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📊 Proprietary Data Index

The State Launch Index — Which US State Is Right for Your Business?

Scored across 6 criteria: cost, taxes, banking, privacy, speed, and visa friendliness. Built specifically for non-resident international founders. Updated for 2026.

📋 10 States Ranked ⚖️ 6 Scoring Criteria ✓ Verified Official Data
🌍 Most popular for founders from is Delaware

State Launch Index Rankings

Click any row to expand the full state profile. Click column headers to sort.

State Launch Score ▼ Cost Tax Banking Privacy Speed Best For
Companion Tools

Plan the rest of your US launch

The State Launch Index picks your state — these companion tools pick your bank, model your first-year costs, and walk you through formation.

Bank
→ Banking Database
Bank
→ Banking Matcher
Cost
→ Total Cost Calculator
Cost
→ Cost Calculator
Form
→ Entity Wizard

Scoring Methodology

How we score each state — built for non-resident, non-US-citizen founders specifically.

How the Launch Score Is Calculated

Formation Cost
15% weight
State filing fee, registered agent cost, and first-year total outlay for a non-resident founder.
Tax Climate
20% weight
State income tax rate, franchise tax structure, and ongoing tax burden for pass-through entities operated by non-residents.
Banking Access
20% weight
Ease of opening a US business bank account as a non-resident. Fintech and neobank acceptance, Mercury/Relay availability, and big-bank acceptance rates.
Privacy
15% weight
Whether member/owner names appear in public state records. Beneficial ownership disclosure laws and IRS information sharing agreements.
Speed to Open
15% weight
Secretary of State processing time for standard (non-expedited) filings. Days from application to active status.
Visa Friendliness
15% weight
How well the state's business ecosystem supports E-2 treaty investor visas, O-1, and EB-1/EB-2 pathways. Presence of immigration attorneys and investor-friendly courts.

All formation fees and processing times are verified from official Secretary of State websites. Registered agent cost ranges are estimates based on market research. Scores are our editorial assessment for non-resident, non-US-citizen founders specifically — the optimal choice for a US resident may differ significantly.

$19

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Tell us your country, business type, and goals. We generate a tailored recommendation with ranked state options, a formation checklist, and a first-year cost estimate — specific to your situation.

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