Small Business Friendliness Survey: Kansas Gets 'A,' Missouri Gets 'C,' Illinois Gets 'D'
Warnings that Kansas-style growth policies would harm Missouri ran into an inconvenient data point when Thumbtack.com and the Kauffman Foundation released a survey of more than 7,000 small businesses. Kansas received an A for small-business friendliness, while Missouri fell to a C after earning a B- the prior year. Illinois fared worse.
The survey credited Kansas for making it relatively easy to start a business and for its regulatory systems, while Missouri's slippage was tied in part to licensing and permitting requirements. As with any index, methodology and weighting matter, and the results should be read in context rather than treated as dispositive.
Still, the topline regional comparison was striking. Much of the Midwest looked like the growth corridor I had discussed before, yet Missouri stood out negatively between stronger-performing neighbors. The practical question was whether Missouri would adopt policies that move it toward Kansas or continue down a path more like Illinois.
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