Occupational licensing · profession coverage

Which professions are licensed almost everywhere?

Compare the occupations that states regulate most consistently, then open a profession to see the state-by-state rule behind its national coverage.

Computed from current state licensing-board requirement records

Professions shown
60
Universal licenses
60
Categories compared
14
Jurisdictions
51 incl. D.C.
# Profession CategoryStates Requiring LicenseCoverageBoard-confirmed
1 Amusement Ride Operator Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Miscellaneous 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
2 Animal Breeder Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Animal Care 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
3 Arborist / Tree Surgeon Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Agriculture 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
4 Armed Security Guard Legal & Security 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
5 Athletic Agent Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Miscellaneous 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
6 Athletic Trainer Healthcare 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
7 Auctioneer 14 of 51 state figures are category estimates Miscellaneous 51 / 51 100% 37 / 51
8 Barber Cosmetology 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
9 Bartender / Alcohol Server Food & Hospitality 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
10 Body Piercer Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Cosmetology 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
11 Casino/Gaming Dealer Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Miscellaneous 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
12 Certified Nurse-Midwife Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Healthcare 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
13 Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Finance 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
14 Chauffeur / Limousine Driver Transportation 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
15 Childcare Center Director Education 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
16 Commercial Truck Driver (CDL) Transportation 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
17 Cosmetologist Cosmetology 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
18 Court Reporter / Stenographer Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Legal & Security 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
19 Debt Collector Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Finance 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
20 Dental Assistant Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Healthcare 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
21 Dental Hygienist Healthcare 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
22 Dietetic Technician Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Healthcare 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
23 Electrician Construction 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
24 Electrologist 11 of 51 state figures are category estimates Cosmetology 51 / 51 100% 40 / 51
25 Elementary School Teacher Education 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
26 Elevator Installer Construction 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
27 Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Healthcare 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
28 Esthetician 8 of 51 state figures are category estimates Cosmetology 51 / 51 100% 43 / 51
29 Farrier / Horseshoer Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Animal Care 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
30 Fire Sprinkler Installer Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Construction 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
31 Food Handler / Food Safety Certification Food & Hospitality 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
32 Funeral Director / Embalmer Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Cosmetology 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
33 General Contractor Construction 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
34 Glazier Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Construction 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
35 Hair Braider Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Cosmetology 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
36 Hearing Aid Specialist Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Healthcare 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
37 Home Health Aide Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Healthcare 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
38 Home Inspector Real Estate 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
39 HVAC Technician Construction 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
40 Insurance Agent Finance 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
41 Interior Designer Design 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
42 Land Surveyor Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Construction 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
43 Landscape Architect Design 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
44 Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Mental Health 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
45 Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Healthcare 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
46 Licensed Professional Counselor Mental Health 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
47 Locksmith Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Construction 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
48 Marriage and Family Therapist Mental Health 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
49 Massage Therapist 5 of 51 state figures are category estimates Cosmetology 51 / 51 100% 46 / 51
50 Medical Assistant Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Healthcare 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
51 Medical Lab Technician Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Healthcare 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
52 Mobile Home Installer Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Construction 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
53 Mortgage Loan Originator Finance 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
54 Nail Technician 10 of 51 state figures are category estimates Cosmetology 51 / 51 100% 41 / 51
55 Notary Public Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Legal & Security 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
56 Occupational Therapist Healthcare 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
57 Optician (Dispensing) Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Healthcare 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
58 Optometrist Healthcare 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51
59 Painter (Contractor) Category estimate: no state board figure confirmed yet Construction 51 / 51 100% 0 / 51
60 Paramedic Healthcare 51 / 51 100% 51 / 51

Board-confirmed counts the state rows backed by a state licensing board figure. 26 of the 60 professions shown have none yet and 5 more have some, so a count in this table can rest on category-average placeholders rather than confirmed board data. Marked rows are directional; see the methodology limitations.

Out of 51 jurisdictions (50 states + Washington D.C.). A profession appearing in all 51 has a universal licensing requirement across the U.S. Source: State licensing board databases and Institute for Justice License to Work research.

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 NCSL and state licensing board data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.