Red Tape 50 · State Profile
Minnesota
Overall State Ranking
#27 of 50
Permitting Detail
Statewide permit records · Red Tape Index
Permitting Rank
#6of 50
Approval Score
2.22
Lower = faster · same scale as the rankings table
Commercial Approval Score
97.1
0-100, higher = faster
Residential Approval Score
97.7
0-100, higher = faster
Tags Score
83.8
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
#10
Economy
#28
Infrastructure
#5
Cost of Business
#34
Business Friendliness
#21
Workforce
#30
Access to Capital
#18
Tech & Innovation
#14
Education
#12
Cost of Living
#33
Quality of Life
#4
Best States
US News & World Report
#4
Economy
#28
Fiscal Stability
#13
Infrastructure
#10
Opportunity
#7
Education
#11
Health Care
#16
Crime & Corrections
#16
Natural Environment
#14
Best States to Live
WalletHub
#5
Affordability
#14
Economy
#29
Education & Health
#5
Quality of Life
#10
Safety
#19
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
#40of 50
Tax & fiscal policy. 1 = most competitive tax environment.
Land Use
Freedom in the 50 States
#33of 50
Zoning & development regulation. 1 = least restrictive rules.
Labor
Freedom in the 50 States
#30of 50
Labor market. 1 = strongest workforce conditions.
Growth
US Census
#30of 50
Population growth. 1 = fastest growing state.
Affordability
WalletHub
#14of 50
Housing & cost of living. 1 = most affordable.
Infrastructure
CNBC Top States
#5of 50
Roads, transit, utilities. 1 = best infrastructure.
Cost of Business
CNBC Top States
#34of 50
Operating cost burden. 1 = lowest costs.
Business Friendliness
CNBC Top States
#21of 50
Regulatory climate. 1 = most pro-business.
State Snapshot
External benchmarks, sourced independently of the composite
Population Growth
1.5%#30 of 50
US Census, 5-year
Urban Population
72%
Share living in urban areas
Top States for Business
#10of 50
CNBC, 2025
Best States
#4of 50
US News
Best States to Live
#5of 50
WalletHub
Tech & Science
#13score 61.7
State Tech & Science Index