Occupational licensing · education requirements

Which licenses demand the most training?

Averages drawn from every reporting state, not a hand-picked list. Compare apprenticeship and clinical paths before treating two reported hour totals as the same kind of training.

Averages are computed from state licensing-board requirement records

Professions ranked
10
Highest average
5,919 hrs
Requirement records
4,947
Data vintage
2026-05-15
What the data actually shows: the top 10 is not a healthcare sweep. 4 of the top 10 slots go to skilled trades (electrician, plumber, elevator installer) whose apprenticeship-style licensing counts cumulative classroom-plus-on-the-job hours over several years, which lands them alongside 6 healthcare/mental-health/animal-care professions with doctoral-style academic + clinical training. Reported hours are not directly comparable across licensing models, an apprenticeship hour and a supervised-clinical-practice hour are counted the same way in the underlying state data, but they are not the same kind of training.

Top 10 by pre-licensure education hours

Average hours required across reporting states

  1. 1
    Psychologist 5,919 hrs
    Mental Health
  2. 2
    Electrician 5,837 hrs
    Construction
  3. 3
    Elevator Installer 5,837 hrs
    Construction
  4. 4
    Plumber 5,837 hrs
    Construction
  5. 5
    Veterinarian 4,919 hrs
    Animal Care
  6. 6
    Pharmacist 4,689 hrs
    Healthcare
  7. 7
    Optometrist 4,459 hrs
    Healthcare
  8. 8
    HVAC Technician 3,837 hrs
    Construction
  9. 9
    Physician Assistant 3,689 hrs
    Healthcare
  10. 10
    Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) 3,459 hrs
    Mental Health

Source NCSL Occupational Licensing Database and Institute for Justice License to Work, 3rd Edition (2022) · 2026-05-15

The bar to make this top 10

Where the cutoff sits among all professions with reported education-hour data

3,459 Top 19% higher than 81% of 47 professions

professions with reported education-hour data, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more professions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source NCSL Occupational Licensing Database · 2026-05-15

# Profession CategoryAvg. HoursRangeStates Reporting
1 Psychologist Mental Health 5,919 5,000–6,973 51
2 Electrician Construction 5,837 4,000–7,946 51
3 Elevator Installer Construction 5,837 4,000–7,946 51
4 Plumber Construction 5,837 4,000–7,946 51
5 Veterinarian Animal Care 4,919 4,000–5,973 51
6 Pharmacist Healthcare 4,689 4,000–5,480 51
7 Optometrist Healthcare 4,459 4,000–4,986 51
8 HVAC Technician Construction 3,837 2,000–5,946 51
9 Physician Assistant Healthcare 3,689 3,000–4,480 51
10 Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Mental Health 3,459 3,000–3,986 51

Hours don't buy a discount on the fee

All professions with reported data: avg training hours vs. avg initial licensing fee

0 hrs1553.7 hrs3107.5 hrs4661.2 hrs6214.9 hrs$29.2$116.1$203$289.9$376.8Avg training hoursAvg initial fee ($)Armed Security Guard, Avg training hours: 41 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $128Athletic Trainer, Avg training hours: 2959 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $142Auctioneer, Avg training hours: 135 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $152Barber, Avg training hours: 1230 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $92Bartender / Alcohol Server, Avg training hours: 2 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $50Chauffeur / Limousine Driver, Avg training hours: 18 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $80Childcare Center Director, Avg training hours: 55 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $105Commercial Truck Driver (CDL), Avg training hours: 233 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $103Cosmetologist, Avg training hours: 1276 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $104Dental Hygienist, Avg training hours: 2959 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $201Electrician, Avg training hours: 5837 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $131Electrologist, Avg training hours: 609 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $112Elevator Installer, Avg training hours: 5837 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $188Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Avg training hours: 157 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $94Esthetician, Avg training hours: 628 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $95Food Handler / Food Safety Certification, Avg training hours: 3 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $45Home Inspector, Avg training hours: 99 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $196HVAC Technician, Avg training hours: 3837 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $105Insurance Agent, Avg training hours: 48 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $126Interior Designer, Avg training hours: 0 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $50Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Avg training hours: 3459 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $155Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Avg training hours: 1230 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $132Licensed Professional Counselor, Avg training hours: 2959 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $147Marriage and Family Therapist, Avg training hours: 2959 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $178Massage Therapist, Avg training hours: 659 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $119Mortgage Loan Originator, Avg training hours: 20 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $361Nail Technician, Avg training hours: 425 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $85Occupational Therapist, Avg training hours: 3459 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $178Optometrist, Avg training hours: 4459 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $270Paramedic, Avg training hours: 1567 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $142Pest Control Applicator, Avg training hours: 18 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $105Pharmacist, Avg training hours: 4689 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $215Physical Therapist, Avg training hours: 3459 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $201Physician Assistant, Avg training hours: 3689 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $238Plumber, Avg training hours: 5837 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $154Private Investigator, Avg training hours: 2777 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $211Process Server, Avg training hours: 26 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $168Psychologist, Avg training hours: 5919 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $284Radiologic Technologist, Avg training hours: 2122 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $142Real Estate Agent / Salesperson, Avg training hours: 104 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $154Real Estate Broker, Avg training hours: 156 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $211Registered Nurse, Avg training hours: 2459 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $155Respiratory Therapist, Avg training hours: 1959 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $142School Bus Driver, Avg training hours: 77 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $80Speech-Language Pathologist, Avg training hours: 3459 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $201Veterinarian, Avg training hours: 4919 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $284Veterinary Technician, Avg training hours: 1959 hrs · Avg initial fee ($): $142Little training, real feeYears of training, modest fee

Methodology Notes

Averages are computed live by grouping every state-profession requirement record with a non-null education-hours figure by profession, then averaging within each profession. The range column shows the lowest and highest state-reported figure for that profession; large ranges usually reflect states that count differently (for example, whether a degree program's total credit hours are converted 1:1 into "education hours" or only clinical/apprenticeship hours are counted). This ranking reflects hours as currently recorded in our database and does not distinguish classroom hours from supervised on-the-job or apprenticeship hours, both are summed under a single figure per state.

Caveats and Limitations

Reported hours exclude post-licensure continuing education and can differ in how a state's licensing board defines a countable "hour." Some professions license under different names in different states, and some states report a range or a degree requirement rather than a granular hour count, in those cases the requirement record uses the board's own stated figure. Users should verify current requirements with the relevant state licensing board before relying on a specific number. See the full profession directory for state-by-state detail.

Compiled from official public sources by the publisher.

Every figure on PlainCredential is rendered directly from NCSL and state occupational- licensing board data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on PlainCredential's own licensing-requirements database, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.