How hard is it
to get licensed?
Compare education hours, exam requirements, fees, and reciprocity for 97 regulated professions across all 50 states + DC, direct from state licensing boards.
- Professions
- 97
- States + DC
- 51
- Requirement records
- 4,947
- Categories
- 15
Across 97 professions and 4,947 state×profession requirement rows, California ranks #1 on the licensing-burden index (score 28.5) while New Hampshire ranks #49 (score 65.0). 54.9% of rows are board-confirmed rather than category estimates. Lower burden score means heavier documented barriers on the same 97-profession grid, not fewer titles.
Interstate compact passport
Enacted member counts from the live compact_members table (290 state×compact seats across 8 tracked compacts). Each stamp opens the covered profession, not a second reciprocity estimate.
- Stamp 01 · 2019 PSYPACT 42 enacted states
- Stamp 02 · 2000 Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) 39 enacted states
- Stamp 03 · 2017 Interstate Medical Licensure Compact 38 enacted states
- Stamp 04 · 2017 Physical Therapy Compact 37 enacted states
- Stamp 05 · 2021 Audiology & SLP Compact 35 enacted states
- Stamp 06 · 2021 Occupational Therapy Compact 35 enacted states
- Stamp 07 · 2022 Counseling Compact 33 enacted states
- Stamp 08 · 2017 EMS Compact (REPLICA) 31 enacted states
Full compact membership bars also live on /statistics. Verify current board rules before relying on a compact privilege.
Where the licensing mass sits
Category counts and the board-confirmed share use the same requirements snapshot as the hero KPIs, not a second query.
Browse by Category
Most burdensome states
All state burden rankingsStates with the most burdensome occupational licensing requirements (lower score = more burdensome)
Least burdensome states
Full licensing burden indexStates with fewer occupational licensing burdens (higher score = less burdensome)
In-demand licensing lookups
These profession hubs collect the most search interest for state-specific licensing paths. Each link opens the nationwide requirement table for that title (estimate URLs consolidate here).
- Casino/Gaming Dealer licensing requirements by state Miscellaneous · 51 jurisdictions
- Debt Collector licensing requirements by state Finance · 51 jurisdictions
- Dental Assistant licensing requirements by state Healthcare · 51 jurisdictions
- Hearing Aid Specialist licensing requirements by state Healthcare · 51 jurisdictions
- Farrier / Horseshoer licensing requirements by state Animal Care · 51 jurisdictions
- Tax Preparer licensing requirements by state Finance · 51 jurisdictions
- Professional Geologist licensing requirements by state Engineering · 51 jurisdictions
- Substitute Teacher licensing requirements by state Education · 51 jurisdictions
Popular Professions
Browse all 97 licensed professionsAmusement Ride Operator
MiscellaneousOperates carnival and amusement rides. Licensed for safety.
Compare requirements →Animal Breeder
Animal CareBreeds animals for sale. Licensed in many states for animal welfare.
Compare requirements →Arborist / Tree Surgeon
AgricultureProvides tree care services. Licensed in some states and cities.
Compare requirements →Armed Security Guard
Legal & SecurityProvides security services with authorization to carry a firearm.
Compare requirements →Athletic Agent
MiscellaneousRepresents athletes in negotiations. Registered in ~40 states.
Compare requirements →Athletic Trainer
HealthcarePrevents and treats injuries for athletes. Requires BOC examination.
Compare requirements →Auctioneer
MiscellaneousConducts auctions for the sale of goods and property.
Compare requirements →Barber
CosmetologyCuts and styles hair. Licensed in all 50 states and DC.
Compare requirements →Bartender / Alcohol Server
Food & HospitalityPrepares and serves alcoholic beverages in licensed establishments.
Compare requirements →Learn About Occupational Licensing
From license reciprocity to state-by-state burden rankings, our guides help you navigate professional licensing requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PlainCredential?
PlainCredential is a free tool for comparing occupational licensing requirements across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. It helps workers and job seekers understand what credentials they need to work legally in their profession.
Where does PlainCredential get its licensing data?
Data is compiled from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the Institute for Justice (IJ) License to Work research, supplemented by verification against individual state licensing board websites.
How many professions does PlainCredential cover?
PlainCredential tracks licensing requirements for 97 professions across 51 jurisdictions (50 states + D.C.), covering 4,947 individual licensing requirement records.
Is PlainCredential free?
Yes, PlainCredential is completely free. You can look up licensing requirements for any covered profession in any state without any account or payment.
Related Guides
Editorial context for the plaincredential dataset, methodology, comparisons, and deep dives into the underlying records.
Research
Original analysis from PlainCredential, every statistic derived from our own database. See all research.
Healthcare Licensing Across 26 Professions
A breakdown of licensing thresholds, education hours, and renewal cycles across 26 Healthcare-category professions (1,326 requirement rows), drawn from NCSL and IJ jurisdiction data.
ResearchAggregated Licensing Burdens in 15 Southern States
Regional burden comparison for the same 97 tracked professions across 15 Southern states, with cohort requirement rows read live from the licensing database.
ResearchLicensing Breakdown for 26 Healthcare Professions
Education hours, fees, and CE demands across 26 Healthcare professions in 51 jurisdictions (1,326 rows), including RN Alabama vs Alaska comparisons.
About this data
How PlainCredential works, and why you can trust these numbers
What this site is
PlainCredential compares occupational licensing requirements (education hours, exam requirements, fees, and reciprocity) for 97 professions across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., 4,947 individual licensing requirement records in all.
Editorial process
- Source. Compile licensing requirements from the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Institute for Justice License to Work research.
- Verify. Each requirement is checked against the relevant state licensing board website to confirm it reflects the board’s current published rule.
- Publish. Compile a per-profession, per-state page with education hours, exam requirements, fees, and reciprocity, so readers can compare requirements before relocating or entering a profession.
Editorial independence & corrections
PlainCredential is independent and accepts no payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from any licensing board or professional association. Found an error or an outdated requirement? File a correction via the contact page; we review corrections and publish updates with a visible revision note. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
Frequently asked
What is PlainCredential?
PlainCredential is a free tool for comparing occupational licensing requirements across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. It helps workers and job seekers understand what credentials they need to work legally in their profession.
Where does PlainCredential get its licensing data?
Data is compiled from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the Institute for Justice (IJ) License to Work research, supplemented by verification against individual state licensing board websites.
How many professions does PlainCredential cover?
PlainCredential tracks licensing requirements for 97 professions across 51 jurisdictions (50 states + D.C.), covering 4,947 individual licensing requirement records.
Is PlainCredential free?
Yes, PlainCredential is completely free. You can look up licensing requirements for any covered profession in any state without any account or payment.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Institute for Justice, the August 2026 PlainCredential registry contains 4,947 state licensing requirement records; see the methodology.
Download the jurisdiction snapshot (same CSV as /statistics): licensing-statistics.csv (CC BY 4.0).