Utah ranks 30th on policies that help small businesses

Utah is in the middle of the pack in an annual ranking of states according to their public policy climates for small business and entrepreneurship.

Utah is 30th in the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council's "Small Business Survival Index 2005."

The index analyzes 26 government-imposed or government-related costs affecting small businesses and entrepreneurs, including an assortment of taxes and measures that reflect various regulatory costs. The report is available at www.sbecouncil.org.

The most entrepreneur-friendly states are South Dakota, Nevada, Wyoming, Washington and Michigan. The areas with the most anti-entrepreneur policy environments are the District of Columbia, California, Maine, Rhode Island and Minnesota.