State rankings

Best States to Own a Business

Indiana has the highest Score (out of 100) (100), followed by Colorado (98) and North Dakota (96). New Mexico has the lowest (2).

Tech & Business50 states · 8 metricsUpdated Apr 10, 2023Original page
1 source
49 of 51 states
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Score (out of 100)

Darker green is better (higher is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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All 49 ranked

Best first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
51
Middle half 27 – 76
Average
51.06
49 states
Highest
100
Indiana
Lowest
2
New Mexico

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

50 states · # = rank by Score (out of 100)
#
1Indiana1001st32
2Colorado982nd31
3North Dakota963rd30
4Pennsylvania944th30
5South Dakota925th29
6North Carolina906th29
7Montana887th29
8Illinois868th29
9Ohio849th29
10Delaware8210th28
11Connecticut8011th28
12California7812th27
13Massachusetts7613th27
14New Hampshire7414th27
15Missouri7115th26
16Mississippi6916th25
17Hawaii6717th25
18Virginia6518th25
19South Carolina6319th25
20Wisconsin6120th24
21Utah5921st24
22Idaho5722nd24
23Rhode Island5523rd24
24West Virginia5324th24
25Washington5125th24
26Alabama4926th24
27New Jersey4727th23
28Arizona4528th23
29Arkansas4329th23
30Georgia4130th23
31Alaska3931st23
32Nebraska3732nd22
33Minnesota3533rd22
34Texas3334th22
35Iowa3135th22
36Wyoming2936th22
37Louisiana2737th22
38Maine2538th22
39Maryland2239th21
40Tennessee2040th21
41Kansas1841st21
42Oklahoma1642nd21
43Kentucky1443rd21
44Nevada1244th21
45Florida1045th21
46Oregon846th19
47Michigan647th19
48Vermont448th17
49New Mexico249th16
—New York—50th16

What correlates with Score (out of 100)?

Pearson r against 2,095 other state metrics sharing at least 30 states, 2 near-identical series hidden. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Score (out of 100) tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Weighted ScoreEntrepreneur-Friendly States
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot
  2. Financial AccessibilityEntrepreneur-Friendly States
    r = +0.71 · very strong · n = 47
    Plot
  3. Estimated Civil War DeathsCivil War Casualties by State
    r = +0.48 · moderate · n = 32
    Plot
  4. Business ClimateEntrepreneur-Friendly States
    r = +0.44 · moderate · n = 49
    Plot
  5. NAEP Math ScoresBest States for Education
    r = +0.44 · moderate · n = 49
    Plot
  6. Overall RankWorst States to RetireA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = +0.41 · moderate · n = 49
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Score (out of 100) tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Married (Both Spouses Applying) (MWHCBSMarried)Medicaid Income Limits by State
    r = −0.46 · moderate · n = 44
    Plot
  2. MWHC Single/Married (one spouse)Medicaid Asset Limits by State
    r = −0.41 · moderate · n = 47
    Plot
  3. MWHC Married (both spouses)Medicaid Asset Limits by State
    r = −0.41 · moderate · n = 47
    Plot
  4. Single or Married (One Spouse Applying)Medicaid Income Limits by State
    r = −0.40 · moderate · n = 45
    Plot
  5. Messages on MultimediaChatGPT Usage by State
    r = −0.40 · moderate · n = 49
    Plot
  6. Black Alone or in Combination % VotedVoters by Race by State
    r = −0.39 · moderate · n = 47
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Score (out of 100)?
Indiana has the highest Score (out of 100), at 100, followed by Colorado (98) and North Dakota (96).
Which state has the lowest Score (out of 100)?
New Mexico has the lowest Score (out of 100), at 2.
What is the median Score (out of 100) across US states?
The median is 51 across the 49 US states with data.
Where does this best states to own a business data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Forbes Advisor.

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