A new study cites low business costs, strong workforce growth and high entrepreneurship rates as key factors behind Florida’s top ranking.

TAMPA, Fla. — A combination of low corporate tax rates and a growing workforce made Florida the best state to start a new business so far in 2026, a WalletHub study found.

The study analyzed the 50 states in terms of three main categories: business environment, access to resources and business costs.

The business environment analysis included metrics like the number of startups per capita and GDP growth rates, while access to resources measured the availability of small-business loans and working-age population growth.

Florida stood out with the highest-percentage of adults engaging in entrepreneurship and the third-most startups per capita, the study found.

The Sunshine State ranked No. 2 overall in the business environment category, falling only to Texas.

Another measure that set Florida above the rest was the finding that the state's working-age population is growing faster than all but five states.

The other states in the top five were Utah, Texas, Oklahoma and Idaho. WalletHub also found that, currently, the worst state for starting a new business is Rhode Island.

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