Measure the business environment. Identify what matters. Prioritize improvement. Benchmark progress.
A business-friendly community provides a fair, predictable, and competitive environment for businesses to operate, invest, and grow. The Business Friendly Index measures that independently: local businesses rate 30 statements on Importance and on Performance, the gap shows where to focus, and a published methodology decides who earns certification.
What you learn
Importance × Performance
Every statement is rated twice: how important it is to a business-friendly community, and how well this community performs. Respondents with no direct experience answer "Don't know" instead of guessing, and those answers never distort the score.
Three categories, one score
Government & Regulatory Environment · Existing Business Environment · Growth & Economic Development. The headline BFI is the equal average of the three, so no category can hide another.
Priorities, not just numbers
Fixed thresholds place every statement in a quadrant: High Focus, Competitive Strength, Develop / Monitor, Maintain Efficiently. A priority score ranks what to fix first. Open-ended answers are themed and kept verbatim for you.
Certification you can verify
Business Friendly Certification is a proprietary certification issued under the published Business Friendly Index methodology. It is not an ISO or government accreditation. A certificate is issued only when a published survey meets the certification standard's measurement-quality requirements, and every certificate carries its scope, instrument version, survey period, valid responses, score, tier, dates and a verification ID anyone can check.
Tiers
| Gold | BFI 4.00 and above |
| Silver | 3.00 to 3.99 |
| Recognized | 2.00 to 2.99 |
| Diagnostic only | below 2.00, or measurement quality not met |
A survey that does not qualify still gets its full diagnostic score, priorities and plan.
Plans
Benchmark
Survey, BFI report, certification when earned.
County $1,199/yr · State/Region $1,999/yr · one-time options available
Improve
Everything in Benchmark plus an action plan with tasks, owners and timelines.
County $1,999/yr · State/Region $2,999/yr
Complete Recommended
Everything in Improve, our most complete survey report.
County $2,999/yr · State/Region $3,999/yr
Founding Community rates ($1,000 / $1,500 / $2,000 per year, locked for 10 years while subscribed, limited spots) and the 250th-Anniversary rate (25% off annual plans through December 31, 2026) are on the pricing page. Board Review and Planning Commission Review are available once a survey report is complete.
How a survey runs
- Choose a plan and pay by card or by invoice and purchase order.
- Provide a respondent list of local businesses. Invitations and reminders are handled for you; a public opt-in link catches walk-ins.
- Businesses answer in 10–15 minutes. Individual answers are confidential and never attributed.
- The report builds itself as responses arrive: score, categories, quadrants, priorities, comments, and the action plan on Improve and Complete.
- Publish when you are ready; certification is issued when the standard is met and appears on the community map.