Small Business and Entrepreneurship (SBE) Council has published the state Index for 18 years, which ranks the 50 states according to 47 different policy measures, including a wide array of tax, regulatory and government spending measurements.
The SBE Council created the Small Business Policy Index, which measures the 50 states based on its policy measurements, and then assigns each state a numerical score. The states with the lowest number have the least governmental burdens making it easier for entrepreneurs and small businesses to be successful.
The states that have the most entrepreneur-friendly policies under the “Small Business Policy Index 2013” are: 1) South Dakota with a score of 34.627, 2) Nevada, 3) Texas, 4) Wyoming, 5) Florida, 6) Washington, 7) Alabama, 8) Indiana, 9) Ohio, 10) Utah, 11) Michigan, 12) North Dakota, 13) Arizona 64.590, 14) Colorado, and 15) Virginia.
In contrast, the states with the least friendly policy environments for small businesses are: 40) Rhode Island, 41) Connecticut, 42) Oregon, 43) Iowa, 44) Maine, 45) Minnesota, 46) Hawaii, 47) New York, 48) Vermont, 49) New Jersey, and 50) California. Shockingly, California is ranked last in the Small Business Policy Index despite having the booming Silicon Valley and the 2nd largest city in the United States, Los Angeles.
SBE Council president and CEO Karen Kerrigan said: “Policy reforms that bolster small business startup and growth are mostly being implemented at the state level. The top states on the Small Business Policy Index 2013 are streamlining government and lifting burdens like excessive taxation and regulation.
Kerrigan added: “Governors and state leaders who are serious about improving their entrepreneurial ecosystems are aggressively working to change policies that are harming entrepreneurship and business growth. The White House needs to closely examine what the most successful states are doing to help entrepreneurs. These pro-growth policies, if enacted at the federal level, would make a major difference for U.S. economic growth and competitiveness.”
Last week the Arizona Technology Council released their 2014 Public Policy Guide for its government legislators, mapping out principles and positions to make it easier for lawmakers to draft policies for small businesses.
The “Small Business Policy Index 2013” can be read and downloaded here, with an interactive map and slide show on SBE Council’s website here.
The SBE Council is a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy, research and education group that works to protect small business and promote entrepreneurship, learn more about them here.
