Across the hybrid multi-source index, Indiana is roughly average in overall freedom, ranking #10 of 50 states with a score of 64.2/100. Its strongest areas are economic freedom, property rights, religious liberty, while it scores lowest in 4th amendment, criminal justice, drug policy.
How Indiana performs in each freedom category, ranked best to worst.
Score movements from the Cato 2023 baseline to the current hybrid multi-source index.
6 categories improved · 3 declined · 1 stable
Each score is drawn from the publisher listed on the tile. Hover the source chip for edition and methodology detail.
Indiana ranks near the national middle 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 15/50
Indiana ranks stronger than most states for gun rights (15th of 50), as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws.
IJ Policing for Profit 2025 — forfeiture grade D
Indiana ranks near the national middle for privacy and search protections, as measured by civil-asset-forfeiture limits, digital-warrant requirements, and surveillance rules.
Fraser EFNA 2024 (Overall subn score 7.51 for 2023) — rank 10/50
Indiana ranks stronger than most states for economic freedom (10th of 50), as measured by income, sales, and property taxes alongside the broader business climate.
Vera People in Prison 2024 — rank 32/50 (357/100k)
Indiana ranks weaker than most states for criminal-justice fairness (32nd of 50), as measured by incarceration rates, police accountability, and sentencing policy.
Cannabis status 2025 — Limited Medical (CBD/low-THC medical program only, possession criminal)
Indiana ranks weaker than most states for drug-policy freedom, as measured by marijuana legality, decriminalization, and drug-offense sentencing.
IJ Eminent Domain 2025 — post-Kelo protections B
Indiana ranks stronger than most states for property rights, as measured by eminent-domain limits, zoning flexibility, and rent-control rules.
Indiana ranks stronger than most states for religious liberty, as measured by a state RFRA, conscience protections, and religious-use accommodations.
EdChoice ABCs 2025 — universal eligibility, 4 programs — top program covers 100% of students
Indiana ranks stronger than most states for school choice, as measured by vouchers, education savings accounts, and charter and homeschool access.
Mercatus RegData 2024 — rank 14/48 (92,025 restrictions)
Indiana ranks stronger than most states for regulatory freedom (14th 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
Indiana ranks #10 of 50 US states for overall freedom, with a score of 64.2/100 on the 2026 FreedomRankings index of constitutional rights, economic freedom, and personal liberty. Its strongest freedom is Economic Freedom (8.2/10); its weakest is Drug Policy (3.0/10).
Frequently Asked
Answers are generated from Indiana's actual category scores and rank. Toggle the source to recompute against a different dataset.
Indiana ranks #10 of 50 US states with a freedom score of 64.2/100. 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).
Indiana scores highest in Economic Freedom (8.2/10), Property Rights (8/10), and Religious Liberty (8/10). These are the categories where Indiana is most protective of individual liberty relative to other US states.
Indiana scores lowest in Drug Policy (3/10), Criminal Justice (3.7/10), and 4th Amendment (5/10). These are the categories where Indiana is most restrictive relative to other US states.
Indiana scores 7.1/10 on Second Amendment / gun rights, which places it above average for gun owners. This score reflects carry laws, permit requirements, magazine and assault-weapon restrictions, red flag laws, and castle doctrine / stand-your-ground protections.
Indiana scores 8.2/10 on economic freedom, placing it among the top 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.
Indiana scores 3/10 on drug policy, which makes it relatively restrictive on drug policy. The score incorporates recreational and medical marijuana legality, decriminalization of possession, harm-reduction programs, and sentencing for drug offenses.
Indiana scores 7.9/10 on education choice, placing it above average for education freedom. The score reflects voucher programs, education savings accounts, charter-school access, homeschool regulations, and tax-credit scholarships.
Each of Indiana'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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Indiana ranks #10 of 50 states for overall freedom in 2026, with a score of 64.2/100 — 6.6 points above the 50-state average of 57.6/100. It scores above the national average in 6 of its 10 freedoms, a quick read on whether Indiana is broadly free or strong in just a few areas.
Indiana’s best freedoms are economic freedom and property rights. Indiana ranks stronger than most states for economic freedom (10th of 50), as measured by income, sales, and property taxes alongside the broader business climate. Indiana ranks stronger than most states for property rights, as measured by eminent-domain limits, zoning flexibility, and rent-control rules.
Indiana scores lowest on drug policy and criminal justice. Indiana ranks weaker than most states for drug-policy freedom, as measured by marijuana legality, decriminalization, and drug-offense sentencing. Indiana ranks weaker than most states for criminal-justice fairness (32nd of 50), as measured by incarceration rates, police accountability, and sentencing policy.
Indiana’s closest neighbors in the ranking are Florida (#9, 64.6/100) and Minnesota (#11, 63.6/100). 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 Indiana’s score.
Popular head-to-head matchups, or compare Indiana with any state.
