Where is it easiest to open: Religious Organizations
51 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 25-2011” (soc) for Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TX | 14,757 | 10.2 | $28,624 | exam | CHILD-CARE and CHILD-PLACING AGENCY AD |
| CA | 12,378 | 10.1 | $32,674 | not matched | — |
| PA | 9,420 | 7.0 | $25,615 | exam | Early Childhood Instructional |
| FL | 9,407 | 10.6 | $31,282 | exam | Preschool Education (birth through age; Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Ed Pro |
| NC | 8,995 | 7.3 | $26,570 | not matched | — |
| NY | 8,419 | 8.8 | $31,543 | not matched | — |
| OH | 7,911 | 7.6 | $25,147 | not matched | — |
| IL | 7,044 | 8.3 | $29,531 | not matched | — |
| GA | 6,781 | 8.4 | $28,216 | not matched | — |
| VA | 6,206 | 7.5 | $28,672 | not matched | — |
| MI | 5,941 | 7.7 | $27,047 | not matched | — |
| TN | 5,822 | 8.5 | $26,876 | not matched | — |
| IN | 5,296 | 8.3 | $26,051 | not matched | — |
| MO | 4,764 | 8.7 | $27,075 | not matched | — |
| SC | 4,540 | 7.2 | $24,338 | not matched | — |
| AL | 4,524 | 8.5 | $24,048 | not matched | — |
| NJ | 4,141 | 8.0 | $29,099 | not matched | — |
| MN | 4,035 | 8.2 | $26,855 | not matched | — |
| WI | 3,884 | 8.7 | $25,639 | exam | EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER |
| WA | 3,569 | 8.1 | $30,954 | not matched | — |
| MD | 3,355 | 8.2 | $33,519 | not matched | — |
| OK | 3,332 | 8.2 | $25,064 | not matched | — |
| KY | 3,250 | 7.3 | $26,143 | not matched | — |
| IA | 2,948 | 5.9 | $23,126 | not matched | — |
| LA | 2,929 | 9.3 | $24,942 | exam | Teacher, Primary and Secondary Certifi |
| MA | 2,879 | 7.9 | $32,732 | not matched | — |
| CO | 2,838 | 11.5 | $33,725 | not matched | — |
| MS | 2,834 | 6.3 | $21,565 | not matched | — |
| AR | 2,635 | 7.0 | $24,151 | exam | Birth-PreKindergarten |
| KS | 2,606 | 7.4 | $23,745 | exam | Educator - Type 1 (Elementary/Preschoo |
| OR | 2,408 | 7.5 | $26,589 | not matched | — |
| AZ | 2,305 | 9.2 | $30,862 | licence | PreK-12 Teaching |
| CT | 1,574 | 6.9 | $28,626 | not matched | — |
| NE | 1,543 | 7.9 | $25,350 | not matched | — |
| WV | 1,509 | 4.6 | $21,992 | not matched | — |
| NM | 1,050 | 7.3 | $26,695 | not matched | — |
| SD | 891 | 6.0 | $23,327 | licence | Birth to Age-8 Instructor; School Teacher, Pre-Kindergarten |
| MT | 810 | 5.4 | $22,788 | not matched | — |
| ID | 748 | 8.6 | $26,791 | not matched | — |
| ME | 718 | 5.3 | $24,331 | not matched | — |
| ND | 703 | 6.1 | $26,036 | licence | Early Childhood Services (Preschool Ed |
| NH | 664 | 5.4 | $26,404 | licence | Child Care Program Teacher |
| NV | 594 | 9.8 | $33,662 | not matched | — |
| HI | 569 | 7.4 | $30,278 | not matched | — |
| DE | 563 | 6.5 | $29,565 | exam | School Early Care and Education (0-K) |
| DC | 485 | 10.4 | $48,386 | not matched | — |
| RI | 479 | 5.6 | $27,218 | not matched | — |
| WY | 412 | 5.0 | $24,091 | not matched | — |
| UT | 391 | 58.3 | $57,171 | not matched | — |
| VT | 382 | 4.7 | $22,837 | exam | Child Care Provider; Educator |
| AK | 377 | 5.8 | $28,321 | licence | Child Care and Educational Center in M; Child Care Provider (Center) |
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.