Where is it easiest to open: Temporary Shelters
50 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY | 497 | 26.6 | $47,351 | exam | Licensed Master Social Worker |
| CA | 467 | 22.2 | $52,100 | not matched | — |
| TX | 208 | 22.2 | $37,878 | licence | SOCIAL WORKER |
| FL | 162 | 20.3 | $42,564 | exam | Certified Master Social Worker; School Social Worker (grades PK-12) |
| WA | 148 | 16.5 | $45,165 | not matched | — |
| PA | 145 | 19.8 | $39,651 | exam | Licensed Social Worker |
| MA | 141 | 21.7 | $50,066 | exam | SOCIAL WORKER ASSISTANT; SOCIAL WORKER, LICENSED |
| OH | 123 | 19.4 | $36,959 | exam | Independent Social Worker; Social Worker |
| NJ | 95 | 17.7 | $41,912 | exam | SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER; SOCIAL WORKER |
| IL | 90 | 29.7 | $47,576 | exam | LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER; LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER |
| MI | 89 | 18.3 | $38,009 | not matched | — |
| WI | 87 | 15.7 | $39,045 | exam | SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER; SOCIAL WORKER |
| GA | 86 | 14.1 | $36,643 | exam | Master Social Worker |
| NC | 85 | 14.8 | $37,222 | exam | Certified Master Social Worker; Certified Social Worker |
| OR | 82 | 19.1 | $48,207 | licence | Baccalaureate Social Worker - Registra; Licensed Master's Social Worker (LMSW) |
| AZ | 73 | 20.5 | $43,762 | licence | Standard School Social Worker |
| CO | 70 | 18.3 | $48,273 | exam | Licensed Social Worker; Provisional Social Worker |
| CT | 66 | 16.3 | $40,596 | exam | Master's Level Social Worker; Master's Level Social Worker - Tempora |
| IN | 64 | 19.0 | $36,788 | exam | Temporary Social Worker Permit |
| MO | 63 | 18.9 | $40,859 | exam | Child, Family, and School Social Worke |
| MN | 60 | 22.8 | $44,589 | not matched | — |
| VA | 50 | 26.8 | $41,433 | exam | Associate Social Worker/Social Worker ; Baccalaureate Social Worker License |
| SC | 49 | 12.9 | $38,696 | licence | Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker; Licensed Independent Social Worker - A |
| IA | 43 | 22.5 | $35,772 | not matched | — |
| DC | 42 | 14.7 | $53,725 | not matched | — |
| MD | 40 | 19.9 | $49,214 | licence | Juvenile Youth Supervisor |
| NM | 38 | 23.9 | $38,322 | licence | Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker (; Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) |
| TN | 38 | 15.4 | $40,737 | exam | LICENSED ADVANCED PRACTICE SOCIAL WORK; LICENSED BACCALAUREATE SOCIAL WORKER |
| OK | 37 | 14.8 | $37,857 | exam | Master’s Social Worker, Licensed; Social Worker Associate, Licensed |
| KY | 33 | 31.2 | $48,198 | exam | Certified Social Worker; Certified Social Worker (Master's Degr |
| KS | 32 | 18.1 | $37,664 | not matched | — |
| WV | 32 | 15.8 | $32,523 | not matched | — |
| LA | 31 | 14.1 | $34,838 | not matched | — |
| AL | 30 | 12.8 | $35,599 | exam | Licensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW); Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) |
| UT | 29 | 28.6 | $40,264 | licence | CHILD, FAMILY, AND SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKE; SOCIAL SERVICE WORKER |
| NV | 28 | 14.1 | $42,388 | not matched | — |
| HI | 26 | 21.7 | $36,993 | not matched | — |
| AR | 24 | 18.4 | $36,050 | exam | Licensed Master Social Worker |
| ME | 23 | 14.7 | $41,086 | exam | Social Worker, Licensed; Social Worker, Licensed Clinical |
| NE | 18 | 22.7 | $39,264 | not matched | — |
| NH | 17 | 7.4 | $39,696 | licence | School Social Worker |
| AK | 17 | 21.4 | $47,277 | not matched | — |
| VT | 17 | 13.5 | $40,917 | exam | Educator; Licensed Independent Clinical Social W |
| DE | 15 | 11.7 | $30,383 | exam | School Social Worker |
| ID | 15 | 16.8 | $42,012 | exam | Masters Social Worker; Social Workers |
| SD | 14 | 20.0 | $40,621 | licence | Certified Social Worker; Certified Social Worker--Private or In |
| RI | 13 | 24.9 | $48,130 | exam | School Social Worker |
| ND | 12 | 13.6 | $34,264 | not matched | — |
| MT | 8 | 32.8 | $31,401 | exam | Board of Behavioral Health - Baccalaur; Board of Behavioral Health - Baccal So |
| MS | 7 | 9.1 | $33,062 | 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.