How we score 500 US cities and all 50 states on permit processing speed, regulatory friction, and bureaucratic efficiency.
Summary
A composite of permit speed (53%), tags (32%), growth (10%), and reporting coverage (5%), scored 0–100 with peer-tier comparisons by population.
How it works
The US Permitting Index scores 500 cities by combining four signals into a single 0–100 composite. Speed and Tags account for the majority of the weight because permit throughput and permit-quality outcomes are the most direct measures of bureaucratic efficiency.
Cities are compared within population tiers (<50k, 50–100k, 100–250k, 250–500k, 500k+) so that scale does not drive rank — a small city with fast permitting is not penalized for being smaller than a peer.
State-level rankings aggregate independent regulatory and policy dimensions — fiscal policy, land use, labor, growth, affordability, infrastructure, cost of business, business-friendliness, and a permit-processing metric — into a composite RTI rank.
Indicators
Permit Speed
~53% of city scoreHow quickly permits clear review vs. peers. 0–100%.
Tags
~32% of city scorePermit quality signal derived from outcomes and complexity indicators.
Growth
~10% of city scorePopulation growth momentum.
Reporting Coverage
~5% of city scoreHow fully the city discloses permit data.
Fiscal
Tax and fiscal policy competitiveness (state level).
Land Use
Zoning and development regulation (state level).
Labor
Labor market conditions (state level).
Affordability
Housing and cost-of-living affordability (state level).
Infrastructure
Roads, transit, and utilities quality (state level).
Cost of Business
Operating cost burden (state level).
Business Friendliness
Pro-business regulatory climate (state level).
Known limitations
- ·City scores are within-tier comparable; cross-tier comparisons should consider the population tier label.
- ·State permit metrics use a different scale than city rankings and should not be directly compared as ranks.