Where is it easiest to open: Automotive Body, Paint, and Interior Repair and Maintenance
51 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 49-3021” (soc) for Automotive Body and Related Repairers. 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 | 4,133 | 8.3 | $62,233 | not matched | — |
| TX | 2,632 | 8.2 | $66,285 | not matched | — |
| FL | 2,061 | 5.8 | $58,018 | not matched | — |
| NY | 1,997 | 6.3 | $57,325 | not matched | — |
| PA | 1,527 | 6.7 | $57,482 | not matched | — |
| IL | 1,480 | 6.7 | $61,221 | licence | REPAIRER |
| MI | 1,097 | 6.2 | $59,585 | not matched | — |
| OH | 1,047 | 6.9 | $55,164 | not matched | — |
| MA | 1,004 | 6.1 | $61,234 | not matched | — |
| NC | 978 | 6.5 | $58,042 | not matched | — |
| GA | 972 | 7.8 | $62,075 | not matched | — |
| NJ | 964 | 7.4 | $62,035 | not matched | — |
| MO | 781 | 6.2 | $63,383 | licence | Automotive Body and Related Repairers |
| CO | 754 | 7.1 | $65,715 | not matched | — |
| MN | 736 | 8.2 | $61,712 | not matched | — |
| VA | 730 | 8.7 | $62,845 | not matched | — |
| WA | 714 | 7.7 | $69,883 | not matched | — |
| IN | 700 | 8.2 | $59,219 | not matched | — |
| WI | 686 | 5.3 | $54,851 | not matched | — |
| TN | 578 | 8.4 | $59,254 | not matched | — |
| AZ | 575 | 8.3 | $65,365 | not matched | — |
| AL | 535 | 6.0 | $56,975 | not matched | — |
| MD | 529 | 9.3 | $69,209 | not matched | — |
| SC | 475 | 6.9 | $59,018 | not matched | — |
| LA | 462 | 7.0 | $55,269 | not matched | — |
| OK | 454 | 6.8 | $60,762 | not matched | — |
| OR | 438 | 7.2 | $62,828 | not matched | — |
| IA | 421 | 5.1 | $53,441 | not matched | — |
| CT | 383 | 7.0 | $62,513 | not matched | — |
| KY | 322 | 6.6 | $55,392 | not matched | — |
| KS | 310 | 5.8 | $53,244 | not matched | — |
| AR | 305 | 6.7 | $55,105 | not matched | — |
| NE | 284 | 6.2 | $61,287 | not matched | — |
| UT | 281 | 8.1 | $61,393 | not matched | — |
| NV | 276 | 8.8 | $62,511 | not matched | — |
| MS | 256 | 6.6 | $55,311 | not matched | — |
| ID | 216 | 5.7 | $56,631 | not matched | — |
| NM | 192 | 5.9 | $55,579 | not matched | — |
| RI | 190 | 10.1 | $64,879 | not matched | — |
| NH | 187 | 5.6 | $63,489 | not matched | — |
| SD | 170 | 4.7 | $56,522 | not matched | — |
| ME | 153 | 6.1 | $61,084 | not matched | — |
| MT | 145 | 6.3 | $56,682 | not matched | — |
| ND | 127 | 6.1 | $68,605 | not matched | — |
| HI | 119 | 6.7 | $66,774 | not matched | — |
| WV | 99 | 8.1 | $51,454 | not matched | — |
| VT | 84 | 5.8 | $58,068 | not matched | — |
| WY | 84 | 4.7 | $61,839 | not matched | — |
| DE | 74 | 8.3 | $69,977 | not matched | — |
| AK | 47 | 10.5 | $61,307 | not matched | — |
| DC | 11 | 12.1 | $74,602 | 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.