Small business owners gave Utah an A+ in business friendliness for the fourth year in a row, according to Thumbtack.com’s annual Small Business Friendliness Survey. Complete results for Utah will be published at https://www.thumbtack.com/ut/
Nearly 18,000 U.S. small business owners responded to the survey, including 203 in Utah. The study asked respondents to rate their state and city governments across a broad range of policy factors. Thumbtack.com then evaluated states and cities against one another along more than a dozen metrics.
“Small business owners on Thumbtack have consistently told us that they welcome support from their governments but are frequently frustrated by unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles,” said Jon Lieber, chief economist of Thumbtack.com. “Utah has consistently been one of the top performing states in our survey, with a business climate that manages to attract innovative tech companies like Thumbtack while still welcoming independent entrepreneurs who are starting out on their own.”
“Utah has a governor who encourages small businesses and offers support and a variety of services to help small business owners,” commented a florist in Salt Lake City. “Utah is a great state for small businesses to flourish..”
Key Findings for Utah:
- Utah performed about the same in 2015 as it did in 2014, when it ranked #1 and earned a A+ overall.
- Utah earned an A+ for its regulations which included licensing, tax, and labor rules.
- Salt Lake City earned an A- and ranked #13 friendliest city for small business, just shy of the top 10.
- Utah’s worst score was a B for ease of starting a business.
- Neighboring Colorado earned an overall friendliness score of an A and ranked #5 nationally.