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Where is it easiest to open: All Other Personal Services
51 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 39-2021” (soc) for Animal Caretakers. 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 | 3,130 | 3.9 | $53,709 | not matched | — |
| FL | 3,046 | 2.7 | $35,139 | exam | General Individual Occupational; Professional Individual Occupational |
| NY | 1,709 | 2.9 | $51,444 | licence | Farrier; Groom |
| TX | 1,697 | 4.9 | $52,699 | exam | Racing --Assistant Farrier/Plater/Blac; Racing --Assistant Starter |
| IL | 1,141 | 3.5 | $39,526 | licence | BLACKSMITH FARRIER; EXERCISE PERSON |
| GA | 816 | 3.2 | $32,365 | not matched | — |
| VA | 804 | 3.8 | $33,231 | not matched | — |
| CO | 769 | 2.3 | $32,554 | exam | Occupational Registration (groom, pony; Pet Animal Care and Facilities |
| NC | 713 | 2.8 | $28,889 | licence | Animal Contact Exhibit Permit; Animal Shelter Registration |
| NJ | 689 | 4.4 | $27,729 | licence | GROOM |
| MI | 663 | 3.7 | $32,126 | exam | Horse Racing Occupational License |
| PA | 635 | 3.8 | $31,739 | not matched | — |
| AZ | 623 | 3.0 | $54,944 | not matched | — |
| MA | 586 | 4.4 | $35,860 | licence | HORSE Racing |
| WA | 583 | 3.2 | $35,633 | exam | Animal Massage |
| MD | 507 | 4.6 | $34,418 | not matched | — |
| SC | 474 | 3.2 | $30,384 | not matched | — |
| MN | 471 | 5.1 | $39,114 | licence | Animal Chiropractic Registration; Animal Exhibition Permit |
| OH | 414 | 3.5 | $33,048 | not matched | — |
| NV | 340 | 3.6 | $41,664 | not matched | — |
| MO | 316 | 4.0 | $28,129 | not matched | — |
| UT | 303 | 3.3 | $27,917 | not matched | — |
| IN | 261 | 3.6 | $31,922 | exam | Falconry License |
| TN | 246 | 4.5 | $28,731 | exam | ANIMAL CHEMICAL CAPTURE CERTIFICATION |
| CT | 236 | 3.1 | $41,143 | not matched | — |
| OR | 223 | 6.3 | $35,985 | not matched | — |
| WI | 222 | 4.2 | $29,092 | not matched | — |
| LA | 166 | 2.8 | $33,974 | licence | Horse Racing Occupations (Jockey, Hot |
| HI | 161 | 3.6 | $41,057 | not matched | — |
| OK | 154 | 3.9 | $35,061 | licence | Horse Racing Blacksmith |
| KS | 146 | 3.4 | $29,743 | not matched | — |
| AL | 136 | 2.8 | $29,481 | not matched | — |
| KY | 133 | 3.4 | $29,764 | not matched | — |
| ID | 118 | 2.6 | $33,340 | not matched | — |
| NE | 102 | 2.9 | $28,570 | not matched | — |
| AR | 94 | 2.2 | $29,752 | licence | Horseshoer |
| IA | 93 | 2.7 | $34,965 | not matched | — |
| MT | 86 | 2.4 | $30,746 | not matched | — |
| WY | 82 | 1.9 | $43,138 | not matched | — |
| RI | 81 | 3.0 | $33,717 | not matched | — |
| DC | 78 | 6.6 | $19,350 | not matched | — |
| DE | 68 | 3.0 | $47,449 | not matched | — |
| NH | 66 | 2.6 | $27,272 | not matched | — |
| NM | 62 | 2.4 | $36,014 | not matched | — |
| ME | 60 | 2.0 | $35,361 | licence | Animal Kennels, Boarding; Animal Kennels, Breeding |
| MS | 34 | 3.2 | $33,209 | not matched | — |
| SD | 32 | 3.5 | $30,575 | not matched | — |
| AK | 23 | 1.4 | $33,697 | licence | Animal Facility License/Commercial or |
| ND | 23 | 3.5 | $46,625 | not matched | — |
| VT | 17 | 3.0 | $23,078 | not matched | — |
| WV | 15 | 5.9 | $22,148 | 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.