Where is it easiest to open: Emergency and Other Relief Services
39 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 | 103 | 19.3 | $57,622 | not matched | — |
| TX | 99 | 114.1 | $39,411 | licence | SOCIAL WORKER |
| NY | 40 | 42.8 | $77,073 | exam | Licensed Master Social Worker |
| FL | 36 | 17.4 | $61,560 | exam | Certified Master Social Worker; School Social Worker (grades PK-12) |
| AZ | 32 | 83.2 | $54,237 | licence | Standard School Social Worker |
| PA | 31 | 11.7 | $48,173 | exam | Licensed Social Worker |
| OH | 28 | 14.4 | $43,106 | exam | Independent Social Worker; Social Worker |
| IL | 25 | 16.0 | $53,516 | exam | LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER; LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER |
| GA | 25 | 33.2 | $66,744 | exam | Master Social Worker |
| MN | 23 | 12.0 | $67,793 | not matched | — |
| NC | 20 | 24.1 | $57,102 | exam | Certified Master Social Worker; Certified Social Worker |
| VA | 19 | 25.4 | $80,689 | exam | Associate Social Worker/Social Worker ; Baccalaureate Social Worker License |
| NJ | 19 | 8.8 | $50,238 | exam | SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER; SOCIAL WORKER |
| DC | 18 | 29.2 | $108,232 | not matched | — |
| WA | 17 | 11.5 | $60,806 | not matched | — |
| MA | 16 | 15.0 | $68,129 | exam | SOCIAL WORKER ASSISTANT; SOCIAL WORKER, LICENSED |
| TN | 14 | 14.1 | $73,424 | exam | LICENSED ADVANCED PRACTICE SOCIAL WORK; LICENSED BACCALAUREATE SOCIAL WORKER |
| OR | 13 | 81.3 | $68,135 | licence | Baccalaureate Social Worker - Registra; Licensed Master's Social Worker (LMSW) |
| MD | 12 | 114.6 | $90,641 | licence | Juvenile Youth Supervisor |
| OK | 11 | 18.9 | $74,760 | exam | Master’s Social Worker, Licensed; Social Worker Associate, Licensed |
| MI | 10 | 12.6 | $53,786 | not matched | — |
| IN | 10 | 95.4 | $73,022 | exam | Temporary Social Worker Permit |
| KY | 9 | 22.7 | $68,912 | exam | Certified Social Worker; Certified Social Worker (Master's Degr |
| LA | 9 | 31.8 | $36,724 | not matched | — |
| AL | 6 | 26.3 | $78,728 | exam | Licensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW); Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) |
| KS | 6 | 18.0 | $55,296 | not matched | — |
| UT | 6 | 29.7 | $48,073 | licence | CHILD, FAMILY, AND SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKE; SOCIAL SERVICE WORKER |
| MO | 5 | 78.4 | $67,987 | exam | Child, Family, and School Social Worke |
| CO | 5 | 44.6 | $55,978 | exam | Licensed Social Worker; Provisional Social Worker |
| NH | 5 | 18.4 | $59,087 | licence | School Social Worker |
| NV | 4 | 9.8 | $83,205 | not matched | — |
| CT | 4 | 63.8 | $106,165 | exam | Master's Level Social Worker; Master's Level Social Worker - Tempora |
| NE | 4 | 7.2 | $51,448 | not matched | — |
| ID | 4 | 21.0 | $36,905 | exam | Masters Social Worker; Social Workers |
| AK | 4 | 11.8 | $48,511 | not matched | — |
| WV | 3 | 11.7 | $51,771 | not matched | — |
| AR | 3 | 14.7 | $51,591 | exam | Licensed Master Social Worker |
| IA | 3 | 14.3 | $35,605 | not matched | — |
| DE | 3 | 7.0 | $35,952 | 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.