PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island scored the fifth-lowest grade in the nation in the 2017 Thumbtack Small Business Friendliness Survey Tuesday.
The state earned a 46 in overall friendliness on the list, for which Thumbtack.com gave a grade of D+.
Rhode Island has scored an F in the last four Thumbtack surveys it was in (2012-2015). Rhode Island was not scored in 2016.
A score of 1, an A+, is the highest score in the survey. Letter grades were assigned based on a state’s position on an overall distribution of a specific dimension. Wyoming earned the top spot in the survey, while New Mexico brought up the rear of the list. New England states ranged from Maine, at No. 5, to New Hampshire, No. 9, to Vermont, No. 16, to Massachusetts, No. 18, to Connecticut, at No. 40.
The study surveyed more than 13,000 small-business owner-operators on a dozen metrics, including business opportunity, government regulation and support, workforce supply, and the availability of professional development based on 34 survey questions.
Rhode Island received its highest grade for its “ease of hiring” with a score of 9, an A-. The Ocean State received its worst score for employment, labor and hiring regulations, for which it received a 50, an F. The state also received an F for overall regulations, with a number grade of 47.
Thumbtack said that over 90 percent of its respondents employed five or fewer employees.
The study also graded cities. Worcester, Mass., ranked No. 2 for best small business friendliness in the nation, behind only Boise, Idaho. Providence received an overall friendliness grade of 76, a D in the survey. Providence was the fifth-worst ranked city included in the survey.
Rhode Island 2017 survey grades:
- Overall friendliness: 46, D+
- Ease of starting a business: 45, D
- Ease of hiring: 9, A-
- Overall regulation: 47, F
- Health and safety: 40, B-
- Employment, labor and hiring regulations: 50, F
- Tax regulations: 40, C-
- Licensing requirements: 41, C-
- Environmental rules: 45, D+
- Zoning: 36, C-
- Training opportunities: 21, B-
- Government websites: 46, D+
Providence 2017 survey grades:
- Overall friendliness: 76, D
- Ease of starting a business: 74, D
- Ease of hiring: 10, A+
- Overall regulation: 70, D
- Health and safety: 75, D
- Employment, labor and hiring regulations: 62, C
- Tax regulations: 63, C-
- Licensing requirements: 71, D+
- Environmental rules: 66, C
- Zoning: 52, D+
- Training opportunities: 55, C+
- Government websites: 48, C
Thumback is a small business marketplace service that connects customers with local professionals. The study was written by Lucas Puente, an economist for Thumbtack.
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.
