No one likes to be last. So, it is not surprising that some state leaders dismissed a recent WalletHub report that ranked Rhode Island as the worst state in the nation to start a business.
And to be fair, Rhode Island does fare better in two other recent rankings, coming in at No. 23 in a Forbes Advisor study and No. 34 in a report by Simplify LLC.
Another well-followed annual ranking by CNBC last July placed R.I. at No. 45.
Ranking first or last in such studies is going to get more media and public attention than it deserves. It is important, though, that state leaders use the various rankings to assess progress, rather than only acknowledging the best, or least embarrassing, results.
Other New England states also fall in the bottom half of some of these reports. But in WalletHub’s case, it was the second time in five years the state ranked at the bottom.
When your best ranking is mediocre and your worst is, well, the worst, there’s clearly work to be done in making Rhode Island more welcoming to business.