 |
|
ABOUT THE CHAMBER
 MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION WEEKLY UPDATE ECONOMIC SURVEY CHAMBER CALENDAR
BUSINESS ADVOCACY BUSINESS DIRECTORY CITY & COUNTY INFO COMMUNITY RESOURCES CONTACT US MEMBER LOGIN! HOME
|
News and Events
[View All]
Small Business survival index 2009 ranks State Policy Climates for EntrepreneurshipFor Immediate Release December 1,2009 SBE COUNCIL15th Anniversary 1994 - 2009 Contact: Raymond J. Keating703-242-5840 or 631-909-1122 Small Business Survival Index 2009 Ranks State Policy Climates for Entrepreneurship Oakton, VA - The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) today released its 14th annual rankings of the states according to their public policy climates for small business and entrepreneurship in the "Small Business Survival Index 2009: Ranking the Policy Environment for Entrepreneurship Across the Nation." (Access the SBSI 2009 map of the states by clicking here, or visiting http://sbecouncil.org/survivalindex2009/.)SBE Council chief economist Raymond J. Keating, author of the study, said: "It's hard to find any good news at the national level for entrepreneurs, small business and their employees. The U.S. economy slipped into a recession in December 2007, with matters getting far worse late last year. Congress and the White House have not offered positive solutions to help the job-creating sector. In fact, most of their actions will hurt, not help, small businesses. But what about the states? The 'Small Business Survival Index' helps business owners and investors understand the public policy burdens placed on entrepreneurship and small business, with the states ranked accordingly." Keating continued: "Policy matters. Most politicians talk a good game when it comes to small business, but their actions don't often match their rhetoric. 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." The "Small Business Survival Index" is the most comprehensive measure of which states are truly friendly to small business, and which are not in terms of public policy decisions. The factors included in the Index - taxes, various regulatory costs, government spending, property rights, health care and energy costs, and much more - matter a great deal to the competitiveness of each state and to the well being of small business. The 2009 Index has been expanded to cover 36 major government-imposed or government-related costs affecting small businesses and entrepreneurs. The measures are added together for an overall rating. The report is available at www.sbecouncil.org. (Look for the Index icon on the right side of the website's front page.) In terms of their policy environments, the Top-Ten entrepreneur-friendly states under the "Small Business Survival Index 2009" are: I) South Dakota, 2) Nevada, 3) Texas, 4) Wyoming, 5) Washington, 6) Florida, 7)South Carolina, 8) Colorado, 9) Alabama, and 10) Virginia. In contrast, the Bottom-Ten include: 42) Hawaii, 43) Minnesota, 44) Massachusetts, 45) Rhode Island, 46) Maine, 47) Vermont, 48) New York, 49) California, 50) New Jersey and 51) District of Columbia. Complete rankings are found below. For a copy of the "Small Business Survival Index 2009," visit SBE Council's website at www.sbecouncil.org. SBE Council is a nonpartisan, nonprofit small business advocacy group that works to protect small business and promote entrepreneurship. Following are the complete state rankings for the "Small Business Survival Index 2009": Small Business Survival Index 2009: State Rankings Rank State SBSI Score I South Dakota 25.6932 Nevada 31.348 3 Texas 32.082 4 Wyoming 37.069 5 Washington 42.955 6 Florida 45.284 7 South Carolina 48.001 8 Colorado 48.250 9 Alabama 48.823 10 Virginia 50.843 II Ohio 51.25012 Alaska 51.554 13 Tennessee 51.855 14 Utah 52.404 15 Indiana 52.602 16 Arizona 52.803 17 North Dakota 53.044 18 Missouri 53.277 19 Mississippi 53.439 20 Georgia 53.781 21 Oklahoma 53.868 22 Kentucky 54.877 23 Michigan 55.383 24 Illinois 55.983 25 Arkansas 56.006 26 Kansas 57.813 27 Pennsylvania 57.847 28 New Mexico 58.101 29 Louisiana 58.111 30 Wisconsin 58.800 31 Montana 59.041 32 Idaho 61.705 33 New Hampshire 61.995 34 Nebraska 62.143 35 Delaware 62.775 36 West Virginia 63.689 37 Maryland 64.342 38 Oregon 65.179 39 North Carolina 65.497 40 Connecticut 66.627 41 Iowa 67.485 42 Hawaii 68.454 43 Minnesota 72.149 44 Massachusetts 72.515 45 Rhode Island 73.339 46 Maine 74.699 47 Vermont 75.717 48 New York 76.940 49 California 77.749 50 New Jersey 84.730 51 Dis!. of Columbia 84.795 (Please note that the District of Columbia was not included in the studies covering three of the measures included in the Index, so D.C.'s last place score is actually worse.) ### |
