Red Tape 50 · State Profile
Hawaii
Overall State Ranking
#50 of 50
Permitting Detail
Statewide permit records · Red Tape Index
Permitting Rank
#45of 50
Approval Score
29.48
Lower = faster · same scale as the rankings table
Commercial Approval Score
64.9
0-100, higher = faster
Residential Approval Score
50.5
0-100, higher = faster
Tags Score
0.0
0-100 approval-quality signal
Economic Profile & Benchmarks
How independent national rankings see this state (1-50, 1 = best)
Top States for Business
CNBC, 2025
#49
Economy
#39
Infrastructure
#48
Cost of Business
#50
Business Friendliness
#44
Workforce
#29
Access to Capital
#48
Tech & Innovation
#48
Education
#42
Cost of Living
#49
Quality of Life
#6
Best States
US News & World Report
#28
Economy
#48
Fiscal Stability
#40
Infrastructure
#49
Opportunity
#34
Education
#26
Health Care
#1
Crime & Corrections
#3
Natural Environment
#1
Best States to Live
WalletHub
#35
Affordability
#49
Economy
#13
Education & Health
#10
Quality of Life
#42
Safety
#26
Benchmark ranks are published by their respective sources and shown here for context; they are inputs or companions to the Red Tape 50 composite, not outputs of it.
Pillar Breakdown
Composite inputs · full bar = #1 of 50
Fiscal
Freedom in the 50 States
#50of 50
Tax & fiscal policy. 1 = most competitive tax environment.
Land Use
Freedom in the 50 States
#43of 50
Zoning & development regulation. 1 = least restrictive rules.
Labor
Freedom in the 50 States
#47of 50
Labor market. 1 = strongest workforce conditions.
Growth
US Census
#46of 50
Population growth. 1 = fastest growing state.
Affordability
WalletHub
#49of 50
Housing & cost of living. 1 = most affordable.
Infrastructure
CNBC Top States
#48of 50
Roads, transit, utilities. 1 = best infrastructure.
Cost of Business
CNBC Top States
#50of 50
Operating cost burden. 1 = lowest costs.
Business Friendliness
CNBC Top States
#44of 50
Regulatory climate. 1 = most pro-business.
State Snapshot
External benchmarks, sourced independently of the composite
Population Growth
-0.6%#46 of 50
US Census, 5-year
Urban Population
86%
Share living in urban areas
Top States for Business
#49of 50
CNBC, 2025
Best States
#28of 50
US News
Best States to Live
#35of 50
WalletHub
Tech & Science
#37score 41.6
State Tech & Science Index