Data Methodology

Primary Data Sources

PlainCredential draws from three primary references for occupational licensing data:

• NCSL Occupational Licensing Database - The National Conference of State Legislatures' comprehensive database of occupational licensing requirements by profession and state. Covers statutes and regulations for licensed occupations across all 50 states and D.C.
• Institute for Justice License to Work (3rd Edition, 2022) - The most comprehensive academic study of occupational licensing burden in the U.S., covering 102 lower-income occupations across all 50 states and D.C. Includes quantified burden metrics: education hours, fees, exams, and experience requirements.
• State Licensing Boards - Official fee schedules, education hour requirements, exam requirements, and renewal policies sourced directly from individual state licensing board websites. Workforce context data is cross-checked against the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program and the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. Federal occupational classification follows the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system maintained by the BLS.

Data Vintage

The Institute for Justice License to Work 3rd Edition reflects data collected through 2022. NCSL database records are updated periodically. State board data is reviewed when significant changes are identified. Occupational licensing requirements change through legislative sessions, always verify current requirements with the relevant state board before making career decisions.

Processing Pipeline

1. Licensing data is collected from NCSL and IJ sources and organized by occupation-state combination.
2. Education hours, fees, exam requirements, and renewal periods are normalized to comparable units across states.
3. State burden scores (0–100) are computed using the IJ License to Work composite methodology, incorporating average education hours required, fees, exam requirements, and breadth of licensed occupations.
4. State-level comparisons are computed for all 97 covered professions.
5. All data is loaded into a structured SQLite database serving profession profiles, state pages, and comparison tools.

State Burden Score Methodology

The burden score (0–100) is a composite measure derived from the Institute for Justice's License to Work methodology. Higher scores indicate more restrictive licensing requirements. Components include:

• Average education and training hours required
• Average fees (application + exam + renewal)
• Frequency of exam requirements
• Breadth of regulated occupations in the state

Coverage

• Professions: 97 occupations including healthcare, trades, cosmetology, education, and professional services
• Geographies: All 50 states plus D.C. (51 jurisdictions)
• Data points per combination: Education hours, exam requirements, fees, renewal periods, criminal background checks, and state ranking

How We Research Licensing Data

Occupational licensing data is gathered from three tiers of sources. The Institute for Justice License to Work study provides the most systematically collected quantitative data, covering 102 occupations across all 50 states plus D.C. with standardized burden metrics. The NCSL database provides broader coverage of licensed occupations with regulatory details. State licensing board websites provide the most current fee schedules, education hour requirements, and exam specifications for individual professions.

When data from different sources conflicts, we prioritize in this order: (1) state licensing board websites (most current), (2) NCSL database (comprehensive), (3) Institute for Justice study (most systematically quantified). Where a state licensing board has recently changed its requirements, the board's own website takes precedence over older published studies.

Data Accuracy Commitment

PlainCredential presents licensing data as accurately as possible based on the sources described above. Requirements change through legislative sessions, administrative rulemaking, and board policy changes. We encourage users to verify current requirements directly with the relevant state licensing board before making career or relocation decisions. If you find any information that appears outdated or incorrect, please contact us at hello@plaincredential.com so we can investigate and update.

Limitations

• Licensing requirements change frequently through legislative sessions. Data may not reflect very recent changes.
• Some professions have multiple license types within a state, we present the most common or entry-level pathway.
• PlainCredential is not a licensing authority and cannot grant, verify, or facilitate professional licenses.
• Always verify requirements directly with the state licensing board before making career or relocation decisions.
• Category-level estimates: Roughly 45% of profession-state combinations in our dataset (about 2,230 of 4,947) do not yet have a confirmed, state-board-sourced figure and instead show a category-average estimate (e.g. a typical Healthcare-category education-hour and fee figure) as a placeholder until we complete state-by-state verification for that profession. We are working through this backlog; treat any figure for a lesser-known profession as directional rather than confirmed, and always check the state board's own site before relying on it.