The 7 Best States to Start a Business
Ranking the states based on how friendly they are to entrepreneurs

When it comes to starting a business, the question of "where" can be just as important as "what," "why," and "how." Some states offer better business climates for entrepreneurs than others. And in today's economy, entrepreneurs need all the help they can get when launching a new business.

U.S. News decided to look at two comprehensive studies that take completely different approaches to measuring the friendliness of the 50 states to entrepreneurs: the 2008 New State Economy Index, by the Kauffman Foundation and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, and the Small Business Survival Index 2008, by the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council. 

They combined the rankings of these two studies to help come up with their list of the top seven states for starting a business. Click here to learn what they found.

Nevada Ranks #2 in Business Survival Index 
December 9, 2008--The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) released its 13th annual rankings of the states according to their public policy climates for small business and entrepreneurship in the "Small Business Survival Index 2008: Ranking the Policy Environment for Entrepreneurship Across the Nation."

SBE Council chief economist Raymond J. Keating, author of the study, said: "The U.S. economy is in a serious downturn, and the outlook for a robust recovery seems remote. That means state and local policymakers face some very difficult decisions, especially on budget matters. Depending on the policy course that state lawmakers choose, they can either make the economic situation in their own state better or far worse."

In terms of their policy environments, the most entrepreneur-friendly states under the "Small Business Survival Index 2008" are: 1) South Dakota, 2) Nevada, 3) Wyoming, 4) Florida, 5) Washington, 6) Texas, 7) South Carolina, 8) Alabama, 9) Virginia, and 10) Colorado. The more difficult state policy environments for entrepreneurs include: 40) West Virginia, 41) Hawaii, 42) Iowa, 43) Vermont, 44) Massachusetts, 45) New York, 46) Minnesota, 47) Rhode Island, 48) Maine, 49) California, 50) New Jersey and 51) District of Columbia.

What CEOs are saying about Nevada
When Development Counsellors International (DCI) conducted its survey last summer, CEOs ranked Nevada as the 5th best business climate in the U.S.  Click here to read what CEOs are saying about Nevada.  To download a copy of the full report, visit DCI's website by clicking here.