Who loves small business best? 2006: Energy costs

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FSB Who loves small business best? 2006

Which states are low on taxes and light on government regulations? Exclusive rankings for FSB.com from the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council.*

Low energy costs**

Rank	State	Avg. gas prices ($/gallon)	Avg. electricity prices (cents/kwh)	Index score
1	Kentucky	$2.09	4.94	1.54
2	West Virginia	$2.20	4.97	1.59
3	Missouri	$2.05	5.64	1.62
4	Wyoming	$2.34	5.13	1.67
5	Nebraska	$2.24	5.54	1.68
6	Arkansas	$2.08	6.17	1.69
7	North Dakota	$2.25	5.71	1.7
8	Indiana	$2.13	6.3	1.73
8	South Carolina	$2.05	6.73	1.73
8	Idaho	$2.48	5.14	1.73
8	Virginia	$2.06	6.63	1.73
12	Alabama	$2.10	6.59	1.74
13	Kansas	$2.14	6.44	1.75
14	Minnesota	$2.16	6.57	1.76
14	Tennessee	$2.09	6.78	1.76
14	Iowa	$2.11	6.82	1.76
17	South Dakota	$2.22	6.35	1.77
18	Oklahoma	$2.06	7.27	1.79
19	Utah	$2.45	5.71	1.8
20	Illinois	$2.22	6.67	1.81
21	Georgia	$2.07	7.47	1.83
22	Washington	$2.52	5.96	1.85
23	Montana	$2.36	6.74	1.86
24	North Carolina	$2.16	7.46	1.86
25	Ohio	$2.13	7.45	1.86
26	Delaware	$2.11	7.42	1.89
27	Oregon	$2.48	6.52	1.9
28	New Mexico	$2.28	7.5	1.92
29	Arizona	$2.23	7.32	1.92
30	Louisiana	$2.13	8.37	1.94
31	Mississippi	$2.08	8.38	1.94
32	Michigan	$2.17	8.02	1.95
33	Colorado	$2.28	7.89	1.96
34	Maryland	$2.15	8.25	1.96
35	Wisconsin	$2.24	7.95	1.97
36	Pennsylvania	$2.20	8.45	2
37	Washington, D.C.	$2.27	9.09	2.11
38	Texas	$2.08	9.87	2.13
39	New Jersey	$2.04	10.41	2.17
40	Nevada	$2.50	8.81	2.19
41	Florida	$2.22	10.32	2.23
42	Maine	$2.23	10.83	2.29
43	Vermont	$2.25	11.36	2.37
44	California	$2.47	11.67	2.52
45	New York	$2.41	13.11	2.65
46	Rhode Island	$2.19	14.01	2.66
47	New Hampshire	$2.18	14.27	2.69
48	Alaska	$2.67	12.29	2.69
49	Connecticut	$2.32	14.02	2.72
50	Massachusetts	$2.17	15.75	2.83
51	Hawaii	$2.92	20.39	3.75

Footnotes:
* SBE Council, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit which advocates for reduced government taxes and regulations on small business, tends to lobby for the Republican agenda when it comes to taxes and regulations.
** States were given an index score by the SBEC based on electricity costs and gas prices. Gas prices are not part of the SBEC's Small Business Survival Index. For details, see "How we ranked the states."

Low taxes

Rank	Name
1	South Dakota
2	Nevada
3	Wyoming
See the rest

How we ranked the states

Which states are low on taxes and light on government regulations? In these exclusive rankings for FSB.com, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, a nonprofit advocacy group in Washington, D.C. used their Small Business Survival Index to rate the 50 states and Washington, D.C. according to some of the major government-imposed or -related costs affecting investment, entrepreneurship, and business. SBE Council, which advocates for reduced government taxes and regulations on small business, supports a mostly Republican agenda. (more)

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