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Occupational Licensing in New Jersey

New Jersey requires a licence for 135 of the 246 occupations the Archbridge Institute tracks, against a national median of 124. It ranks 5 of 51 on their index, where 1 is the most burdensome.

Licensed occupations
135
With any entry barrier
171
National rank
#5
In the Middle Atlantic
#1

Moving to New Jersey with a licence

New Jersey recognises out-of-state licences narrowly — graded bronze. Universal recognition is the reform that lets someone already licensed elsewhere practise after moving, instead of repeating the training; 28 of the 51 jurisdictions have some version of it.

Licensed here, rarely elsewhere

These are the occupations New Jersey licenses that few other jurisdictions do — the clearest sign of where its rules go further than the national norm.

Every licensed occupation in New Jersey

All 135, alphabetically. Archbridge tracks 246 occupations in total, so anything absent here is either unlicensed in New Jersey or outside their list.

Where this comes from

The Archbridge Institute's State Occupational Licensing Index 2026, retrieved 2026-09-16. The index records whether an occupation needs a licence — it does not record fees or training hours, so nothing here says what a licence costs or how long it takes. The rank is Archbridge's own and is not part of the FreedomRankings score. Check the relevant New Jersey board before acting on any of it.

More on New Jersey: its freedom score and rank · school choice · homeschool laws