America’s Most Small Business Friendly Places

An interesting new ranking of state small business friendliness was released last week by Thumbtack, a new web service that helps users find local services like roofers or plumbers.   The rankings were developed with support from the Kauffman Foundation, and combine data assessments with results from surveys of small business owners that assess small business optimism and local views of the business climate.  Top performing A+ states include:  Idaho, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.  The bottom states earning F grades include:  California, Hawaii,  Rhode Island and Vermont.   The site also ranks the largest metro areas with Oklahama City and several Texas metros (Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio) ranking well.  Meanwhile, Tuscon and some Califronia metros (Los Angeles, Sacremento, San Diego) are deemed among the least small business friendly cities.   This interesting new assessment is worth a look–especially if you’re also in the market for a plumber or handyman!