According to a report on the most success-driven states across the US, Washington ranks as the top state in America. This comes slightly above California, although CA has signficantly more self employed people than any other state.

The study by the digital entertainment platform JB examined all 50 states and evaluated multiple financial factors to find the most ambitious states in the country.

  • Washington is the state where people are most driven to get ahead in America, with startup applications up nearly 89% year-over-year.
  • California has over 2.2M self-employed residents, the most entrepreneurs in the country.
  • Arkansas is economically lagging behind every other state, with income growth stuck at 0.9% while others see 6-7% increases.

The research analyzed how people in each state are building wealth and chasing opportunity by looking at self-employment numbers, how fast incomes are rising, whether people are starting new businesses, their interest in making money, and the adoption of Bitcoin mining. States scored from 0 to 100, with higher numbers showing where people are trying hardest to improve their financial situation.

Washington

  • Self-employed residents: 373K (4,628 per 100K people)
  • Income growth: 4.6% year-over-year
  • Business applications change: +88.6% year-over-year
  • Bitcoin mining share: 4.1% of the national total

Business applications in Washington jumped 89% from last year, by far the biggest increase in the country, showing that more people are starting new ventures here than anywhere else. Income levels among residents are also moving up, growing 4.6% over the past year. Residents here show increased interest in crypto topics, with about 20K locals researching these opportunities online each month.

California

California comes second with the largest self-employed population in the country at 2.2M people. That translates to about 5,610 per 100K residents, which is one of the highest rates nationally when it comes to entrepreneurship. Known for its big tech industry, California also plays a major role in crypto, making up about 8% of all Bitcoin mining in the U.S.

New York

New York ranks third with 954K solo entrepreneurs working across the state. Similar to California, New York sees lots of crypto activity, with local businesses accounting for 10% of Bitcoin mining in America. New Yorkers are also seeing strong income growth, with average salaries rising 5% last year, on par with California.

Utah

Utah follows next with 164K self-employed residents, a high entrepreneurial rate given the state’s small population. Incomes here are rising even faster than in the top three states, up 5.2% year over year. Utahns are also the most active in looking up business-related information, googling questions like “how to start a business” and “how to make money” more often than residents of any other state.

Georgia

Georgia, rounding out the top five, is home to more than half a million entrepreneurs. People here seem to be more technology-driven than others, as the state represents nearly 31% of all mining nationally, by far the highest share in the country. Georgians also enjoy one of the highest income growth rates in the country, standing at 5.9% year-over-year.
The CEO of JB commented on the study:

“The Northeast still has the money, but the action is moving West and South, especially when it comes to tech. The advantage comes down to land and cost. Building an AI data center or crypto mining operation in these regions costs a fraction of what it would elsewhere. You get land, you get lower expenses, and you get room to scale. That’s pulling in tech investment and creating opportunities that didn’t exist five years ago.”

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