Rankings - Overall

                                                                                    1. North Dakota
                                                                                    2. South Dakota
                                                                                    3. Tennessee
                                                                                    4. New Hampshire
                                                                                    5. Oklahoma
                                                                                    6. Idaho
                                                                                    7. Missouri
                                                                                    8. Virginia
                                                                                    9. Georgia
                                                                                    10. Utah
                                                                                    11. Arizona
                                                                                    12. Montana
                                                                                    13. Alaska
                                                                                    14. Texas
                                                                                    15. South Carolina
                                                                                    16. Indiana
                                                                                    17. Delaware
                            

                                                        18. Alabama
                                                                                    19. Colorado
                                                                                    20. Nevada
                                                                                    21. New Mexico
                                                                                    22. Nebraska
                                                                                    23. Florida
                                                                                    24. North Carolina
                                                                                    25. Iowa
                                                                                    26. Kansas
                                                                                    27. Kentucky
                                                                                    28. Oregon
                                                                                    29. Washington
                                                                                    30. Massachusetts
                                                                                    31. Pennsylvania
                                                                                    32. Arkansas
                                                                                    33. Ohio
                                                                                    34. Minnesota
                            

                                                        35. Michigan
                                                                                    36. Wyoming
                                                                                    37. Louisiana
                                                                                    38. Wisconsin
                                                                                    39. Maine
                                                                                    40. Connecticut
                                                                                    41. Mississippi
                                                                                    42. West Virginia
                                                                                    43. Vermont
                                                                                    44. Maryland
                                                                                    45. Illinois
                                                                                    46. Rhode Island
                                                                                    47. Hawaii
                                                                                    48. New Jersey
                                                                                    49. California
                                                                                    50. New York
                                                                                

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About Freedom in the 50 States

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How the Rankings Are Calculated

We score all 50 states on over 200 policies encompassing fiscal policy, regulatory policy, and personal freedom. We weight public policies according to the estimated costs that government restrictions on freedom impose on their victims.

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We happily concede that different people value aspects of freedom differently. You can personalize the ranking and pick and choose which aspects of freedom you value and see how the states stack up.

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The Authors

William P. Ruger

William P. Ruger is an assistant professor in the political science department at Texas State University. He has been an affiliated scholar with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University since 2008.

Jason Sorens

Jason Sorens is an assistant professor in the political science department at the University at Buffalo (SUNY). He has been an affiliated scholar with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University since 2008.

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