Report: Missouri is a top 10 state to launch a business

A recent study dubbed Missouri as one of the top 10 states to start a business.

The report was assembled by personal finance website WalletHub and aimed to determine which region held the most fertile grounds for launching an enterprise. Evaluating all 50 states’ business environments, access to resources and business costs, the report ranked Missouri No. 9.

WalletHub analysts determined these numbers by assessing 20 differently-weighted indicators of startup success — with business environment being the most critical to a state’s overall score.

Missouri earned its high ranking due to the state’s business environment, which was ranked No. 10 nationally. This metric was calculated by indicators such as startups per capita, five-year business survival rate, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s entrepreneurship index and more.

Although Missouri fared well overall, the state’s access to resources score is below average. This indicator is calculated via indicators such as financing accessibility, venture capital per capita and human capital availability.

Another area of improvement for Missouri is its total spending on incentives as a share of GDP. The Show Me State ranked 49 out of 50 in this metric, which is calculated by The New York Times’ database of government spending on business incentives.

Kansas nabbed an overall No. 34 ranking in the study. Although below Missouri, Kansas’ access to resources beat out the Show Me State.

Kansas’ business environment — No. 38 nationally — ranked significantly lower than Missouri’s. Yet the state’s access to resources and business costs yielded the Sunflower State a comfortable, middle rank.

North Dakota, Texas and Utah earned the top three spots, respectively.

To see the complete ranking, see the interactive map below.