Across the hybrid multi-source index, Colorado is roughly average in overall freedom, ranking #36 of 50 states with a score of 53.7/100. Its strongest areas are drug policy, economic freedom, 1st amendment, while it scores lowest in regulatory burden, 2nd amendment, education choice.
How Colorado performs in each freedom category, ranked best to worst.
Score movements from the Cato 2023 baseline to the current hybrid multi-source index.
3 categories improved · 6 declined · 1 stable
Each score is drawn from the publisher listed on the tile. Hover the source chip for edition and methodology detail.
Colorado ranks stronger than most states for free-speech protections, as measured by press-shield and anti-SLAPP laws, public-forum protections, and limits on protest restrictions.
Guns & Ammo 2023 — rank 38/50
Colorado ranks among the weakest in the nation for gun rights (38th of 50), as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws.
IJ Policing for Profit 2025 — forfeiture grade C
Colorado ranks stronger than most states for privacy and search protections, as measured by civil-asset-forfeiture limits, digital-warrant requirements, and surveillance rules.
Fraser EFNA 2024 (Overall subn score 7.14 for 2023) — rank 13/50
Colorado ranks stronger than most states for economic freedom (13th of 50), as measured by income, sales, and property taxes alongside the broader business climate.
Vera People in Prison 2024 — rank 23/50 (296/100k)
Colorado ranks near the national middle for criminal-justice fairness (23rd of 50), as measured by incarceration rates, police accountability, and sentencing policy.
Cannabis status 2025 — Fully Legal (recreational use legal, retail sales operating)
Colorado ranks among the strongest in the nation for drug-policy freedom, as measured by marijuana legality, decriminalization, and drug-offense sentencing.
IJ Eminent Domain 2025 — post-Kelo protections D
Colorado ranks near the national middle for property rights, as measured by eminent-domain limits, zoning flexibility, and rent-control rules.
Colorado ranks near the national middle for religious liberty, as measured by a state RFRA, conscience protections, and religious-use accommodations.
EdChoice ABCs 2025 — no private-choice program, no programs
Colorado ranks among the weakest in the nation for school choice, as measured by vouchers, education savings accounts, and charter and homeschool access.
Mercatus RegData 2024 — rank 37/48 (165,994 restrictions)
Colorado ranks weaker than most states for regulatory freedom (37th of 48), as measured by occupational licensing and business-entry barriers.
Provenance
1st Amendment
FreedomRankings Editorial (no strong annual state-level source exists for 1st Amendment speech protections)
2nd Amendment
Guns & Ammo "Best States for Gun Owners"
4th Amendment
Institute for Justice -- "Policing for Profit" (asset forfeiture grades)
Economic Freedom
Fraser Institute -- Economic Freedom of North America (EFNA)
Criminal Justice
Vera Institute -- "People in Prison" (annual incarceration data)
Drug Policy
Per-state cannabis legality status (composite: NORML state pages, DISA legality map, NCSL medical cannabis tracker)
Property Rights
Institute for Justice -- Eminent Domain / Castle Coalition
Religious Liberty
FreedomRankings Editorial (no strong annual state-level source exists for religious liberty rankings)
Education Choice
EdChoice -- "ABCs of School Choice"
Regulatory Burden
Mercatus Center -- RegData state regulatory restrictions
Colorado ranks #36 of 50 US states for overall freedom, with a score of 53.7/100 on the 2026 FreedomRankings index of constitutional rights, economic freedom, and personal liberty. Its strongest freedom is Drug Policy (9.5/10); its weakest is Education Choice (1.5/10).
Frequently Asked
Answers are generated from Colorado's actual category scores and rank. Toggle the source to recompute against a different dataset.
Colorado ranks #36 of 50 US states with a freedom score of 53.7/100. The score is a weighted average of 10 categories — constitutional rights, economic freedom, criminal justice, drug policy, education choice, and more — drawn from the FreedomRankings Hybrid multi-source index (Fraser Institute, EdChoice, Institute for Justice, Vera Institute, NORML, Mercatus RegData, Guns & Ammo).
Colorado scores highest in Drug Policy (9.5/10), Economic Freedom (7.6/10), and 1st Amendment (7.5/10). These are the categories where Colorado is most protective of individual liberty relative to other US states.
Colorado scores lowest in Education Choice (1.5/10), 2nd Amendment (2.4/10), and Regulatory Burden (2.7/10). These are the categories where Colorado is most restrictive relative to other US states.
Colorado scores 2.4/10 on Second Amendment / gun rights, which places it significantly restrictive on firearms. This score reflects carry laws, permit requirements, magazine and assault-weapon restrictions, red flag laws, and castle doctrine / stand-your-ground protections.
Colorado scores 7.6/10 on economic freedom, placing it above average for economic freedom. The score reflects state income-tax rates, sales and property taxes, business tax climate, right-to-work status, and the overall regulatory burden on economic activity.
Colorado scores 9.5/10 on drug policy, which makes it among the most permissive drug-policy regimes in the country. The score incorporates recreational and medical marijuana legality, decriminalization of possession, harm-reduction programs, and sentencing for drug offenses.
Colorado scores 1.5/10 on education choice, placing it among the most restrictive states for education freedom. The score reflects voucher programs, education savings accounts, charter-school access, homeschool regulations, and tax-credit scholarships.
Each of Colorado's 10 category scores (0–10) is a weighted average, then multiplied by 10 to produce the overall 0–100 freedom score. Categories are weighted equally by default, but visitors can adjust the weights on the rankings page to produce a personalised ranking. The default source is the FreedomRankings Hybrid multi-source index; the Cato Institute 2023 edition and an editorial assessment are also available as toggles. See the methodology page for per-category source attribution.
Click any official to view their full profile, donors, and financial info.
Colorado ranks #36 of 50 states for overall freedom in 2026, with a score of 53.7/100 — 3.9 points below the 50-state average of 57.6/100. It scores above the national average in 5 of its 10 freedoms, a quick read on whether Colorado is broadly free or strong in just a few areas.
Colorado’s best freedoms are drug policy and economic freedom. Colorado ranks among the strongest in the nation for drug-policy freedom, as measured by marijuana legality, decriminalization, and drug-offense sentencing. Colorado ranks stronger than most states for economic freedom (13th of 50), as measured by income, sales, and property taxes alongside the broader business climate.
Colorado scores lowest on education choice and 2nd amendment. Colorado ranks among the weakest in the nation for school choice, as measured by vouchers, education savings accounts, and charter and homeschool access. Colorado ranks among the weakest in the nation for gun rights (38th of 50), as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws.
Colorado’s closest neighbors in the ranking are Rhode Island (#35, 54.1/100) and Connecticut (#37, 53.5/100). Use the comparison tool to see exactly which freedoms separate them, category by category.
See how all 50 states stack up on the issues that drive Colorado’s score.
Popular head-to-head matchups, or compare Colorado with any state.
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