Across the hybrid multi-source index, New Jersey is below average in overall freedom, ranking #45 of 50 states with a score of 45.5/100. Its strongest areas are criminal justice, drug policy, 1st amendment, while it scores lowest in education choice, regulatory burden, 2nd amendment.
How New Jersey performs in each freedom category, ranked best to worst.
Score movements from the Cato 2023 baseline to the current hybrid multi-source index.
7 categories improved · 3 declined · 0 stable
Each score is drawn from the publisher listed on the tile. Hover the source chip for edition and methodology detail.
New Jersey 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 49/50
New Jersey ranks among the weakest in the nation for gun rights (49th of 50), as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws.
IJ Policing for Profit 2025 — forfeiture grade D-
New Jersey 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 5.70 for 2023) — rank 38/50
New Jersey ranks among the weakest in the nation for economic freedom (38th of 50), as measured by income, sales, and property taxes alongside the broader business climate.
Vera People in Prison 2024 — rank 3/50 (136/100k)
New Jersey ranks among the strongest in the nation for criminal-justice fairness (3rd of 50), as measured by incarceration rates, police accountability, and sentencing policy.
Cannabis status 2025 — Fully Legal (recreational use legal, retail sales operating)
New Jersey 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
New Jersey ranks near the national middle for property rights, as measured by eminent-domain limits, zoning flexibility, and rent-control rules.
New Jersey 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
New Jersey 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 46/48 (296,926 restrictions)
New Jersey ranks among the weakest in the nation for regulatory freedom (46th 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
New Jersey ranks #45 of 50 US states for overall freedom, with a score of 45.5/100 on the 2026 FreedomRankings index of constitutional rights, economic freedom, and personal liberty. Its strongest freedom is Criminal Justice (9.6/10); its weakest is 2nd Amendment (0.2/10).
Frequently Asked
Answers are generated from New Jersey's actual category scores and rank. Toggle the source to recompute against a different dataset.
New Jersey ranks #45 of 50 US states with a freedom score of 45.5/100. 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).
New Jersey scores highest in Criminal Justice (9.6/10), Drug Policy (9.5/10), and 1st Amendment (7/10). These are the categories where New Jersey is most protective of individual liberty relative to other US states.
New Jersey scores lowest in 2nd Amendment (0.2/10), Regulatory Burden (0.8/10), and Education Choice (1.5/10). These are the categories where New Jersey is most restrictive relative to other US states.
New Jersey scores 0.2/10 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.
New Jersey scores 2.4/10 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.
New Jersey 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.
New Jersey 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 New Jersey'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.
New Jersey ranks #45 of 50 states for overall freedom in 2026, with a score of 45.5/100 — 12.1 points below the 50-state average of 57.6/100. It scores above the national average in 3 of its 10 freedoms, a quick read on whether New Jersey is broadly free or strong in just a few areas.
New Jersey’s best freedoms are criminal justice and drug policy. New Jersey ranks among the strongest in the nation for criminal-justice fairness (3rd of 50), as measured by incarceration rates, police accountability, and sentencing policy. New Jersey ranks among the strongest in the nation for drug-policy freedom, as measured by marijuana legality, decriminalization, and drug-offense sentencing.
New Jersey scores lowest on 2nd amendment and regulatory burden. New Jersey ranks among the weakest in the nation for gun rights (49th of 50), as measured by carry permitting, magazine and assault-weapon limits, and red-flag laws. New Jersey ranks among the weakest in the nation for regulatory freedom (46th of 48), as measured by occupational licensing and business-entry barriers.
New Jersey’s closest neighbors in the ranking are Kentucky (#44, 47.6/100) and Massachusetts (#46, 44.1/100). 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 New Jersey’s score.
Popular head-to-head matchups, or compare New Jersey with any state.
