About PlainCredential

Our Mission

PlainCredential exists because workers, students, and employers deserve clear, comparable data about occupational licensing requirements, without having to navigate 50 different state licensing board websites. We believe that licensing data collected and mandated by government should be easy for the public to access and compare.

We cover 97 professions and all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, giving you the data you need to compare states, plan a career, or navigate a license transfer. Our goal is to make the complexity of state-by-state licensing transparent, so the rules are visible to the people they affect.

Our Data

All data is sourced from authoritative public sources:

• NCSL Occupational Licensing Database - National Conference of State Legislatures' comprehensive database of state licensing requirements by profession
• Institute for Justice License to Work (3rd Edition, 2022) - The most comprehensive academic analysis of occupational licensing burden in the US, covering 102 lower-income occupations across all 50 states and DC
• State Licensing Boards - Official fee schedules, education hour requirements, and exam policies from individual state boards

What We Cover

For each profession-state combination, we display:

• Required education and training hours
• Exam requirements
• Application and renewal fees
• Renewal periods and continuing education requirements
• Criminal background check requirements
• State burden rankings and comparisons

State Burden Scores

Our burden score (0–100) is a composite measure derived from the Institute for Justice's License to Work methodology, incorporating average education hours, fees, exam requirements, and the breadth of licensed professions in each state. A higher score indicates more restrictive licensing requirements.

Data Currency

PlainCredential currently displays licensing data compiled from the NCSL Occupational Licensing Database and the Institute for Justice License to Work (3rd Edition, 2022), supplemented with direct research from state licensing board websites. The data reflects requirements as of the most recent review date for each state-profession combination.

Licensing requirements change when state legislatures pass new laws or licensing boards update their rules. We review and update data on a rolling basis, with priority given to states and professions where legislative changes are known to have occurred. However, there is always a lag between a legislative change and our database update, always verify current requirements directly with the relevant state licensing board before making career or relocation decisions.

Editorial Independence

Content on PlainCredential is compiled by PlainCredential. Raw data from the NCSL Occupational Licensing Database, the Institute for Justice License to Work study, and state licensing boards is transformed into readable profession-state profiles by our continuous editorial pipeline, then validated against the source before publication. PlainCredential, operating under PlainCredential is responsible for editorial standards, methodology, and corrections.

We do not accept payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from state licensing boards, trade associations, test-prep companies, or any covered entity. Our only revenue source is contextual display advertising served by Google AdSense, advertisers do not influence which professions or states we cover or how we present data, and they do not receive preferential placement.

Limitations and Disclaimers

PlainCredential is an informational resource. Occupational licensing decisions, where to get licensed, how to transfer a license, whether to pursue a licensed career, involve factors beyond what our database captures.

• Requirements change: State licensing rules can change at any time through legislation or board action. Our data may not reflect the most recent changes in every state-profession combination.
• Local variations: Some professions have additional county or city-level licensing requirements beyond the state level. Our data covers state-level requirements only.
• Burden scores are relative: Our state burden scores are derived from the Institute for Justice methodology and provide a useful comparison tool, but they should not be interpreted as absolute measures of licensing difficulty. Individual circumstances vary.
• Not a licensing authority: PlainCredential cannot grant, verify, or facilitate professional licenses. We are an information portal, not a government agency.

PlainCredential provides information only and does not constitute legal, career, or professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making licensing decisions.

Contact

Questions, data corrections, or feedback? Email us at hello@plaincredential.com.

We welcome:

• Questions about data sources or methodology
• Reports of outdated requirements or errors
• Suggestions for additional professions or data points
• Media and research inquiries

PlainCredential is a data intelligence company that builds free, public-interest data portals from authoritative government and academic datasets.