Social Worker |
| TX | 220 | 18.6 | $44,203 | licence | SOCIAL WORKER |
| PA | 166 | 9.7 | $48,587 | exam | Licensed Social Worker |
| WA | 164 | 9.5 | $49,707 | not matched | — |
| FL | 155 | 10.8 | $44,217 | exam | Certified Master Social Worker; School Social Worker (grades PK-12) |
| MN | 147 | 10.7 | $42,077 | not matched | — |
| OH | 137 | 13.1 | $44,713 | exam | Independent Social Worker; Social Worker |
| MA | 128 | 12.4 | $47,717 | exam | SOCIAL WORKER ASSISTANT; SOCIAL WORKER, LICENSED |
| KS | 115 | 3.4 | $21,642 | not matched | — |
| NC | 111 | 8.8 | $47,631 | exam | Certified Master Social Worker; Certified Social Worker |
| OR | 104 | 9.5 | $50,641 | licence | Baccalaureate Social Worker - Registra; Licensed Master's Social Worker (LMSW) |
| IL | 104 | 13.4 | $52,455 | exam | LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER; LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER |
| MI | 101 | 12.7 | $42,661 | not matched | — |
| OK | 94 | 7.2 | $34,021 | exam | Master’s Social Worker, Licensed; Social Worker Associate, Licensed |
| AZ | 86 | 10.8 | $48,917 | licence | Standard School Social Worker |
| WI | 85 | 7.3 | $43,748 | exam | SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER; SOCIAL WORKER |
| CO | 79 | 11.9 | $55,369 | exam | Licensed Social Worker; Provisional Social Worker |
| NJ | 78 | 13.6 | $49,989 | exam | SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER; SOCIAL WORKER |
| GA | 74 | 11.7 | $41,583 | exam | Master Social Worker |
| MO | 69 | 9.4 | $47,521 | exam | Child, Family, and School Social Worke |
| MD | 59 | 10.6 | $51,131 | licence | Juvenile Youth Supervisor |
| IN | 51 | 12.9 | $35,785 | exam | Temporary Social Worker Permit |
| CT | 47 | 7.7 | $48,445 | exam | Master's Level Social Worker; Master's Level Social Worker - Tempora |
| NH | 45 | 7.8 | $26,501 | licence | School Social Worker |
| SD | 42 | 5.0 | $33,237 | licence | Certified Social Worker; Certified Social Worker--Private or In |
| SC | 41 | 9.2 | $41,294 | licence | Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker; Licensed Independent Social Worker - A |
| IA | 37 | 6.5 | $32,285 | not matched | — |
| AR | 37 | 6.9 | $36,547 | exam | Licensed Master Social Worker |
| VA | 31 | 6.3 | $45,376 | exam | Associate Social Worker/Social Worker ; Baccalaureate Social Worker License |
| LA | 30 | 13.1 | $45,809 | not matched | — |
| KY | 28 | 11.7 | $51,064 | exam | Certified Social Worker; Certified Social Worker (Master's Degr |
| TN | 28 | 16.2 | $46,055 | exam | LICENSED ADVANCED PRACTICE SOCIAL WORK; LICENSED BACCALAUREATE SOCIAL WORKER |
| NV | 26 | 13.3 | $41,590 | not matched | — |
| VT | 26 | 7.1 | $53,249 | exam | Educator; Licensed Independent Clinical Social W |
| ID | 25 | 7.7 | $37,819 | exam | Masters Social Worker; Social Workers |
| NM | 25 | 10.4 | $46,724 | licence | Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (; Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) |
| MT | 23 | 5.9 | $32,926 | exam | Board of Behavioral Health - Baccalaur; Board of Behavioral Health - Baccal So |
| NE | 23 | 11.4 | $49,095 | not matched | — |
| DE | 19 | 10.6 | $46,708 | exam | School Social Worker |
| ME | 19 | 4.0 | $49,066 | exam | Social Worker, Licensed; Social Worker, Licensed Clinical |
| WV | 16 | 8.5 | $17,140 | not matched | — |
| AL | 15 | 10.3 | $41,987 | exam | Licensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW); Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) |
| WY | 15 | 6.8 | $32,814 | exam | CERTIFIED SOCIAL WORKER |
| AK | 15 | 12.5 | $48,524 | not matched | — |
| RI | 14 | 12.6 | $46,960 | exam | School Social Worker |
| DC | 14 | 53.1 | $71,871 | not matched | — |
| MS | 13 | 7.0 | $40,703 | not matched | — |
| UT | 12 | 17.5 | $49,433 | licence | CHILD, FAMILY, AND SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKE; SOCIAL SERVICE WORKER |
| HI | 11 | 12.3 | $54,341 | not matched | — |
| ND | 3 | 13.0 | $42,128 | 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.