Red Tape 50 · State Profile
Washington
Overall State Ranking
#37 of 50
Permitting Detail
Statewide permit records · Red Tape Index
Permitting Rank
#33of 50
Approval Score
12.06
Lower = faster · same scale as the rankings table
Commercial Approval Score
90.8
0-100, higher = faster
Residential Approval Score
89.3
0-100, higher = faster
Tags Score
31.7
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
#14
Economy
#6
Infrastructure
#26
Cost of Business
#48
Business Friendliness
#41
Workforce
#5
Access to Capital
#14
Tech & Innovation
#4
Education
#33
Cost of Living
#39
Quality of Life
#14
Best States
US News & World Report
#10
Economy
#23
Fiscal Stability
#16
Infrastructure
#7
Opportunity
#40
Education
#9
Health Care
#15
Crime & Corrections
#33
Natural Environment
#7
Best States to Live
WalletHub
#36
Affordability
#36
Economy
#10
Education & Health
#14
Quality of Life
#8
Safety
#50
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
#28of 50
Tax & fiscal policy. 1 = most competitive tax environment.
Land Use
Freedom in the 50 States
#40of 50
Zoning & development regulation. 1 = least restrictive rules.
Labor
Freedom in the 50 States
#45of 50
Labor market. 1 = strongest workforce conditions.
Growth
US Census
#15of 50
Population growth. 1 = fastest growing state.
Affordability
WalletHub
#36of 50
Housing & cost of living. 1 = most affordable.
Infrastructure
CNBC Top States
#26of 50
Roads, transit, utilities. 1 = best infrastructure.
Cost of Business
CNBC Top States
#48of 50
Operating cost burden. 1 = lowest costs.
Business Friendliness
CNBC Top States
#41of 50
Regulatory climate. 1 = most pro-business.
State Snapshot
External benchmarks, sourced independently of the composite
Population Growth
3.3%#15 of 50
US Census, 5-year
Urban Population
83%
Share living in urban areas
Top States for Business
#14of 50
CNBC, 2025
Best States
#10of 50
US News
Best States to Live
#36of 50
WalletHub
Tech & Science
#6score 75.0
State Tech & Science Index