Regulatory Impact Analysis

California Regulations per Worker

Key Numbers:

  • Total California regulations: 156,266 sections
  • Full-time workers in California: 15,126,000

Ratio of Regulations to Workers:

  • 156,266 ÷ 15,126,000 = 0.0103 regulations per worker
  • Or approximately 1 regulation for every 97 full-time workers

This calculation represents the regulatory density across California's workforce, with regulations spanning 29 California Codes covering areas from Business and Professions to Welfare and Institutions.

Federal Regulations per Worker

Key Numbers:

  • Full-time workers: 133,510,000
  • Total CFR sections: Over 700,000 regulatory entries
  • Annual new regulations: 4,000

Current Ratio:

  • Total regulations per worker: 700,000 ÷ 133,510,000 = 0.00524 regulations per worker
  • Or approximately 1 regulation for every 191 full-time workers

Annual Addition Rate:

  • New regulations per worker annually: 4,000 ÷ 133,510,000 = 0.00003 new regulations per worker
  • Or approximately 1 new regulation for every 33,378 workers

These calculations represent the regulatory burden across the 50 titles of the Code of Federal Regulations that cover all areas of federal regulation.

California Regulatory Burden Per Worker

Federal Costs

$99,948

Based on $1.939 trillion total federal costs

State Costs

$25,412

Based on $492.994 billion total state costs

Total Economic Impact Per Worker: $125,360

*State-level costs based on 2009 data; current burden likely higher

Sources

[1] Ten Thousand Commandments Report 2023 - CEI Report

[2] NAM Study 2023 - NAM Report

[3] Cost of Regulation Study - Clean Water SoCal

[4] California Labor Force Data - YCharts

[5] Mercatus Center California Regulatory Snapshot - Mercatus