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
- 593Elected officials
- Voting records
- 980,000+Voting records
- Campaign donors
- 140,000+Campaign donors
- Bills tracked
- 13,000+Bills tracked
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.
Open the map - 2
Pick the freedoms you care about
Don’t agree every category should weigh the same? Slide each one up or down and the ranking re-computes live.
Customize weights - 3
Compare states & look up officials
Put two states side-by-side, or search your senators and representatives to see their 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 mapThe 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 officialsCompare two states head-to-head
Pick any pair of states and see their category scores side-by-side. Surface the gaps that actually matter.
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 methodologyFAQ
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.
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