Iowa received a grade of C+ in “overall business friendliness” in a nationwide survey of more than 6,000 small business owners. The state was rated high in business-friendly regulations but was weighed down by low grades in ease of starting a business and networking programs.

Texas and Idaho came out on top in the two-month survey, which was conducted by Thumbtack.com in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Iowa received A+ rankings in seven of the 11 categories, including the second-highest ranking in the nation for friendliest health and safety regulations and third-highest for friendliest labor regulations nationwide.

According to the report, women-owned small businesses in Iowa felt significantly less supported by the state than their male counterparts. Male entrepreneurs were 51 percent more likely than female entrepreneurs to rate Iowa as supportive or very supportive of small business.

Overall, small businesses said licensing requirements were nearly twice as important as tax rates in determining their state or city government’s overall business-friendliness. Another important predictor of small business friendliness was whether small business owners are aware of the state or local government offering training programs for small businesses.

To view the results for Iowa, go to http://www.thumbtack.com/ia/