Which US state is the most free?
Every state scored 0–100 on ten freedoms — speech, guns, taxes, schools, drugs, due process and more. Re-weight the categories to match what you value, and the ranking recomputes live.
Free to use · no sign-up · sourced from Fraser, EdChoice, Cato & more
- States scored
- 50States scored
- Countries ranked
- 197Countries ranked
- Elected officials
- 589Elected officials
- Voting records
- 1,100,000+Voting records
- Campaign donors
- 220,000+Campaign donors
- Bills tracked
- 20,000+Bills tracked
FreedomRankings isn’t just a ranking — it’s a live database tracking freedom across every level of American government. All 50 states are scored on ten freedom categories, 197 countries are ranked globally, and every sitting US senator, representative, and governor is profiled with voting records, campaign donors, and integrity grades.
Scores come from named third-party publications — Fraser Institute, EdChoice, Vera Institute, NORML, Mercatus, Cato, and more — and refresh whenever each publisher releases a new edition. Voting records and campaign-donor data update from official congressional and FEC sources.
All data is free, open, and requires no sign-up. Search anything instantly with the keyboard shortcut ⌘K, toggle dark mode for comfortable reading, and track score trends over time. Read the full methodology for complete transparency on every score, source, and weight.
Sourced from
The Index
Ten freedoms. Every state scored.
Each category is a 0–100 score drawn from a named third-party publication and refreshed when the publisher releases a new edition. Click any category to see the state ranking it produces.
1st Amendment
Press shield laws · Anti-SLAPP protections
2nd Amendment
Constitutional/permitless carry · Concealed carry shall-issue vs may-issue
4th Amendment
Civil asset forfeiture protections · Warrant requirements for digital data
Economic Freedom
State income tax rates · Sales tax rates
Criminal Justice
Incarceration rate per capita · Police accountability measures
Drug Policy
Recreational marijuana legality · Medical marijuana program
Property Rights
Eminent domain protections · Zoning flexibility
Religious Liberty
State RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act) · Conscience protections for professionals
Education Choice
School voucher programs · Education savings accounts (ESAs)
Regulatory Burden
Occupational licensing requirements · Business licensing burden
How to use it
Three steps to your personal ranking.
- 1
Open the interactive map
See all 50 states colored by overall freedom score. Hover for a quick number, click a state to drill into its full breakdown, score trends, and elected officials.
Open the map - 2
Pick the freedoms you care about
Slide any category up or down and the ranking re-computes live. Switch between compact, detailed, and heatmap views to see the data your way.
Customize weights - 3
Compare states & look up officials
Put two states side-by-side with bar charts and radar comparisons, or search officials by name or ZIP code to see voting records and donors.
Compare states
See your state at a glance.
An interactive US map colored by freedom score. Hover for a number, click any state for its full breakdown, officials, and recent bills.
Open the interactive mapFree Tools
Put the data to work.
Interactive tools built on the same dataset that powers the rankings — find your best state, compare taxes, check carry permit reciprocity, and more.
Best State for You Quiz
Rank all 50 states based on the freedoms you actually care about.
Take the quizTax-Savings Calculator
Compare your tax burden between any two states and see how much you could save.
Calculate savingsCCW Reciprocity Map
Find out which states honor your concealed carry permit at a glance.
Check reciprocityFind My Officials
Look up your senators, representatives, and governor by ZIP code.
Find officialsThe Leaderboard
The most — and least — free states right now.
Based on the default equal-weight blend — national average 57.6/100. Customize the weights to shuffle the order.
More to explore
Everything FreedomRankings tracks.
Browse your elected officials
Every US senator, representative, and governor — voting records, donor totals, business interests, and integrity grades. Search by name or ZIP code to find yours.
Search officialsCompare two states head-to-head
Pick any pair of states and see their scores side-by-side with bar charts, radar comparisons, and category-level deltas.
Open compareHow the US stacks up globally
197 countries scored on the same ten freedom categories using Fraser HFI, Freedom House, V-Dem, and WJP data.
See country rankingsRead the methodology
Every score, every source, every weight is published. No black boxes; the data you see is the data we used.
Read methodologyLearn
38 explainers. Every state compared.
Plain-language guides backed by sourced data — so you can compare state laws without the legalese.
What Is Constitutional Carry? The 29 Permitless-Carry States (2026)
Constitutional (permitless) carry explained: what it means, the 29 states that allow it in 2026, the rules that still apply, and how states rank on gun rights.
Read moreStates With No Income Tax: The 9-State List for 2026 (and the Catch)
The 9 states with no income tax in 2026, the catch on Washington and New Hampshire, why it doesn’t always mean lower total taxes, and how states rank on economic freedom.
Read moreWhere Is Weed Legal? Recreational & Medical Marijuana by State (2026)
Where weed is legal in 2026: the 24 recreational states plus DC, the difference between recreational, medical, and decriminalized, which states still ban it, and how states rank.
Read moreStand Your Ground States: The Full List (2026)
Stand your ground states in 2026: what the law means, the 29 states that have it by statute, how it differs from castle doctrine and duty to retreat, and how states rank.
Read moreHomeschool Laws by State: The Freest and Most Regulated (2026)
Homeschool laws by state in 2026: the four regulation tiers, the states with no notice requirement, the most heavily regulated states, and how states rank on education choice.
Read moreData Privacy Laws by State: Who Protects Your Data (2026)
Data privacy laws by state in 2026: the 20 states with a comprehensive consumer privacy law, the rights they grant, why there’s no federal law, and how states rank on privacy.
Read moreFAQ
Common questions
What is the freest state in the US?
Utah ranks #1 overall in the current FreedomRankings index, with a 74/100 score across ten freedom categories. Rankings shift as you re-weight the categories, so the "freest" state depends on which freedoms matter most to you.
How are the state freedom rankings calculated?
Each state gets a 0–100 score built from ten categories — constitutional rights, economic freedom, gun rights, school choice, drug policy, criminal justice, and more. Every category is drawn from a named third-party index and, by default, weighted equally. You can change the weights anytime.
Which state has the least freedom?
Hawaii currently sits at #50 on the default equal-weight blend. Like the top of the list, the bottom reorders the moment you adjust the category weights to reflect your own priorities.
Can I weight the categories myself?
Yes. Don’t think gun rights and tax burden should count the same? Slide any category up or down and the entire 50-state ranking recomputes instantly — no account required.
Where does the data come from?
From established, annually-updated publications: Fraser Institute (economic freedom), EdChoice (school choice), the Institute for Justice, the Vera Institute, NORML, Mercatus, and Cato. Every score, source, and weight is published on the methodology page.
Do you rank countries too?
Yes — 197 countries are scored on the same ten freedom categories using Fraser HFI, Freedom House, V-Dem, and World Justice Project data, so you can see how the US and individual states stack up against the rest of the world.
Is FreedomRankings free to use?
Completely free — no sign-up, no paywall, no data harvesting. Every ranking, comparison tool, official profile, and voting record is open to everyone. The full methodology is published so you can verify the scores yourself.
How often are the rankings updated?
State and country scores refresh whenever the underlying third-party publishers release new editions — typically annually. Elected-official profiles, voting records, and campaign-donor data update more frequently from congressional data sources.
What data sources does FreedomRankings use?
Scores draw from Fraser Institute, EdChoice, the Institute for Justice, Vera Institute, NORML, Mercatus, Cato, Freedom House, V-Dem, and the World Justice Project. Voting records and donor data come from official congressional and FEC sources.
Can I use FreedomRankings data for research or journalism?
Yes. All scores, weights, and sources are published openly on the methodology page. You are welcome to cite FreedomRankings in academic papers, news articles, or policy analysis — just link back so readers can verify.
How does FreedomRankings compare to the Cato Freedom Index?
Cato is one of the sources FreedomRankings draws from, but FreedomRankings blends ten distinct indices into a single score and lets you re-weight the categories yourself. It also adds elected-official profiles, voting records, and global country rankings that Cato does not cover.
Does FreedomRankings track local or city-level laws?
Not yet — rankings currently operate at the state and country level. The underlying indices measure state-level policy, so city-by-city variation within a state is not broken out. Local-level tracking is on the roadmap.
What keyboard shortcuts does FreedomRankings support?
Press ⌘K (or Ctrl+K) to instantly search any state, page, or tool. Press ? to see all shortcuts, T to toggle dark mode, and G followed by a letter to jump to pages (H for home, R for rankings, M for map, O for officials, C for compare).
Can I track how state freedom scores change over time?
Yes. Every state page shows a trend sparkline and score delta comparing the current hybrid index to the Cato 2023 baseline. The rankings table also includes a Trend column with sparklines for all 50 states, so you can see which states are gaining or losing freedom at a glance.
Find your state’s freedom score in 30 seconds.
No sign-up needed. Open the map, click your state, see the breakdown.
Open the map