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Louisville ranked as one of nation’s friendliest cities for small business

City earns A+ for regulations and the ease of hiring

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (June 23, 2014) — Louisville is the 5th friendliest city in the country for small business, according to Thumbtack’s Small Business Friendliness Survey. More than 12,000 entrepreneurs nationwide participated in this year’s survey.

Downtown Louisville
Downtown Louisville

The survey is the largest survey of its kind and is the only survey to obtain data from an extensive, nationwide sample of small business owners themselves to determine the most business-friendly locations.

Some of the key findings for Louisville — and Kentucky generally — include:

  • Small businesses rated Louisville as the 6th friendliness city nationwide, giving it an A+ for regulations and the ease of hiring.
  • Louisville stood out for having the friendliest zoning regulations in the nation, and its regulatory friendliness was rated 4th in the nation.
  • Louisville stood out across the board, earning 6 A+ grades and 4 A grades out of the 11 categories we looked at.
  • 57 percent of business owners in Louisville reported they paid “the right share of taxes”.
  • Kentucky earned a grade of A- for its overall friendliness, though small business owners statewide gave the state a C+ for the friendliness of its regulations.