Washington Small Business Owners Grade State's Friendliness

RENTON, WA - Washington is home to some of the more progressive wage laws in the U.S., but there's no corporate income tax; we also have at-will employment, but the state also passed a paid family leave law over the summer. So, how friendly is the state to entrepreneurs and small businesses?

According to Thumbtack, a service that connects consumers with local professionals, Washington is pretty friendly toward businesses. In the 2017 Thumbtack Small Business Friendliness Survey, business owners gave the state a B+ overall.

Except for Idaho (A+), that's the best in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon got a C, Montana a B, and California got a C-.

"The small business owners we heard from in Washington were just as positive about their state’s support for small businesses as the national average, leading to their B+ grade overall," Thumbtack Economist Lucas Puente said in a press release. "However, compared to nearby states, such as Oregon (C) and Idaho (A+), Washington had mixed results."

Washington got low marks for things like zoning and training programs, but business owners gave the state an A- for overall ease of starting a business.

Thumbtack also spoke to various small business owners in the region. A photographer from Puyallup told Thumbtack that the city is friendly toward business owners, but had difficulty finding the forms for actually doing the paperwork. The photographer also complained about rising insurance rates and "being taxed to death."

"The area is growing and is a good place to do business," an English as a second language (ESL) teacher in Edmonds said.

"It's not clear what government wants from small business owners," a flooring professional from Renton told Thumbtack. "If it was, I would happily pay and comply!"

You can read the full Thumbtack survey results here.

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