A Procure.ie report ranks midlands counties near the bottom on a national scale.
Leitrim is the best county in the country in which to start a business.
Procure.ie looked at the average office cost, average office size, average salary, number of jobs available per capita, and the number of houses available to rent per capita.
Midlands counties ranked lower down the pecking order with Westmeath, Offaly and Laois in 20th, 21st, and 22nd respectively.
This is despite Westmeath having the second cheapest office rental price per square metre in the country.
Westmeath also leads the way regionally on average salary at 38 thousand euro, compared to 35 for Laois and Offaly.
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