Red Tape 50 · State Profile
North Dakota
Overall State Ranking
#6 of 50
Permitting Detail
Statewide permit records · Red Tape Index
Permitting Rank
#18of 50
Approval Score
2.61
Lower = faster · same scale as the rankings table
Commercial Approval Score
92.6
0-100, higher = faster
Residential Approval Score
97.9
0-100, higher = faster
Tags Score
88.4
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
#25
Economy
#43
Infrastructure
#37
Cost of Business
#17
Business Friendliness
#1
Workforce
#46
Access to Capital
#37
Tech & Innovation
#37
Education
#25
Cost of Living
#4
Quality of Life
#7
Best States
US News & World Report
#12
Economy
#17
Fiscal Stability
#17
Infrastructure
#8
Opportunity
#4
Education
#28
Health Care
#31
Crime & Corrections
#28
Natural Environment
#17
Best States to Live
WalletHub
#16
Affordability
#31
Economy
#5
Education & Health
#18
Quality of Life
#37
Safety
#27
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
#12of 50
Tax & fiscal policy. 1 = most competitive tax environment.
Land Use
Freedom in the 50 States
#5of 50
Zoning & development regulation. 1 = least restrictive rules.
Labor
Freedom in the 50 States
#29of 50
Labor market. 1 = strongest workforce conditions.
Growth
US Census
#22of 50
Population growth. 1 = fastest growing state.
Affordability
WalletHub
#31of 50
Housing & cost of living. 1 = most affordable.
Infrastructure
CNBC Top States
#37of 50
Roads, transit, utilities. 1 = best infrastructure.
Cost of Business
CNBC Top States
#17of 50
Operating cost burden. 1 = lowest costs.
Business Friendliness
CNBC Top States
#1of 50
Regulatory climate. 1 = most pro-business.
State Snapshot
External benchmarks, sourced independently of the composite
Population Growth
2.2%#22 of 50
US Census, 5-year
Urban Population
61%
Share living in urban areas
Top States for Business
#25of 50
CNBC, 2025
Best States
#12of 50
US News
Best States to Live
#16of 50
WalletHub
Tech & Science
#42score 34.6
State Tech & Science Index