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Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

Tennessee among states with the lowest small business survival rates

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ A “closed” sign sits in the window of a long-closed business in downtown Chattanooga on Sept. 14. Capital on Tap, a business credit card website, ranked Tennessee as the eighth worst state for small business survival.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ A “closed” sign sits in the window of a long-closed business in downtown Chattanooga on Sept. 14. Capital on Tap, a business credit card website, ranked Tennessee as the eighth worst state for small business survival.

States with the lowest business survival rates

Capital on Tap, a business credit card website, ranked U.S. states based on the survival of small businesses through 2021. Massachusetts, Wisconsin and South Dakota had the highest survival rates. The lowest three-year survival rates:

1. Washington: 54.6%.

2. District of Columbia: 54.7%.

3. New Mexico: 54.7%.