Across the hybrid multi-source index, Kentucky is below average in overall freedom, ranking #44 of 50 states with a score of 47.6/100. Its strongest areas are religious liberty, 2nd amendment, 1st amendment, while it scores lowest in economic freedom, criminal justice, education choice.
How Kentucky 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 · 4 declined · 0 stable
Each score is drawn from the publisher listed on the tile. Hover the source chip for edition and methodology detail.
Kentucky 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 14/50
Kentucky ranks stronger than most states for gun rights (14th of 50), as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws.
IJ Policing for Profit 2025 — forfeiture grade D-
Kentucky 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 5.80 for 2023) — rank 37/50
Kentucky ranks weaker than most states for economic freedom (37th of 50), as measured by income, sales, and property taxes alongside the broader business climate.
Vera People in Prison 2024 — rank 39/50 (428/100k)
Kentucky ranks among the weakest in the nation for criminal-justice fairness (39th of 50), as measured by incarceration rates, police accountability, and sentencing policy.
Cannabis status 2025 — Medical (comprehensive medical program, possession criminal)
Kentucky ranks near the national middle for drug-policy freedom, as measured by marijuana legality, decriminalization, and drug-offense sentencing.
IJ Eminent Domain 2025 — post-Kelo protections D
Kentucky ranks near the national middle for property rights, as measured by eminent-domain limits, zoning flexibility, and rent-control rules.
Kentucky ranks stronger than most states for religious liberty, as measured by a state RFRA, conscience protections, and religious-use accommodations.
EdChoice ABCs 2025 — no private-choice program, no programs
Kentucky 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 26/48 (122,200 restrictions)
Kentucky ranks near the national middle for regulatory freedom (26th 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
Kentucky ranks #44 of 50 US states for overall freedom, with a score of 47.6/100 on the 2026 FreedomRankings index of constitutional rights, economic freedom, and personal liberty. Its strongest freedom is Religious Liberty (8.0/10); its weakest is Education Choice (1.5/10).
Frequently Asked
Answers are generated from Kentucky's actual category scores and rank. Toggle the source to recompute against a different dataset.
Kentucky ranks #44 of 50 US states with a freedom score of 47.6/100. 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).
Kentucky scores highest in Religious Liberty (8/10), 2nd Amendment (7.3/10), and 1st Amendment (6/10). These are the categories where Kentucky is most protective of individual liberty relative to other US states.
Kentucky scores lowest in Education Choice (1.5/10), Criminal Justice (2.2/10), and Economic Freedom (2.7/10). These are the categories where Kentucky is most restrictive relative to other US states.
Kentucky scores 7.3/10 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.
Kentucky scores 2.7/10 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.
Kentucky scores 5.5/10 on drug policy, which makes it mixed on drug policy — some reforms but ongoing restrictions. The score incorporates recreational and medical marijuana legality, decriminalization of possession, harm-reduction programs, and sentencing for drug offenses.
Kentucky 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 Kentucky'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.
Kentucky ranks #44 of 50 states for overall freedom in 2026, with a score of 47.6/100 — 10.0 points below the 50-state average of 57.6/100. It scores above the national average in 2 of its 10 freedoms, a quick read on whether Kentucky is broadly free or strong in just a few areas.
Kentucky’s best freedoms are religious liberty and 2nd amendment. Kentucky ranks stronger than most states for religious liberty, as measured by a state RFRA, conscience protections, and religious-use accommodations. Kentucky ranks stronger than most states for gun rights (14th of 50), as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws.
Kentucky scores lowest on education choice and criminal justice. Kentucky ranks among the weakest in the nation for school choice, as measured by vouchers, education savings accounts, and charter and homeschool access. Kentucky ranks among the weakest in the nation for criminal-justice fairness (39th of 50), as measured by incarceration rates, police accountability, and sentencing policy.
Kentucky’s closest neighbors in the ranking are Oregon (#43, 50.1/100) and New Jersey (#45, 45.5/100). 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 Kentucky’s score.
Popular head-to-head matchups, or compare Kentucky with any state.
