Tennessee rates as the 13th-best state for small businesses, according to the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council’s “Small Business Survival Index 2009.”

The small business survival index is a comprehensive measure of states and how friendly they are to businesses, based on taxes, various regulatory costs, government spending, property rights, and health care and energy costs.

South Dakota was ranked No. 1 on the list, while New Jersey was ranked No. 50.

Source: Memphis Business Journal

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