Why Connecticut Ranks Low For Starting A Business In 2026

Welcome to Connecticut, land of former industrial sites left to rot into a brownfield, and empty commercial space everywhere. Do you think our home is a good place to start a business in 2026? According to a recent study, we're among the worst.

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Take a broad view of the types of businesses that thrive in Connecticut? Can't come up with any? Yeah, that's the point. Smoke shops, nail salons, national fast-food retailers, and fitness studios. Every town and the state want a piece of your pie, and it's getting worse.

According to WalletHub.com's Best & Worst States to Start a Business (2026), Connecticut, the Tri-State area, and New England comprise most of the Top 10 worst places in the US in 2026. Connecticut has been ranked at #47, while our neighbor Rhode Island has landed at the very bottom.

Catherine Yeulet

In order to determine their rankings WalletHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: Business Environment, Access to Resources, and Business Costs. Those dimensions were further evaluated using 25 relevant metrics: Average Length of Workweek, Growth in Number of Small Businesses, Five-Year Business Survival Rate, Job Growth, GDP Growth, Financing Accessibility, Office Space Affordability, Cost of Living, and Corporate Taxes.

Connecticut was found to rank at #41 in Business Environment, #16 in Access to Resources, and #45 in business costs, with the fourth-lowest average growth in number of small businesses. Only Hawaii, Maryland, and Rhode Island ranked lower, while New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire ranked right behind Connecticut. The best places to start a new business in 2026? Florida, Utah, and Texas.

Look Inside the Largest Indoor Collaborative Artwork in the World

I visited the American Mural Project in Winsted, Connecticut for the first time recently, and for those who haven't seen it, here's a quick peek at what to expect when you gaze upon the largest indoor collaborative piece of artwork in the world

Gallery Credit: Photos by Large Dave

Darien’s Tokeneke Neighborhood: A Look at Its Famous Residents

Everyone knows Connecticut is packed with wealth, but some towns take it to another level. Greenwich and Darien, for example, act as ultra-wealthy enclaves inside the already rich cocoon of the state. And within those towns, there are neighborhoods that feel like even bigger bubbles of money. Tokeneke, in Darien, is one of those neighborhoods. According to a 2024 Forbes report, Tokeneke is the wealthiest neighborhood in all of Connecticut. It’s the kind of place where private peninsulas and islands stretch into Long Island Sound.

This wealthy enclave has also attracted its share of celebrities over the years. Here’s a look at five notable faces connected to Tokeneke.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano