Tracked jurisdiction — not ranked among the 50 states (why?)
Across the hybrid multi-source index, District of Columbia scores roughly average for overall freedom, with a score of 52.5/100 (tracked separately from the 50-state ranking). Its strongest areas are drug policy, education choice, 1st amendment, while it scores lowest in economic freedom, regulatory burden, 2nd amendment.
How District of Columbia performs in each freedom category, ranked best to worst.
Each score is drawn from the publisher listed on the tile. Hover the source chip for edition and methodology detail.
District of Columbia 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.
District of Columbia ranks among the weakest in the nation for gun rights, as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws.
District of Columbia ranks near the national middle for privacy and search protections, as measured by civil-asset-forfeiture limits, digital-warrant requirements, and surveillance rules.
District of Columbia ranks weaker than most states for economic freedom, as measured by income, sales, and property taxes alongside the broader business climate.
District of Columbia ranks near the national middle for criminal-justice fairness, as measured by incarceration rates, police accountability, and sentencing policy.
District of Columbia ranks stronger than most states for drug-policy freedom, as measured by marijuana legality, decriminalization, and drug-offense sentencing.
District of Columbia ranks near the national middle for property rights, as measured by eminent-domain limits, zoning flexibility, and rent-control rules.
District of Columbia ranks near the national middle for religious liberty, as measured by a state RFRA, conscience protections, and religious-use accommodations.
District of Columbia ranks stronger than most states for school choice, as measured by vouchers, education savings accounts, and charter and homeschool access.
District of Columbia ranks weaker than most states for regulatory freedom, 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
District of Columbia scores 52.5/100 on the 2026 FreedomRankings index — which rates jurisdictions on constitutional rights, economic freedom, and personal liberty — and is tracked separately from the 50-state ranking. Its strongest freedom is Drug Policy (8.0/10); its weakest is 2nd Amendment (2.0/10).
Frequently Asked
Answers are generated from District of Columbia's actual category scores and rank. Toggle the source to recompute against a different dataset.
District of Columbia has a freedom score of 52.5/100 across 10 categories covering constitutional rights, economic freedom, and personal liberties. As a federal district, District of Columbia is tracked separately from the 50-state numeric ranking because its constitutional status under Article I § 8 and the DC Home Rule Act makes direct comparison with states misleading. The score is calculated using the FreedomRankings Hybrid multi-source index (Fraser Institute, EdChoice, Institute for Justice, Vera Institute, NORML, Mercatus RegData, Guns & Ammo).
District of Columbia scores highest in Drug Policy (8/10), Education Choice (8/10), and 1st Amendment (7.5/10). These are the categories where District of Columbia is most protective of individual liberty relative to other US jurisdictions.
District of Columbia scores lowest in 2nd Amendment (2/10), Regulatory Burden (3/10), and Economic Freedom (3/10). These are the categories where District of Columbia is most restrictive relative to other US jurisdictions.
District of Columbia scores 2/10 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.
District of Columbia scores 3/10 on economic freedom, placing it among the most restrictive states 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.
District of Columbia scores 8/10 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.
District of Columbia scores 8/10 on education choice, placing it among the top states for education freedom. The score reflects voucher programs, education savings accounts, charter-school access, homeschool regulations, and tax-credit scholarships.
Each of District of Columbia'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.
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District of Columbia scores 52.5/100 on the 2026 FreedomRankings index and is tracked separately from the 50-state ranking. It beats the national average in 5 of 10 freedom categories. The score combines ten freedoms drawn from established third-party indexes, so it reflects measured policy rather than reputation.
District of Columbia’s best freedoms are drug policy and education choice. District of Columbia ranks stronger than most states for drug-policy freedom, as measured by marijuana legality, decriminalization, and drug-offense sentencing. District of Columbia ranks stronger than most states for school choice, as measured by vouchers, education savings accounts, and charter and homeschool access.
District of Columbia scores lowest on 2nd amendment and regulatory burden. District of Columbia ranks among the weakest in the nation for gun rights, as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws. District of Columbia ranks weaker than most states for regulatory freedom, as measured by occupational licensing and business-entry barriers.
See how all 50 states stack up on the issues that drive District of Columbia’s score.
