The Friendliest States for Small Businesses

According to a recent study, some U.S. states are far more friendly and accommodating to small business owners than are others.

The third annual Small Business Friendliness Survey, conducted by Thumbtack, aimed to determine the states and cities that offer regulatory standards and conditions that best accommodate small business owners. According to the small business owners polled, the “keys to a pro-growth environment are ease of compliance with tax and regulatory systems and helpful training programs,” so the importance of what state they’re based in – and what its regulations are – cannot possibly be overstated.

The Thumbtack study found that Utah, Idaho, Texas, Virginia and Louisiana are the highest rated states in the eyes of small business owners across the country. As for cities: Colorado Springs, Colorado, Boise, Idaho, and Houston, Texas took the top three spots. The most important regulatory factor, according to the survey, was the friendliness of professional licensing requirements, followed by the ease with which small business owners could file taxes.

Conversely, California, Rhode Island, and Illinois were ranked the most unfriendly, with Connecticut and New Jersey following closely behind them.

Dane Stangler, vice president of Research and Policy at the Kauffman Foundation, concluded the report by noting that the “economic health of every city and state” is dependent on the performance of small businesses, and thus on the availability of entrepreneur-friendly regulations and standards.

Readers, weigh in below: what’s your experience been with the States listed above? For the full study, click here.