Red Tape 50 · State Profile
Montana
Overall State Ranking
#43 of 50
Permitting Detail
Statewide permit records · Red Tape Index
Permitting Rank
#49of 50
Approval Score
43.56
Lower = faster · same scale as the rankings table
Commercial Approval Score
25.8
0-100, higher = faster
Residential Approval Score
23.2
0-100, higher = faster
Tags Score
0.4
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
#48
Economy
#23
Infrastructure
#45
Cost of Business
#32
Business Friendliness
#29
Workforce
#50
Access to Capital
#46
Tech & Innovation
#38
Education
#27
Cost of Living
#31
Quality of Life
#35
Best States
US News & World Report
#26
Economy
#20
Fiscal Stability
#19
Infrastructure
#25
Opportunity
#13
Education
#22
Health Care
#42
Crime & Corrections
#37
Natural Environment
#27
Best States to Live
WalletHub
#15
Affordability
#27
Economy
#2
Education & Health
#12
Quality of Life
#33
Safety
#37
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
#19of 50
Tax & fiscal policy. 1 = most competitive tax environment.
Land Use
Freedom in the 50 States
#38of 50
Zoning & development regulation. 1 = least restrictive rules.
Labor
Freedom in the 50 States
#36of 50
Labor market. 1 = strongest workforce conditions.
Growth
US Census
#10of 50
Population growth. 1 = fastest growing state.
Affordability
WalletHub
#27of 50
Housing & cost of living. 1 = most affordable.
Infrastructure
CNBC Top States
#45of 50
Roads, transit, utilities. 1 = best infrastructure.
Cost of Business
CNBC Top States
#32of 50
Operating cost burden. 1 = lowest costs.
Business Friendliness
CNBC Top States
#29of 50
Regulatory climate. 1 = most pro-business.
State Snapshot
External benchmarks, sourced independently of the composite
Population Growth
4.9%#10 of 50
US Census, 5-year
Urban Population
53%
Share living in urban areas
Top States for Business
#48of 50
CNBC, 2025
Best States
#26of 50
US News
Best States to Live
#15of 50
WalletHub
Tech & Science
#28score 48.0
State Tech & Science Index