Red Tape 50 · State Profile
Utah
Overall State Ranking
#8 of 50
Permitting Detail
Statewide permit records · Red Tape Index
Permitting Rank
#17of 50
Approval Score
4.61
Lower = faster · same scale as the rankings table
Commercial Approval Score
95.7
0-100, higher = faster
Residential Approval Score
94.2
0-100, higher = faster
Tags Score
73.0
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
#16
Economy
#8
Infrastructure
#9
Cost of Business
#28
Business Friendliness
#10
Workforce
#9
Access to Capital
#20
Tech & Innovation
#27
Education
#44
Cost of Living
#31
Quality of Life
#46
Best States
US News & World Report
#1
Economy
#3
Fiscal Stability
#1
Infrastructure
#3
Opportunity
#19
Education
#4
Health Care
#14
Crime & Corrections
#7
Natural Environment
#48
Best States to Live
WalletHub
#8
Affordability
#6
Economy
#19
Education & Health
#2
Quality of Life
#29
Safety
#23
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
#33of 50
Tax & fiscal policy. 1 = most competitive tax environment.
Land Use
Freedom in the 50 States
#27of 50
Zoning & development regulation. 1 = least restrictive rules.
Labor
Freedom in the 50 States
#12of 50
Labor market. 1 = strongest workforce conditions.
Growth
US Census
#4of 50
Population growth. 1 = fastest growing state.
Affordability
WalletHub
#6of 50
Housing & cost of living. 1 = most affordable.
Infrastructure
CNBC Top States
#9of 50
Roads, transit, utilities. 1 = best infrastructure.
Cost of Business
CNBC Top States
#28of 50
Operating cost burden. 1 = lowest costs.
Business Friendliness
CNBC Top States
#10of 50
Regulatory climate. 1 = most pro-business.
State Snapshot
External benchmarks, sourced independently of the composite
Population Growth
7.1%#4 of 50
US Census, 5-year
Urban Population
90%
Share living in urban areas
Top States for Business
#16of 50
CNBC, 2025
Best States
#1of 50
US News
Best States to Live
#8of 50
WalletHub
Tech & Science
#5score 76.8
State Tech & Science Index