More good news from North Carolina: Not only did the state’s economy add nearly 92,000 jobs over the past year, but it also maintained its lowest unemployment rate (4.1 percent) recorded in 17 years for four months in a row.
Additionally, the state scored well on Thumbtack’s 2017 Small Business Friendliness Survey. Since 2012, the survey has compiled and studied the feedback of thousands of entrepreneurs about state and local public policies that impact their ability to start, operate, and grow a business. More than 13,000 U.S. small business owners participated in the study in 2017.
Despite receiving good marks in all other categories, North Carolina received a C+ grade for overall friendliness. Here’s how it ranked across the board:
- Ease of starting a business: B+
- Ease of hiring: B
- Regulations: B
- Health and safety: A
- Employment, labor, and hiring: A-
- Tax code: A-
- Licensing: B
- Environmental: B
- Zoning: B+
- Training and networking programs: A
- Government websites: B-
