Maryland Is 2026’s 2nd Worst State to Start a Business, Per Study

With over 20% of new businesses failing within one year and inflation making entrepreneurship even more difficult, the personal-finance company WalletHub today released its report on 2026’s Best & Worst States to Start a Business, with Maryland ranked as the second worst state to start a business.

WalletHub compared the 50 U.S. states across 25 key indicators of startup success. The data set ranges from financing accessibility to labor costs to office-space affordability. Starting a Business in Maryland (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

• Overall Rank for Maryland: 49^th
• 31^st – Avg. Growth in Number of Small Businesses
• 46^th – Office-Space Affordability
• 50^th – Labor Costs
• 36^th – Availability of Human Capital
• 26^th – Avg. Length of Work Week (in Hours)
• 45^th – Cost of Living
• 49^th – Industry Variety

For the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-to-start-a-business/36934