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Virginia ranked top state for small businesses

Data includes friendliness, health, tax code, among other factors

For the second year in a row, Virginia earned an ‘A’ grade for the “ease of starting a business in the state,” according to the Thumbtack.com Small Business Friendliness Survey.

“Virginia set an outstanding example of providing a supportive environment for small business,” Sander Daniels, co-founder of Thumbtack.com, said in an email. “Our research with thousands of small businesses points to the importance of clear and consistent regulations and relevant training programs, and these are exactly the areas where Virginia excels.”

The study gave special acclaim to the Norfolk-Virginia Beach metro area, which earned an ‘A ’ and was deemed the “#2 city for small business.”

According to the report, the survey collects data from an “extensive, nationwide universe of job creators and entrepreneurs in order to determine the most business-friendly locations.”

Virginia received A’s in categories such as Overall Friendliness, Health and Safety, Employment, Labor and Hiring, Tax Code, Licensing, and Training and Networking programs. The scores in Health and Safety and Tax Code are improvements from last year.

“It is critical to the economic health of every city and state to create an entrepreneur-friendly environment,” said Dane Stangler, director of Research and Policy at the Kauffman Foundation, in the report. “Policymakers put themselves in the best position to encourage sustainable growth and long-term prosperity by listening to the voices of small business owners themselves.”

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