Washington 5th in small-biz climate rankings

Here's something for Washington to celebrate. Some think small businesses have a better chance of surviving here than in 45 other states.

These days, that's about as positive as business-climate news gets.

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council released its annual rankings of states' public policy climates for small business and entrepreneurship this week. The "small business survival index" surveys taxes, regulatory costs, government spending, property rights, health care and energy costs to evaluate which states are entrepreneur friendly.


Green translates to a good climate for small businesses on this map.
(Courtesy of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council.)

Bottom line? It all comes down to pro-business policy, according to the study's author.

“Policy matters. Most politicians talk a good game when it comes to small business, but their actions don't often match their rhetoric," said Raymond Keating, chief economist for the council . "The ‘small business survival index' gets at the public policy costs and trends that affect – directly or indirectly – entrepreneurship and small businesses. These measures should matter to everyone because small businesses, of course, drive innovation, economic growth and job creation. If we want to get our economy back on a solid, robust growth track, then we need pro-entrepreneur policies at the federal, state and local levels.”

Find out more about the council's take on policy here.

The rankings put South Dakota first, followed by Nevada, Texas, Wyoming and Washington. The listed ended with New York, California, New Jersey and Washington D.C.