Indiana licenses 37 of the 102 lower-income occupations studied here. Its licensing laws rank as the 26th most burdensome because Indiana’s barriers to entry average $163 in fees, 323 days lost to education and experience, and approximately one exam. Indiana ranks as the 44th most broadly and onerously licensed state for lower-income workers, making it better than most but still leaving ample room for improvement.
Indiana licenses several occupations that are not licensed by other states, such as veterinary technicians (licensed by 36 states), auctioneers (30 states), sign language interpreters (22 states), taxi drivers and chauffeurs (16 states), and bartenders (13 states). Among those, sign language interpreters in Indiana face particularly steep burdens of more than four years of education, two exams and $725 in fees.
Indiana also imposes burdens on some occupations that seem excessive compared to those for other occupations that may present greater risks to the public. For example, in Indiana, it is harder to become a manicurist than it is to become an EMT. EMTs need only about 37 days (160 hours) of education, while manicurists need around 105 days (450 hours) of education. Indiana should consider whether this and other heavy licensing burdens can be reduced, repealed or—if government regulation is necessary—replaced with less restrictive regulatory alternatives.
Burden Rank | Occupation | States Licensed | Fees | Estimated Calendar Days Lost | Education | Experience | Exams | Min. Grade | Min. Age |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Midwife, Direct Entry | 28 | $1000 | 2695 | 3 years | 80 births | 1 | 12 | 21 |
2 | Preschool Teacher, Public School | 50 | $478 | 2190 | 4 years and 2 years | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
3 | Interpreter, Sign Language | 22 | $725 * | 1469 * | 4 years and 40 clock hours * | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
4 | Athletic Trainer | 49 | $394 | 1460 | 4 years | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
5 | Veterinary Technician | 36 | $392 | 730 | 2 years | 2 | 12 | 18 | |
6 | School Bus Driver | 51 | $153 | 370 | 20 clock hours | 1 years and 12 clock hours | 6 | 0 | 21 |
7 | Bus Driver, City/Transit | 51 | $153 | 365 | 1 years | 5 | 0 | 21 | |
8 | Truck Driver, Tractor-Trailer | 51 | $153 | 365 | 1 years | 5 | 0 | 18 | |
9 | Cosmetologist | 51 | $92 | 350 | 1500 clock hours | 1 | 10 | 18 | |
10 | Truck Driver, Other | 51 | $153 | 365 | 1 years | 4 | 0 | 18 | |
11 | Barber | 51 | $84 | 350 | 1500 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
12 | Mobile Home Installer | 39 | $150 | 366 | 8 clock hours | 1 year(s) | 0 | 0 | 18 |
13 | Taxi Driver/Chauffeur | 16 | $19 | 365 | 1 years | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
14 | Makeup Artist | 41 | $92 | 163 | 700 clock hours | 1 | 10 | 18 | |
14 | Skin Care Specialist | 50 | $92 | 163 | 700 clock hours | 1 | 10 | 18 | |
16 | Manicurist | 50 | $92 | 105 | 450 clock hours | 1 | 8 | 18 | |
17 | Pharmacy Technician | 44 | $193 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 18 | ||
18 | Emergency Medical Technician | 51 | $80 | 37 | 160 clock hours | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
19 | Child Care Home, Family | 44 | $52 | 1 | 7.5 clock hours | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
20 | Auctioneer | 30 | $105 | 19 | 80 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
21 | Gaming Cage Worker | 29 | $250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
21 | Gaming Dealer | 28 | $250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
23 | Earth Driller, Water Well | 51 | $125 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | ||
24 | Bartender | 13 | $45 | 0 | 2 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 19 | |
25 | Gaming Supervisor | 30 | $100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
25 | Slot Supervisor | 28 | $100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||
27 | Vegetation Pesticide Applicator | 51 | $90 | 3 | 16 clock hours | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
28 | Bill Collection Agency | 31 | $100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
29 | Pest Control Applicator | 51 | $90 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
30 | Milk Sampler | 42 | $0 | 2 | 1 days | 1 days | 1 | 0 | 0 |
31 | Wildlife Control Operator | 23 | $0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
32 | Travel Guide | 37 | $100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
33 | Landscape Contractor (Commercial) | 47 | $50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
33 | Landscape Contractor (Residential) | 48 | $50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
35 | Fisher, Commercial | 43 | $20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
36 | Taxidermist | 28 | $15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
37 | Coach, Head (High School Sports) | 48 * | $0 | 0 | 1 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 0 |