10 Best states for starting a business

Attention libertarians! Find out where the cold, dead hand of the state weighs lightest. Rankings provided by the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council.

By Malika Worrall

Taxes
Top personal income tax rate:	7%
Top corporate income tax rate:	5%
Property tax:	3.11%
Energy
Electric Utilities Costs †:	0.76
Labor
Minimum wage:	$5.85

† Index of state's average revenue/kilowatt hour.

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8. South Carolina

As with Wyoming, low electricity and gas taxes help explain why South Carolina places in the top 10. While the personal income tax is high, other taxes are not. "It's a right-to-work state," Kerrigan says. "Low unemployment taxes and health care costs are real positives."

South Dakota Nevada Wyoming Washington Florida Michigan Texas South Carolina Virginia Alabama