Across the hybrid multi-source index, Massachusetts is below average in overall freedom, ranking #46 of 50 states with a score of 44.1/100. Its strongest areas are criminal justice, drug policy, 1st amendment, while it scores lowest in property rights, education choice, 2nd amendment.
How Massachusetts performs in each freedom category, ranked best to worst.
Score movements from the Cato 2023 baseline to the current hybrid multi-source index.
4 categories improved · 5 declined · 1 stable
Each score is drawn from the publisher listed on the tile. Hover the source chip for edition and methodology detail.
Massachusetts 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 46/50
Massachusetts ranks among the weakest in the nation for gun rights (46th of 50), as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws.
IJ Policing for Profit 2025 — forfeiture grade F
Massachusetts ranks among the weakest in the nation for privacy and search protections, as measured by civil-asset-forfeiture limits, digital-warrant requirements, and surveillance rules.
Fraser EFNA 2024 (Overall subn score 6.72 for 2023) — rank 24/50
Massachusetts ranks near the national middle for economic freedom (24th of 50), as measured by income, sales, and property taxes alongside the broader business climate.
Vera People in Prison 2024 — rank 1/50 (89/100k)
Massachusetts ranks among the strongest in the nation for criminal-justice fairness (1st of 50), as measured by incarceration rates, police accountability, and sentencing policy.
Cannabis status 2025 — Fully Legal (recreational use legal, retail sales operating)
Massachusetts 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 F
Massachusetts ranks among the weakest in the nation for property rights, as measured by eminent-domain limits, zoning flexibility, and rent-control rules.
Massachusetts 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
Massachusetts 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 40/48 (182,758 restrictions)
Massachusetts ranks among the weakest in the nation for regulatory freedom (40th 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
Massachusetts ranks #46 of 50 US states for overall freedom, with a score of 44.1/100 on the 2026 FreedomRankings index of constitutional rights, economic freedom, and personal liberty. Its strongest freedom is Criminal Justice (10.0/10); its weakest is 2nd Amendment (0.8/10).
Frequently Asked
Answers are generated from Massachusetts's actual category scores and rank. Toggle the source to recompute against a different dataset.
Massachusetts ranks #46 of 50 US states with a freedom score of 44.1/100. 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).
Massachusetts scores highest in Criminal Justice (10/10), Drug Policy (9.5/10), and 1st Amendment (7.5/10). These are the categories where Massachusetts is most protective of individual liberty relative to other US states.
Massachusetts scores lowest in 2nd Amendment (0.8/10), Education Choice (1.5/10), and Property Rights (1.5/10). These are the categories where Massachusetts is most restrictive relative to other US states.
Massachusetts scores 0.8/10 on Second Amendment / gun rights, which places it among the strictest firearms regimes in the United States. This score reflects carry laws, permit requirements, magazine and assault-weapon restrictions, red flag laws, and castle doctrine / stand-your-ground protections.
Massachusetts scores 5.3/10 on economic freedom, placing it roughly 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.
Massachusetts 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.
Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts'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.
Massachusetts ranks #46 of 50 states for overall freedom in 2026, with a score of 44.1/100 — 13.5 points below the 50-state average of 57.6/100. It scores above the national average in 4 of its 10 freedoms, a quick read on whether Massachusetts is broadly free or strong in just a few areas.
Massachusetts’s best freedoms are criminal justice and drug policy. Massachusetts ranks among the strongest in the nation for criminal-justice fairness (1st of 50), as measured by incarceration rates, police accountability, and sentencing policy. Massachusetts ranks among the strongest in the nation for drug-policy freedom, as measured by marijuana legality, decriminalization, and drug-offense sentencing.
Massachusetts scores lowest on 2nd amendment and education choice. Massachusetts ranks among the weakest in the nation for gun rights (46th of 50), as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws. Massachusetts ranks among the weakest in the nation for school choice, as measured by vouchers, education savings accounts, and charter and homeschool access.
Massachusetts’s closest neighbors in the ranking are New Jersey (#45, 45.5/100) and California (#47, 43.9/100). 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 Massachusetts’s score.
Popular head-to-head matchups, or compare Massachusetts with any state.
