Whether you're thinking of expanding your existing business somewhere else or whether you'd like to plant your startup's roots somewhere new, it pays to research any locale you're planning on doing business in before you start breaking ground.

To help you do just that, we've prepared this State-By-State Guide to Doing Business, based on data in the SBA's "2004 State Small Business Economic Profiles" report, an annual study that includes information from 2003 on the total number of firms, small-business income, industrial composition, job growth, and minority and women-owned businesses throughout the 50 states and the District of Columbia. For more research and reports on small business, visit the SBA's Office of Advocacywebsite.