Red Tape 50 · State Profile
West Virginia
Overall State Ranking
#29 of 50
Permitting Detail
Statewide permit records · Red Tape Index
Permitting Rank
#36of 50
Approval Score
10.22
Lower = faster · same scale as the rankings table
Commercial Approval Score
86.1
0-100, higher = faster
Residential Approval Score
86.6
0-100, higher = faster
Tags Score
57.9
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
#40
Economy
#42
Infrastructure
#43
Cost of Business
#24
Business Friendliness
#15
Workforce
#43
Access to Capital
#41
Tech & Innovation
#44
Education
#18
Cost of Living
#1
Quality of Life
#25
Best States
US News & World Report
#46
Economy
#47
Fiscal Stability
#24
Infrastructure
#50
Opportunity
#8
Education
#47
Health Care
#49
Crime & Corrections
#19
Natural Environment
#36
Best States to Live
WalletHub
#42
Affordability
#2
Economy
#38
Education & Health
#47
Quality of Life
#43
Safety
#17
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
#37of 50
Tax & fiscal policy. 1 = most competitive tax environment.
Land Use
Freedom in the 50 States
#10of 50
Zoning & development regulation. 1 = least restrictive rules.
Labor
Freedom in the 50 States
#17of 50
Labor market. 1 = strongest workforce conditions.
Growth
US Census
#49of 50
Population growth. 1 = fastest growing state.
Affordability
WalletHub
#2of 50
Housing & cost of living. 1 = most affordable.
Infrastructure
CNBC Top States
#43of 50
Roads, transit, utilities. 1 = best infrastructure.
Cost of Business
CNBC Top States
#24of 50
Operating cost burden. 1 = lowest costs.
Business Friendliness
CNBC Top States
#15of 50
Regulatory climate. 1 = most pro-business.
State Snapshot
External benchmarks, sourced independently of the composite
Population Growth
-1.3%#49 of 50
US Census, 5-year
Urban Population
45%
Share living in urban areas
Top States for Business
#40of 50
CNBC, 2025
Best States
#46of 50
US News
Best States to Live
#42of 50
WalletHub
Tech & Science
#47score 24.5
State Tech & Science Index